Rumour

RUMOUR AND THE WORLD OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION

– here, for your interest, is Shakespeare’s commentary on Rumour which is offered as the Prologue to Henry 1V Part Two.

            It is spoken by the allegorical figure of Rumour himself. This is in a play written probably in the Winter of 1597, or maybe in the Spring of 1598. It is astonishing to see how well it works as a characterisation of the Internet and online social media – see in particular lines 3-10 of this Prologue or Induction

                                                                        INDUCTION

                                                      Enter Rumour, painted full of tongues

                                    Rumour:  Open your ears: for which of you will stop

                                                        The vent of hearing, when loud Rumour speaks?     

                                                        I, from the Orient, to the dropping West

                                                       (Making the wind my post-horse) still unfold

                                                        The acts commenced on this ball of earth.

                                                       Upon my tongues, continual slanders ride,

                                                       The which, in every language, I pronounce,

                                                       Stuffing the ears of men with false reports:

                                                       I speak of peace, while covert enmity

                                                       (Under the smile of safety) wounds the world;

                                                       And who but Rumour, who but only I

                                                       Make fearful musters, and prepar’d defence,

                                                       Whiles the big year, swoln with some other griefs,

                                                       Is thought with child, by the stern tyrant, War.

                                                       And no such matter? Rumour, is a pipe

                                                       Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures;

                                                       And of so easy, and so plain a stop,

                                                       That the blunt monster, with uncounted heads,

                                                       The still-discordant, wavering multitude (yes, that’s us, folks)

                                                        Can play upon it.

                  Written at the latest in 1598, that’s five hundred and twenty-four years ago, kids.

             As the French say, plus ca change…plus c’est la meme chose… 

            They might have lost at Agincourt in 1415, but they’ve always been right about that.