What's past is prologue
"What’s past is prologue" is a quote by William Shakespeare from his play The Tempest meaning that history repeats itself and continually influences the present. The quote is engraved on the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.[1]
Senator Joe Biden used the quote in the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate against Sarah Palin when he was accused of focusing too much on the past.[2] The phrase is also commonly used by the military when discussing the similarities between war throughout history.[3][4]
Although the phrase is now commonly used to mean what's stated above, as the phrase was originally used in The Tempest, Act 2, Scene I, it means that all that has happened before that time, the "past," has led Antonio and Sebastian to this opportunity to do what they are about to do, commit murder. In the context of the preceding and next lines, "(And by that destiny) to perform an act, Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come, In yours and my discharge" Antonio is in essence rationalizing to Sebastian, and the audience, that he and Sebastian are fated to act by all that has led up to that moment, the past has set the stage for their next act, as a prologue does in a play. Therefore, this phrase might be better used in situations where people are attempting to rationalize wicked acts based on the past.
In 2010 the quote was directly used in the American commercial for the Wii video game Metroid: Other M from Nintendo. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CZqO5Z5uxU&feature=player_embedded
See also
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References
- ^ Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989. NUMBER: 1296
- ^ "Replied Biden: "Past is prologue." He went on to defend his emphasis on the Bush policies often supported by McCain." 'In debate, both candidates accomplished their primary missions' Miami Herald 10.03.08
- ^ The Past as Prologue? A History of U.S. Counterinsurgency Policy in Colombia, 1958-66 [1]
- ^ Murray, Williamson The Past as Prologue: The Importance of History to the Military Profession Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (May 8, 2006)