In Robert Browning’s poem or rather the short story adaptations that we read as children were the first instances where we felt the wind of influence. For the first time, we saw the raw power of another man’s actions, his craft. Not only that, we also witnessed the act of an enticing man who laid temptation in such a meticulously woven web that even the strongest was taken in. The rats followed him to their demise while the children were taken away as a prize. Such was the magical influence of his flute playing. It was not at random. It was directed at a specific group at a specific time. It is an art one might say. An art possessed by an orator, or a slyer. But a craft nonetheless.
In Shakespeare’s plays, influence plays a major part in the plot. We consider two of the greatest plays Julius Caesar and Macbeth. In Caesar, we see influence coming into play at a major point in the play. It is in Cassius’ persuading of Brutus to murder Caesar. The guile with which Cassius literally plants an entire scenario is his head requires not only carefully chosen words but also a relationship with the person that would make the other person hear him out of respect and then lower the chances of a negative response. Cassius being his brother-in-law had that perk. He could talk to Brutus without slighting him to the extent that he be shunned from his sight. It was out of brotherly love that Brutus heard everything Cassius said. And such were the craft in his words that Brutus was driven to believe that Caesar was a tyrant whereas, better judgement would have shown that Cassius had personal whims on his agenda. It is quite appalling to note that a sly dishonest Cassius had such influence on his brother-in-law who by all means was the most honourable man in Rome. One might argue Anthony’s speech is also a key part of this discussion but I would rather classify Anthony’s speech as an instigation rather than influence. Brutus had much more influence on the crowd. But he failed to read Anthony’s game, made terrible tactical errors and gave the chicken’s leg to Anthony who took full advantage of it. Anthony to be left alone with Caesar’s body was a fatal error and Anthony saw to it. Yet, he merely used his tools of oration and sly intellect to instigate the crowd.
In Macbeth too, we see the two actions coming to the fore in an interwoven manner. Influence then the instigation. Or one may say the other way around too. Th witches’ appearance and their prophecies instigated that ambitious part in Macbeth’s head and he was not able to drown those thoughts. He wrote to his wife explaining the unnatural events of the day and Lady Macbeth being a spouse had a natural influence on her husband. When he returned, all Lady Macbeth had to do was to spark that ambitious flame, add a few elements of avarice and the rest was done. Macbeth was fouled. At this moment, we may say the the idea of the throne had held his mind captive for a long while. The witches’ prophecies instigated the dark feelings and his wife’s influence over him propelled him towards King Duncan’s bed with the dagger.
In the act of influencing, there are two roles. One of the person who holds the power to influence, the other of the person being influenced. There are two ways too. One is active influence while the we may say as passive influence. In the movie Hugo, Rene Tabard the author is influenced by the filmmaker George Millies. Millies never tutored him or held any direct power over him but it was his works that influenced the young Tabard. An artist’s role in society is thus stationed. He can influence the massed by his works. His influence is not directed at a specific personality but his a part of his audience with whom he has little or no personal interaction. The artist in turn is influenced by other artists or a person in his life. Such an influence is also a passive one in most cases.
The other is one where a person has a direct influence on the person in contact with him. There are two roles: one of the person being influenced and the other of a person having the power of influence over him. The act has been described as something terribly enthralling to project one’s soul into some gracious form, and let it tarry there for a moment. Then to hear one’s own views echoed back laden in passionate acceptance. There is a kind of joy in the realization of the vibrance of your own ideas in the air when the person in front is awed by it and he is seen nodding to every word spoken. Such an act over time has the potential to change the course of another person’s life. The moment our minds resonate along with someone else’s words we feel a certain predilection for the person. That is how we make friends in the latter part of our life when all that dominates within are the vices of our past, the triumphs of our present and the lingering dreams of old age comforts.
Influence is a virtue as well as a vice. It is merely upon the one being influenced to act upon his own thinking. But sometimes that may not be enough. As seen in the Pied Piper, the piper held his captives in a trance. It’s a form of forceful influence, one might say to the extent of hypnotizing. It is very different but the effect the flute music had on the listeners was of wonder and amazement and such that there was a reluctance to be away from it. Therefore, he was followed by his audience. I would not say it as an influence but it’s mentioned because it depicts the impact one man can have over a community. There lies the basic concept of an influential man.
One can use the ideas he gathers from men and women he meets constructively to scale greater heights in life or he can succumb to the whisperings of a friend by his side and run the risk of running his ship to the ground. Influence is a powerful tool of progress as well as destruction. In history, we have seen powerful men and visionaries step up to influence an entire nation to a cause. We have also seen in history how the personal influence of one person has wrecked kings and emperors alike. It is treated with much detail in literature and mythology as the governing of another man’s mind by a man is deemed as a tool that can change empires.
Indeed, one needs an influence in life. Every genius who has accomplished something huge has stated his influences. The ideas of other men and their words help us bring some shape to our lives which initially are nothing but mounds of clay. Our parents play a major role in building the foundations and as we grow we open our eyes and ears to the world and choose the words that we feel would guide us forward. We seek advice, we get advice. We must choose them wisely.
Throughout literature and mythology we have seen the power of a man’s words. We have seen the strongest succumb to ideologies planted in their head that ultimately resulted in their fall. But it was in Robert Browning’s poem that we first saw a pied piper who never spoke a word change an entire city. Such is the power of influence.
Ink Idle 
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