"Bubble reputation" refers to a situation where a person's or organization's reputation is inflated or exaggerated, often based on superficial or temporary factors rather than substantive achievements or qualities. This kind of reputation can be precarious, as it may not withstand scrutiny or challenging circumstances. Essentially, it highlights the fragility of a reputation that relies more on perception than reality.
You know what a bubble is: something that fills with air and grows and grows until pop! it's gone. The bubble is a metaphor for the transience of the kind of reputation the soldier seeks--it grows and grows and in an instant, it's gone. It's sort of like the fame of pop stars.
"seeking the bubble reputation" comes from Jaques' monologue "All the world's a stage" from As You Like It, a play by William Shakespeare, which goes like this in part: Then a soldier, full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth. It means fame, which is notoriously transitory. Everybody may be talking about you one day, and the next it disappears like a burst bubble. The soldier is prepared to risk death for just such a reputation, and Jaques is suggesting that he's pretty stupid to do so.
"the bubble reputation", "the cannon's mouth", "with good capon lin'd".
I have got a (good or bad) reputation and you have not got a (good or bad) reputation.
The phrase "seeking bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth" suggests a desire for fame or recognition, even in the face of great danger or risk. It implies that some individuals are willing to pursue notoriety or acclaim at any cost, demonstrating a reckless ambition that prioritizes reputation over safety or common sense. This metaphor highlights the fleeting and fragile nature of such fame, akin to a "bubble" that can easily burst.
In Jaques's speech from Shakespeare's play As You Like It (it's not a poem, but a part of a play), he describes a soldier as "seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth." The use of the word "bubble" is what is called a metaphor. This is when something is compared to something else that is mostly different but the same in some ways. Bubbles get big very quickly but then pop and instantly disappear. The soldier's reputation is like that--he can become famous really quickly and then, in an instant, nobody can remember who he was or why he was famous. Sports heroes and pop stars have bubble reputations too.
Soldiers (especially back in the days when most combat was hand-to-hand) could win renown by being exceptionally brave and defeating many enemies. Shakespeare (or rather the cynical Jaques who makes this speech) is saying that this kind of reputation is like a bubble: it grows quickly to a great size but disappears with a pop. By this he might be suggesting that a soldier's reputation is like a pop star's--they may be the top band today but in a year everyone will have forgotten them. He might be suggesting that military reputation does not bring lasting fame. Alternatively, he might be saying that the soldier's reputation is as fragile as a bubble: one blast from the cannon and the hard-won reputation is gone, because the soldier is dead.
Meaning 1: simmer, bubble, foam, seethe, fizz, froth, effervesce Meaning 2: pustule, gathering, swelling, blister, carbuncle
The root word of reputation is 'pute', which comes from the Latin 'reputare' meaning "to think over".
Talbot Mundy has written: 'King, of the Khyber Rifles' 'Queen Cleopatra' 'Om' 'The bubble reputation'
Yes, expressions like "bubble up" meaning to rise to the surface, "living in a bubble" suggesting someone is isolated from reality, and "bursting the bubble" signifying a sudden end to a period of optimism or false hope all use the word "bubble."
Bubble wrap is translucent, meaning that light can pass through it, but objects behind it cannot be seen clearly.