Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Julius Caesar, Act V.v ·Mark Antony
"This was the noblest Roman of them all."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"This was the noblest Roman of them all."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"This was the noblest Roman of them all: / All the conspirators, save only he, / Did that they did in envy of great Caesar." Mark Antony — Julius Caesar, Act V.v
Why it matters
Antony is eulogising Brutus — the man who killed Caesar. Quoting the line alone flattens the political nuance: nobility is being granted to an assassin on the grounds of motive.
More from the canon.
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