Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·King Lear, Act III.ii ·Lear
"I am more sinned against than sinning."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"I am more sinned against than sinning."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"I am a man / More sinn'd against than sinning." Lear — King Lear, Act III.ii
Why it matters
Shakespeare wrote the line across two lines of verse to throw weight on "a man" — a king reduced to the bare category. Modern prose paraphrase loses the humiliation.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.