Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Macbeth, Act I.vii ·Macbeth
"The be-all and end-all."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"The be-all and end-all."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"That but this blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all here." Macbeth — Macbeth, Act I.vii
Why it matters
Shakespeare's coinage — in the original, the hyphens are in specific positions. Modern compounds drop the second "the," turning a hypothetical into a cliché.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.