Original artwork, not a still
Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask.
— V for Vendetta · 2005
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A mask is a poor answer to a question about identity, and V knows it, so he dresses the evasion up in wordplay. The reply is a joke and a manifesto at once: he is not a man but an idea, and the mask is what lets anyone else wear it. It is the line that tells new viewers what the film's whole symbol means.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for V for VendettaShow the scene
The line is V's first answer to Evey in V for Vendetta (2005). On 4 November, Evey is attacked by the secret police in a London street, and a masked stranger rescues her. V quotes Hamlet at the thugs, then turns to Evey, and when she asks who he is he answers that he is a man in a mask, before remarking on the paradox of asking a masked man. The famous run of words beginning with V follows, and afterwards he takes her to watch the Old Bailey explode.
Sources (2)
- V for Vendetta (2005) script transcriptV's introduction to EveyReference checked
- V for Vendetta (film), WikipediaPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
