Painterly round silver medal and ribbon resting on folded dark blue cloth.

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Antony and Cleopatra

William Shakespeare

Ambition, the soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss, than gain which darkens him.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

In this passage, ambition is called the soldier's virtue. It would rather accept a loss than take a gain that darkens him. So honour, not profit, is what defines a soldier's character in the speaker's view.

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