The film’s title is an allusion to a line of Alexander Pope’s poem "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot": “Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?” The line is usually interpreted as questioning why someone would put massive effort into achieving something minor or unimportant, or who would punish a minor offender with a disproportional punishment.
The poem includes character sketches of "Atticus" (Joseph Addison) and "Sporus" (John Hervey).
Epistle to the Romans | Epistle to the Galatians | Second Epistle to the Corinthians | Epistle to the Colossians | John Arbuthnot | First Epistle to the Corinthians | Third Epistle to the Corinthians | First Epistle of Peter | First Epistle of John | Epistle to the Ephesians | Mariot Arbuthnot | Harriet Arbuthnot | George Gough Arbuthnot | George Bingham Arbuthnot | Epistle to the Philippians | Epistle of James | Charles Arbuthnot | Second Epistle of Peter | May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture | Malcolm Arbuthnot | John Bernard Arbuthnot | James Arbuthnot | First Epistle of Clement | Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot | Epistle of Jude | Charles George Arbuthnot | Arbuthnot and Ambrister incident |