Julius Caesar! <3 Somehow I missed it in high school and never got around to reading it later because ugh, Julius Caesar, how boring. But it's actually NOT ABOUT CAESAR AT ALL; it's about how Brutus is the best (or TRYING REALLY HARD, anyway) and politics are the worst. I love it.

Have you read Plutarch's life of Brutus? It's excellent. You can see all the influences on Shakespeare (or "things Shakespeare copied") and it's full of Brutus being adorable and sad.