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Line 250 - Commentary Note (CN)

Commentary notes (CN):

1. SMALL CAPS Indicate editions. Notes for each commentator are divided into three parts:

In the 1st two lines of a record, when the name of the source text (the siglum) is printed in SMALL CAPS, the comment comes from an EDITION; when it is in normal font, it is derived from a book, article, ms. record or other source. We occasionally use small caps for ms. sources and for works related to editions. See bibliographies for complete information (in process).

2. How comments are related to predecessors' comments. In the second line of a record, a label "without attribution" indicates that a prior writer made the same or a similar point; such similarities do not usually indicate plagiarism because many writers do not, as a practice, indicate the sources of their glosses. We provide the designation ("standard") to indicate a gloss in common use. We use ≈ for "equivalent to" and = for "exactly alike."

3. Original comment. When the second line is blank after the writer's siglum, we are signaling that we have not seen that writer's gloss prior to that date. We welcome correction on this point.

4. Words from the play under discussion (lemmata). In the third line or lines of a record, the lemmata after the TLN (Through Line Number] are from Q2. When the difference between Q2 and the authors' lemma(ta) is significant, we include the writer's lemma(ta). When the gloss is for a whole line or lines, only the line number(s) appear. Through Line Numbers are numbers straight through a play and include stage directions. Most modern editions still use the system of starting line numbers afresh for every scene and do not assign line numbers to stage directions.

5. Bibliographic information. In the third line of the record, where we record the gloss, we provide concise bibliographic information, expanded in the bibliographies, several of which are in process.

6. References to other lines or other works. For a writer's reference to a passage elsewhere in Ham. we provide, in brackets, Through Line Numbers (TLN) from the Norton F1 (used by permission); we call these xref, i.e., cross references. We call references to Shakespearean plays other than Ham. “parallels” (//) and indicate Riverside act, scene and line number as well as TLN. We call references to non-Shakespearean works “analogues.”

7. Further information: See the Introduction for explanations of other abbreviations. Click here for more information about browsing the entries and here for more information about the special symbols used in Hamletworks. Click the question mark icon above to remove this help message.

Notes for lines 0-1017 ed. Bernice W. Kliman

For explanation of sigla, such as jen, see the editions bib.

250 Doe not for euer with thy vailed lids	1.2.70

1723- mtby2

mtby2

250 vailed lids] Thirlby (1723-): “this [veiled?] will not bear examining and yet I will not swear it is not goo[d] [. . . ] f [strong opinion] well enough. Yes, very well.”

1744 han1

han1

250 vailed] Hanmer (ed. 1743, 6: Glossary): “To Vail, to let down, to drop, to stoop.”

1755 Johnson Dict.

Johnson

250 vailed] Johnson (1755): “To Vail v.a. [avaller le bonet, French.]

“1. To let fall, to suffer to descend. . . .

“2. To let fall in token of respect . . .

“3. To fall . . . [quotes ‘Gan vail his stomach’ from 2H4 1.1.129 [189], though he identifies it only as from Sh.]

1773 v1773

v1773

250 vailed] Johnson (ed. 1773): “With lowering eyes, cast down eyes.”

1774 capn

capn

250 vailed] Capell (1774, 1.1:123) “Instead of ‘vailed’ in [250], the folio’s and the moderns have ‘veiled:’ but ‘lids’ are not veiled themselves, but are the veilers of other things, that is—eyes.”

capn: derivation from Johnson’s Dictionary; //

250 vailed] Capell (1774, 1.1:Glossary): “to vail [2H4 1.1.129 (189), MV 1.1.28, (32), & Shr. 5.1.173 (2734)] to abase or let down, to lower. Fre. avaller.”

1778 v1778

v1778 = v1773 subst.

250 vailed]

1784 ays1

ays1= v1778 without attribution

250 vailed] Ayscough (ed. 1784): “With lowering eyes, cast-down eyes.”

1785 v1785

v1785 = v1778

250 vailed]

1787 ann

ann = v1785

250 vailed]

1790 mal

mal = v1785

250 vailed] Malone

1790 mal

mal = v1785

250 vailed]

1790 mal

mal 2H4 1.1.129 Johnson’s Dictionary without attribution; Steevens, also from Johnson’s Dictionary

250 vailed] Johnson (apud Malone, 5: 285, n. 9): “’Gan vail his stomach,] ‘Began to fall his courage, to let his spirits sink under his fortune.’ Johnson.

“From avaller, Fr. to cast down, or to let fall down. See [3:6 n.7]. Malone

“Thus, to vail the bonnet is to pull it off. To vail a staff is to let it fall in token of respect. Steevens.”

1791- rann

rann: standard

250 vailed] Rann (ed. 1791-): “downcast eyes.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal + // from capn

250 vailed] Steevens (ed. 1793): “So, in [MV 1.1.28 (32)]: “Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs.”

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

250 vailed]

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

250 vailed]

1819 cald1

cald1: standard +

250 vailed] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “Cast down. See [MV 1.1.28 (32) Salar. & [LLL 5.2.297 (2220)]. Boyet.”

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813

250 vailed]

1826 sing1

sing1

250 vailed] Singer (ed. 1826): “i.e. with eyes cast down. ‘—Vaile your regard Upon a wrong’d, I’d fain have said a maid.’ [MM 5.1.20-1 (2370-1)].”

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1

250 vailed]

1832- mEliot

mEliot

250 vailed] Eliot (1832-): “Sh. frequently uses the past for the perfect participle.”

1833 valpy

valpy

250 vailed lids] Valpy (ed. 1833): “Dejected eyes.”

1843 col1

col1: standard

250 vailed] Collier (ed. 1843): “To ‘vail’ was to lower. See [6:201], and various previous instances there referred to.”

1844 verp

verp: standard

250 vailed] Verplanck (ed. 1844): “Lowered, cast down.”

1856 sing2

sing2 = sing1 minus ref. to MM; plus han def.

250 vailed] Singer (ed. 1856): “i.e. with eyes cast down. To vail is to lower.”

1856 hud1

hud1 ≈ rann without attribution

250 vailed] Hudson (ed. 1856): “That is, with downcast eyes. We have repeatedly seen, that to vail was to lower or let fall. See [MV 1.1.28 (32)] note 3.”

1858 col3

col3 = col1 except // to 2:525

250 vailed]

1868 c&mc

c&mc: hud1 without attribution + in magenta underlined

250 vailed] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868): “‘Drooped lids,’ ‘downcast eyes.’”

1872 cln1

cln1 : standard def., MV //

250 vailed]

cln1

250 lids] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “for ‘eyelids,’ occurs in [Cym. 2. 2. 20 (927)].”

1872 hud2

hud2 = hud1 minus //

250 vailed]

1873 rug2

rug2: standard, v1821 derivation from Fr. + in magenta underlined

250 vailed] Moberly (ed. 1873): “lowered. Probably from the French ‘en aval,’ downward (of a river): just as ‘paramount’ answers to the phrase ‘en amont,’ upwards.”

1877 v1877

v1877: john; Steevens MV //

250 vailed]

1878 col4

col4: standard

250 vailed]

1880 meik

meik ≈ cln1 without attribution + in magenta underlined

250 lids] Meikeljohn (ed. 1880): “found in S. six times for eyelids.”

1881 hud3

hud3 = hud2

250 lids]

1885 macd

macd: standard

250 vailed]

1938 parc

parc

250 vailed] Parrott & Craig (ed. 1938): “lowered.”

1939 kit2

kit2: standard

250 vailed] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "downcast."

1947 cln2

cln2: standard

250 vailed] Rylands (ed. 1947): "vailéd: lowered, downcast."

1957 pel1

pel1: standard

250 vailed] Farnham (ed. 1957): “downcast.”

1964 HLQ

Doran

250 for euer] Doran (1964, p. 266): “We are soon to learn that her husband has been dead less than two months.”

1970 pel2

pel2 = pel1

250 vailed] Farnham (ed. 1970): “downcast”

1980 pen2

pen2: standard

250 vailed lids] Spencer (ed. 1980): “downcast eyelids.”

1982 ard2

ard2:

250 Doe . . . euer] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “Ironical in view of [329-35].”

ard2: OED

250 vailed] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “lowered. OED v2.”

1985 cam4

cam4

250 vailed lids] Edwards (ed. 1985): "lowered eyes."

1987 oxf4

oxf4: standard: OED; Ven. 956

250 vailed] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "lowered, downcast "(OED v.2 1 c). Cp. Ven. 956, ‘She vailed her eye-lids.’ "

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

250 vailed lids] Bevington (ed. 1988): “lowered eyes.”

1992 OED

OED

250 vailed] OED: There may be a difference between vailed and veyled and veiled The word vail, in OED 1b means to lower in sign of submission or respect, 1c to lower or cast down (the eyes) . . . OED also has vailed, and cites F1 Ham, meaning “lowered, drooped...” If it meant veiled, it could mean veiling—lids that behave like a veil, keeping the eyes hidden from view, contrary to the direct gaze. Poetically it is applied to eyes—from Shelley on.

1992 fol2

fol2: standard

250 vailed lids] Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “i.e., lowered eyes”

1993 Lupton&Reinhard

Lupton & Reinhard: Lacan

250-3 Lupton & Reinhard (1993, p. 79): “ . . . since Gertrude, as Lacan says in “Seminar X,” demonstrates an ‘absence of mourning” (3 July 1963, 397), Hamlet’s mourning—and hence his desire—is also dysfunctional . . . . The death of Ophelia, as well as the murder of Polonius, are, according to Lacan, ritual sacrifices in expiation of the unmourned loss of the father, attempts to institute a lack that can be adequately mourned (‘Desire’ 39).”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: xref; Q2/F1

250 vailed lids] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “vailèd; lowered eyelids. Q2’s ’vailed’ is more popular with editors than F’s ’veyled’ (veiled), though the latter is acceptable if we assume that the downcast lids ’veil’ the eyes (see Thompson & Thompson, [intro] 99-100, 128). The Queen sees in Hamlet’s metaphorically downcast (dropping, [189]) eyes a literal attempt to find his father’s body in the ground—the first of the play’s many references to the physical facts of corporeal decay: see, for example, [1218-20] and [1354-5], [2685-93] and [3353-3403].”