604-11 Stubbs (1736, p. 21): “The Beginning of this Scene is easy and natural.”

The rest of his comment is in 619.

604 Gentleman (ed. 1773): “This scene begins so distant from its main subject, that our minds are diverted from the Ghost, till he returns with double force of impression, and awful sensations.”

604 ff Coleridge (Lectures on Shakespeare and Education, Lecture 3, rpt. in the Bristol Gazette, 11 Nov. 1813; rpt. Coleridge, 1987, 5.1:545):“Mr. Coleridge instanced, as a proof of Shakespear’s minute knowledge of human nature, the unimportant conversation which takes place during the expectation of the Ghost’s appearance: and he recalled to our notice what all must have observed in common life; that on the brink of some serious enterprize, or event of moment, men naturally elude the pressure of their own thoughts, by turning aside to trivial objects and familiar circumstances: so in Hamlet, the dialogue on the platform begins with remarks on the coldness of the air: and enquiries, obliquely connected indeed with the expected hour of the visitation, but thrown out in a seeming vacuity of topics, as to the striking of the clock. The same desire to escape from inward thoughts is admirably carried on in Hamlet’s moralising on the Danish custom of wassailing: and a double purpose is here answered, which demonstrates the exquisite judgment of Shakespear. By thus entangling the attention of the audience in the nice distinctions and parathetical sentences of Hamlet, he takes them completely by surprize on the appearance of the Ghost, which comes upon them all in the suddenness of its visionary character. No modern writer would have dared, Like Shakespear, to have preceded this last visitation by two distinct appearances: or could have contrived that the third should rise upon the two former in impressiveness and solemnity of interest.”

[I think OED is a helpful comment for a reader, esepecially if we show the Q2/F1 difference, or perhaps even more if we DON’T]

604 it is] Knight (ed. 1839): “The quartos read, ‘It is very cold.’ In the folio we have distinctly, ‘Is it very cold?’ with a note of interrogation.”

604- Lewes (ms. notes in Knight, ed. 1843) quotes Coleridge: “‘The unimportant conversation with which this scene opens is a proof of Shakespeare’s minute knowledge of nature. It is a well-established fact, that on the brink of any serious enterprise, or event of moment, men almost invariably endeavour to elude the pressure of their own thoughts by turning aside to trivial objects + familiar circumstances; thus this dialogue on the platform begins with remarks on the coldness of the air + inquiries, obliquely connected indeed with the expected hour of visitation, but thrown out in seeming vacuity of topics.’”

Hunter, below, quotes Coleridge with a few immaterial variations from Lewes’ and continues for some sentences.

604 it is] Collier (ed. 1843): “So all the quartos, and no doubt rightly. The folio absurdly makes it a question, ‘is it very cold?’ after Hamlet has himself complained that ‘the air bites shrewdly.’ ”

604 it is] Dyce (1844, p. 209): “Mr. Knight chooses to adopt from the folio, ‘Is it very cold?’—a reading which would greatly favour the opinion of those critics who contend that the madness of Hamlet was real, not assumed; for no man n his sound sense, just after remarking that the air bites shrewdly, would inquire if it were very cold.”

Note that he adds to this note in ms.

604 it is] Dyce (1844-, p. 209): “Such mistakes [is it in the folio for it is] are common enough in old books: so in Fletcher’s Love’s Pilgrimage, [4.1], the first folio has,— ‘Marc. Sir, this is compliment; I pray you leave me. Gent. Sir, is it not?’ where the second folio gives the answer of the Gentleman rightly—“Sir, it is not.”

604 shrewdly] Eliot (1853-) refers to “My fame is shrewdly gored” in [Tro. 3.3.228 (0000)] p. 643.

604-621+22 Wade (1855, p. 5): Whilst he is awaiting the recoming of that awful apparition, he remarks upon the weather, and very readily and fluently enters into a ‘temperance’ tirade against drunkenness, and then expiates into a field of eloquent general remark upon the very common fact of a man’s one vice overclouding his thousand virtues.”

Part of Wade’s general deprecation of Hamlet; he may be an original in this. See Hamlet doc.

604-621+22 Hudson (ed. 1856): “ ‘The unimportant conversation,’ says Coleridge, ‘with which this scene opens, is a proof of Shakespeare’s minute knowledge of human nature. It is a well-established fact, that on the brink of any serious enterprise, or event of moment, men almost invariably endeavour to elude the pressure of their own thoughts by turning aside to trivial objects and familiar circumstances. Thus the dialogue on the platform begins with remarks on the coldness of the air, and inquiries, obliquely connected indeed with the expected hour of visitation, but thrown out in a seeming vacuity of topics, as to the striking of the clock and so forth, The same desire to escape from the impending thought is carried on in Hamlet’s account of, and moralizing on, the Danish custom of wassailing: he runs from the particular to the universal, and, in his repugnance to personal and individual concerns, escapes, as it were, from himself in generalisations, and smothers the impatience and uneasy feelings of the moment in abstract reasoning. Besides this, another purpose is answered; —for, by thus entangling the attention of the audience in the nice distinctions and parenthetical sentences of this speech of Hamlet, Shakespeare takes them completely by surprise on the appearance of the Ghost, which comes upon them in all the suddenness of its visionary character, Indeed, no modern writer would have dared, like Shakespeare, to have preceded this last visitation by two distinct appearances; or could have contrived that the third should rise upon the former two in impressiveness and solemnity of interest’ H.”

The note Hudson attributes to CLR is an echo and expansion of gent without attribution

604 it is] Singer (ed. 1856): “The folio absurdly prints, is it very cold? which Mr, Knight retains and defends.”

Singer is a bit careless here. Knight does retain F1 but he does not defend it.

604 it is]

604 it is] White (ed. 1861): “The folio, ‘is it very cold?’ which reading is not entirely unworthy of consideration, because Shakespeare’s purpose in these two speeches might well have been to suggest that state of the atmosphere between midnight and sunrise when the air bites shrewdly, although it is not very cold. Horatio’s reply to Hamlet is not that it is cold, but that the air has this quality. However, the speech of Francisco in the first Scene of the play under similar circumstances, ‘It is bitter cold,’ &c., leaves no doubt as to the correctness of the 4to. reading.”

Clearly, wh1is responding to Singer’s or Dyce’s attack on knt1 though he disagrees with knt1’s choice

604 Ck. when I find hal

604 shroudly] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “keenly, piercingly.”

604-621+22 Coleridge (apud v1877): “The unimportant conversation with which this scene opens is proof of Shakespeare’s minute knowledge of human nature. It is a well-established fact, that, on the brink of any serious enterprise, or event of moment, men almost invariably endeavor to elude the pressure of their own thgouths by turning aside to trivial objects and familiar circumstances; thus the dialogue on the platform begins with remarks on the coldness of the air, and inquiries obliquely connected, indeed, with the expected hour of the visitation, but thrown out in a seeming vacuity of topics, as to the striking of the clock, and so forth. The same desire to escape from the impending thought is carried on in Hamlet’s account of, and moralising on, the Danish custom of wassailing; he runs from the particular to the universal, and in his repugnance to personal and individual concerns, escapes, as it were, from himself in generalisations, and smothers the impatience and uneasy feelings of the moment in abstract reasoning. Beside this, another purpose is answered;—for by thus entangling the attention of the audience in the nice distinctions and parenthetical sentences of this speech of Hamlet’s, Sh. takes them completely by surprise on the appearance of the Ghost, which comes upon them in all the suddenness of its visionary character. Indeed, no modern writer would have dared, like Sh., to have preceded this last visitation by two distinct appearances,—or could have contrived that the third should rise upon the former two in impressiveness and solemnity of interest. But in addition to all the other excellences of Hamlet’s speech concerning the wassail music,—so finely revealing the predominant idealism, the ratiocinative meditativeness of his character,—it has the advantage of giving nature and probability to the impassioned continuity of the speech instantly directed to the Ghost. The momentum had been given to his mental activity; the full current of the thoughts and words had set in, and the very forgetfulness, in the fervor of his argumentation, of the purpose for which he was there, aided in preventing the appearance from benumbing the mind. Consequently, it acted as a new impulse,—a sudden stroke, which increased the velocity of the body already in motion, whilst it altered the direction. The co-presence of Hor., Mar., and Ber. is most judiciously contrived; for it renders the courage of Ham., and his impetuous eloquence, perfectly intelligible. The knowledge,—the unthought of consciousness,—the sensation,—of human auditors,—of flesh and blood sympathists,—acts as a support and a stimulation a tergo, while the front of the mind, the whole consciousness of the speaker, is filled, yea, absorbed by the apparition. Add, too, that the apparition itself has by its previous appearances been brought nearer to a thing of this world. The accrescence of objectivity in a Ghost, that yet retains all its ghostly attributes and fearful subjectivity, is truly wonderful.”

604 it is]

604 it is very colde] Tanger (1880, p. 125): F1 variant “probably owing to the negligence, inattention, or criticism of the compositor.”

604 MacDonald (ed. 1885): “Again the cold.”

604 shroudly] Mull (ed. 1885): “keenly.”

604 shroudly] Travers (ed. 1929): “with painful sharpness.”

604 shroudly] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "shrewdly: The literal meaning of shrewdly is ’cursedly,’ ’wickedly,’ but it is often used (like our plaquily, confoundedly to strengthen a verb (especially one that denotes some disagreeable action)."

604 shroudly] shrewdly Farnham (ed. 1970): “wickedly”

604 shroudly] Spencer (ed. 1980): “’wickedly’, sharply.”

604 shroudly] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “keenly.”

604 shroudly] Edwards (ed. 1985): "keenly, injuriously. Compare [R2 3.2.59 (0000)], ’To lift shrewd steel against our golden crown’. (The original meaning of ’shrewd’ is ’malicious’, ’ill-disposed’.)"

604 shroudly] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "sharply, keenly. With its emphasis on the cold and on the time, just after midnight, the opening of this scene deliberately and tellingly recalls the play’s beginning. Now, however, Hamlet, missing from the first scene, is present, while Barnardo, no longer required, has been quietly dispensed with."

604 shroudly] Bevington (ed. 1988): “keenly, sharply.”

604 shroudly] shrewdly Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “keenly, intensely”

604 shroudly] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “severely, bitterly. Q2’s spelling ’shroudly’ is attractive for its (fortuitous) association with ’shroud’, but it does not occur elsewhere, whereas ’shrodly’ is recorded as an obsolete spelling of shrewdly.”