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.

1854 del2

del2

675 desperate . . . imagion] Delius (ed. 1854): “Wie desperation (cf. Anm. 21) wird auch desperate vom Wahnsinn gebraucht; imagination ist hier die Phantasie in ihrer höchsten Aufregung.” [Like desperation (see n. 663+1) desperate also is used for insanity; imagination is here Fantasy in its highest degree of excitement.]

1868 c&mc

c&mc

675 waxes] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868): “‘Grows.’”

1880 Tanger

Tanger

675 imagion] Tanger (1880, p. 125): Q2 variant “probably owing to the negligence, inattention, or criticism of the compositor.”

1885 macd

macd

675 with imagion] MacDonald (ed. 1885): with imagination] “‘with the things he imagines.’”

1913 Trench

Trench

675 imagion] Trench (1913, p. 71): Horatio’s observation is “appropriate enough to Horatio in the days of his scepticism, but at this stage somewhat fatuous . . . .”

1980 pen2

pen2

675 waxes] Spencer (ed. 1980): “becomes increasingly.”

1982 ard2

ard2: //s; xref

675 imagion] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “ ’Imaginations bodies forth the forms of things unknown’, MND 5.1.14. These include the fantasies of the madman, which might be the work of spirits. Cf. 1934. See Wiv. 3.3.191, ’What spirit, what devil suggests this imagination?’; 2H4 1.3.31-2, ’Imagination Proper to madmen’. Horatio, still fearing for Hamlet’s ’sovereignty of reason’ (662), sees him succumbing to the influence of the spirit.”

1985 cam4

cam4

675 Edwards (ed. 1985): "has become totally reckless because of what is in his mind. Horatio believes that Hamlet’s dangerous behaviour arises from his idea of the Ghost, which has obliterated the reality that the Ghost is capable of tremendous harm. Hamlet himself talks of his ’imaginations’ about the Ghost in [1934-5]. See also Introduction, p. 60."

1987 oxf4

oxf4

675 imagion] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "delusions, fanstastical ideas that have no basis in fact. Compare [2H4 1.3.31-2 (532-3)], ‘great imagination Proper to madmen.’ "

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: standard

675 waxes] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “grows”

ard3q2: Q1; F1

675 imagion] imagination Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “Q2’s ’imagion’ is not found elsewhere and could easily be a careless transcription/setting of ’imagination’ as found in Q1 and F.”