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Line 964 - 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.”

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

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

964 Pol. Obserue his inclination in your selfe.	2.1.68

1765 john1

john1: han1; warb; +

964 in your selfe] Johnson (ed. 1765): “Hanmer [ed. 1743] reads , e’en yourself, and is followed by Dr. Warburton [ed. 1747]; but perhaps in yourself means, in your own person, not by spies.”

1773 v1773

v1773 = john1

964 in your selfe]

1774 capn

capn: john1 without attribution

964 in your selfe] Capell (1774, 1:1:129): the phrase means “observe of yourself, or with your own eyes; for he had been lesson’d before, to pick up his ‘inclination’ from others.”

1778 v1778

v1778 = v1773

964 in your selfe]

1785 v1785

v1785 = v1778

964 in your selfe]

1787 ann

ann = v1785

964 in your selfe]

1790 mal

mal = v1785

964 in your selfe]

1791- rann

rann ≈ capn marked in blue; ≈ john1 marked in green

964 in your selfe] Rann (ed. 1791-): “with your own eyes, in your own person, and don’t return me a mere hearsay account of him.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal +

964 in your selfe] C (apud Steevens, ed. 1793): “The meaning seems to be—The temptations you feel, suspect in him, and be watchful of them. So, in a subsequent scene: ‘For by the image of my cause, I see The portraiture of his.’ [3581-2] Again, in Tim. [1.2.216 (575).] ‘I weigh my friend’s affection with my own.’ C.”

Ed note: Steevens begins with john as in 1765, except he refers to “Sir T. Hanmer”; then he follows with the note, above, signed merely “C”:

C could be Caldecott, who says in his “Advertisement” that Steevens had used some notes he had sent him, but C’s idea does not match that in cald.

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

964 in your selfe]

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

964 in your selfe]

1819 cald1

cald1 = v1813 [including “C.”] +

964 in your selfe] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “But it seems to be no more than ‘of or by yourself’ and as if the word in had been altogether omitted. He was at first to discover Laertes’ inclinations by enquiry from others; and now to find them out by personal observation.”

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813

964 in your selfe]

1826 sing1

sing1 ≈ john1

964 in your selfe] Singer (ed. 1826): “i.e. in your own person, personally add your own observations of his conduct to these inquiries respecting him.”

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1 minus credit to “C” + Rom. //

964 in your selfe] Caldecott (ed. 1832): “i.e. the temptations you feel, suspect in him. ‘For by the image of my cause, I see The portraiture of his.’ [3580-1]. ‘I weigh my friend’s affliction with mine own.’ [Tim. 1.2.216 (575). So, ‘Noting his affections by mine own.’ [Rom. 1.1.126 (128)] Benv. 4tos.

“But it seems to be no more than ‘of or by yourself’ and as if the word in had been altogether omitted. He was at first to discover Laertes’ inclinations by enquiry from others; and now to find them out by personal observation.”

1833 valpy

valpy = john without attribution

964 in your selfe]Valpy (ed. 1833): “In your own person, not by spies.”

1854 del2

del2 ≈ C in v1793

964 in your selfe] Delius (ed. 1854): “Reynaldo soll von seinem eignen Hange auf den Hang des Laertes schliessen, die Neigungen, die er bei Jenem ausforschen will, zuerst an sich selbst beobachten.” [Reynaldo should from his own predilections unlock those of Laertes; the inclinations that he wants to challenge in the other, first he should observe in himself.]

1856 hud1

hud1 = sing1 without attribution

964 in your selfe]

1856 sing2

sing2 = sing1

964 in your selfe]

1868 c&mc

c&mc ≈ john without attribution

964 in your selfe] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868): “An idiom equivalent to ‘in your own person,’ ‘by your own observation.’”

1869 tsch

tsch

964 in] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869, apud Furness, ed. 1877): “I find it hard to persuade myself that ‘in’ is anything more than a misprint, which arose from the last syllable of the preceding word. A change of ‘in’ into then could be easily made except for the uniformity of the old copies.”

1872 cln1

cln1: standard

964 Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “‘Judge of his temptations by your own,’ or, possibly, ‘Conform your own conduct to his inclination.’”

The last gloss may be original: “let yourself be ruled by his lead”?

1872 hud2

hud2 ≈ hud1

964 Hudson (ed. 1872): “Use your own eyes and judgment upon him, as well as learn from others.”

1877 v1877

v1877: john1 minus (his rebuttal of the earlier eds.); capn; cald; tsch; cln1

964 in your selfe] Furness (ed. 1877): Johnson: Perhaps this means, in your own person, not by spies. Capell (i, 129): ‘In yourself’ is put for —observe of yourself, or with your own eyes; for he had been lesson’d before to pick up his ‘inclination’ from others. C. (in Var. 1821): The temptations you feel, suspect in him. Caldecott: It seems no more than ‘of or by yourself,’ and as if the word ‘in’ had been altogether omitted. He was at first to discover Laertes’ inclination by enquiry from others; but now to find them out by personal observation. Tschischwitz: I find it hard to persuade myself that ‘in’ is anything more than a misprint, which arose from the last syllable of the preceding word. A change of ‘in’ into then could be easily made except for the uniformity of the old copies. Clarendon: Possibly it means, Conform your own eyes to his inclinations.”

1881 hud3

hud3 = hud2; ≈ cln1 without attribution [var. in magenta] + in magenta underlined

964 Hudson (ed. 1881): “Or the meaning may be, ‘comply with his inclinations in order to draw him out.’ Observe sometimes has this sense of yieldingto, and so flattering.”

1883 wh2

wh2

964 in your selfe] White (ed. 1883): “toward yourself,—as a sort of monitor or representative of his father. Reynaldo was in the service of Polonius, but he was not a menial servant.”

1885 macd

macd = wh2 without attribution, underlined

964 in your selfe] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “may mean either ‘through the insight offered by your own feelings’; or ‘in respect of yourself,’ ‘toward yourself.’ I do not know which is intended.”

1888 Mull

Mull: cln1, cald, john, capn, rlf +

964-6 Mull (1888, pp. 5-6): <p. 5>“Polonius, coarse and reckless as he is in his suggested aspersions upon his own son, could not so senselessly insult and degrade his servant as these explanations [by cln1] tacitly imply: the latter is ‘to remember his own slips,’ or he is ‘to share in the inclinations of Laertes’—i.e. share in his ‘taints of liberty’! It is overlooked that there is a self-respecting tone in all the remarks, significantly brief, which Reynaldo makes—especially observe that about Laertes, ‘My lord, that would dishonour him,’ which renders the above explanations inconsistent with the situation. [refers to cald, ]</p. 5><p. 6>[john; capn . . . .].

“Polonius is not, as they suppose, referring here to his son, but ‘to your party in converse,’ a Dansker, ‘this carp of truth,’ whom Reynaldo is to catch. Polonius is precise and earnest in his instructions, and as a final, incisive, summarized charge he says, ‘Observe the inclination of the party in converse by the part you yourself play’—viz. the putting on Laertes ‘what forgeries’ he please—‘and let him (the ‘carp,’ the ‘party’) revel freely in his nauseous revelations of Laertes’ vicious habits of life.’ Reynaldo is urged to observe how the successive baits or suggestions from himself (‘in yourself’) affect the Dansker’s inclination to respond, and to judiciously stimulate him to ply his responses.

“The duties imposed upon Reynaldo are to give Laertes money and notes, and to inquire of his behaviour; nothing more. The baseless fabric raised by the several editors, in the suggestions they make, is shattered when it is seen that the ‘music’ is the unsuspecting tattle of the ‘carp,’ and not the presumed vicious indulgence of Laertes.

“The strange explanations given of ‘ply his music,’ prove that the editors have mistaken the individual to whom allusion is made. [Summarizes Rolfe, who alludes to Clarke and Schmidt.] As I have shown, it is Reynaldo who is addressed, and ‘tune” means the ‘taints’ that he must do his best to ‘let go on,’ to be revealed, by the Dansker.

“Though Polonius strongly suspects that his son’s behaviour is not irreproachable, it does extreme violence to the whole scene to assume positively his guilt, which the explanations I have quoted do absolutely.” </p. 6>

1904 ver

ver: standard + in magenta underlined

964 Verity (ed. 1904): “personally, with personal observation, implying ‘and keep your own counsel.’”

1929 trav

trav ≈ ver without attribution

964 Travers (ed. 1929): “for yourself, and not letting ‘out’ what you observe and think.”

1938 parc

parc

964 in your selfe] Parrott & Craig (ed. 1938): “yourself.”

1939 kit2

kit2: standard gloss focused on what Reynaldo is to do rather than what Reynaldo is to discover in himself

964 in your selfe] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "by yourself; on your own part. Reynaldo is to use his own eyes and not to rely altogether on ’windlasses and assays of bias.’ "

1947 cln2

cln2

964 in your selfe] Rylands (ed. 1947): "towards you or keep it to yourself."

1980 pen2

pen2: standard

964 in your selfe] Spencer (ed. 1980): “for yourself (as well as by report).”

1982 ard2

ard2: john; Torbarina

964 Jenkins (ed. 1982): “ i.e. accommodate yourself to his bent. Variously interpreted. I take it that the servant, sent to report on a superior’s conduct, is not to attempt to oppose or influence it, but himself to fall in with it. This interpretation fits, as most do not, the natural parting injunction which Reynaldo accepts it as being. Most comments choose to stress in yourself and, ignoring the difficulty of in, assume that Reynaldo, besides seeking information from others, is now told to take note himself (’in your own person’, Johnson). By contrast J. Torbarina insists that Reynaldo is to perceive the inclination of Laertes by examining his own (Studia Romanica et Anglica, 6: 3-13; Eng. Studies Today, 2 (1961): 248-54). But this fits the words better than the situation (the instruction coming oddly as an afterthought and the two men being disparate in rank).”

1985 cam4

cam4

964 in your selfe] Edwards (ed. 1985): "personally."

1987 oxf4

oxf4: Schmidt

964 Hibbard (ed. 1987): "‘do yourself as he is inclined; be serviceable to him, whatever may be his disposition’ (Schmidt)."

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

964 in your selfe] Bevington (ed. 1988): “in your own person (as well as by asking questions).”

1992 fol2

fol2: standard

964 in your selfe] Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “yourself (instead of in reports)”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: ard2; oxf4; cam4

964 Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “Variously interpreted: ’accommodate yourself to his bent’ (Jenkins); ’do yourself as he is inclined’ (Hibbard); ’observe [[his habits]] personally’ (Edwards). The last seems most likely.”