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Line 2058 - 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 2023-2950 ed. Frank N. Clary

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

2058 Which now {the} <like> fruite vnripe sticks on the tree,

1819 cald1

cald1: xref.

2058 fruit] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “The verb fall is, as sticks, properly referable to the singular noun purpose; but, in our author’s mind, was connected with unripe fruit, (a noun of multitude, and admitting a plural) and they its relative; to which it nearly adjoined. Fall is the reading also of the quartos. See ‘scope of these articles allow.’ [1.2.37-8 (216-7)]. King.”

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1

1854 del2

del2

2058-9 fruite . . . bee] Delius (ed. 1854): “Die Ungenauigkeit der Construction, dass erst der Singular which sticks, dann der Plural fall und they mellow be steht, erklärt sich aus dem eingeschobenen fruit unripe, das für den zweiten Satz mit als Subject verstanden wird.” [The inaccuracy of the construction, so that first the singular which sticks is used and then the plural fall and they mellow, is explained by the inserted fruit unripe that is understood as subject for the second clause as well.]

1869 tsch

tsch

2058 Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Wie die Sprache des kleinen Schauspiels eine deutlich ausgeprägte archaistische Färbung trägt, so auch hier. sticks ist alte Plural form = stickes - sticketh, (eth = ad). Schon die Reimpaare erinnern an die Moral- u. Miracle-Plays. Zur Aenderung der Wortstellung hat der Gedanke bewogen, dass which auf purpose bezogen in Verbindung mit sticks on the tree Unsinn ist.” [As the language of the little play has a clearly defined archaic coloring, so here too. sticks is an old plural form = stickes - sticketh, (eth is old Germanic). The rhyme pairs too are reminiscent of the Moral and Miracle Plays. The thought of changing the word order so that which refers to purpose in connection with sticks on the tree is nonsense.]

1877 v1877

v1877 ≈ tsch

2058 sticks] Furness (ed. 1877): “Tschischwitz advocates his text, which reads: ‘Like fruit unripe, which now sticks on the tree,’ on the ground ‘that “Which,” referring to “Purpose,” in connection with “sticks on the tree,” is nonsense.’ And, furthermore, that ‘sticks’ is an archaic plural equivalent to stickes, sticketh.” See n. [3.2.191 (2059)].”

1885 macd

macd

2058-9 MacDonald (ed. 1885): “Here again there is carelessness of construction, as if the Poet had not thought it worth his while to correct this subsidiary portion of the drama. I do not see how to lay the blame on the printer.—‘Purpose is a mere fruit, which holds on or falls only as it must. The Element of persistency is not in it.’”

1891 dtn

dtn

2058 fruite] Deighton (ed. 1891): “plural.”

1982 ard2

ard2: Abbott

2058-9 sticks . . . fall] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “ ‘The subject, which is singular, is here confused with, and lost in, that to which it is compared, which is plural.’ (Abbott 415).”

1987 oxf4

oxf4 = ard2

1988 bev2

bev2

2058 Which] Bevington (ed. 1988): “i.e., purpose.”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: ≈ tsch; 2058-9 xref

2058 like fruit] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “Q2’s ’the fruite’ works for 184 [2058-9] if we take purpose as the subject which sticks the unripe fruit on the tree, but breaks down in 185 [2058-9].”