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Line 2913 - 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.

2913 Should be as mortall as {a poore} <an old> mans life. 2913	4.5.161

1774 CAPN

capn

2913 mortall] Capell (1774, 1:1: glossary, mortal): “deadly, or death-dealing. Fre. mortel.”

1854 del2

del2

2913 a poore mans life] Delius (ed. 1854): “das Leben des Polonius, dessen Untergang auch den Untergang des Verstandes der Ophelia mit sich gezogen hat.” [The life of Polonius, whose death also drew the death of Ophelia’s mind with it.]

1872 del4

del4 = del2

1891 dtn

dtn

2913 mortall] Deighton (ed. 1891): “subject to destruction.”

1934 Wilson

Wilson

2913 a poore] Wilson (1934, rpt. 1963, 2:259): “The general theory of the business, it will be recollected, is this: a number of variants in which the F1 reading is to be preferred [here “an old” for Q2 “a poore”] may be explained on the supposition that the Q2 compositor first omitted a word or phrase and that the corrector perceiving something missing attempted to fill up the gap by guesswork.”

1934 rid1

rid1

2913 a poore mans life] Ridley (ed. 1934): “so F, and it is the contrast needed; but it is difficult to see how Q2’s reading of poore for old arose, and Q1’s reading, young maid’s life, and old man’s sawe, suggest that the passage was in some confusion.”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: Edwards, Jenkins

2913 poor man’s life] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “Jenkins prefers F’s ’an old mans life’, which is perhaps more appropriate as an allusion to Polonius and is supported by Q1’s ’an olde mans sawe’ (= saying). It is possible, however, that poor expresses Laertes’ affection or pity for his father. He has three more lines in F at this point; Edwards asks ’Is it possible that for once the Q2 compositor noted a deletion mark overlooked by the playhouse scribe?”