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Line 3878, etc. - 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 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand

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

3878 Of {deaths} <death’s> put on by cunning, and {for no} <forc’d> cause	5.2.383

3879 And in this vpshot, purposes mistooke,

1780 mals

mals

3878 Of . . . cause] Malone (1780, p. 363) : <p. 363>i.e. instigated, produced. So, in [H8 1.2.24(350)] :“— as putter on Of these exactions.’ Again, in [Mac 4.3.241 (2090)] :‘The powers above Put on their instruments.’ MALONE” </p. 363>

1790 mal

mal : mals (minus H8 and Mac //)

3878 put on] Malone (ed. 1790) : “i.e. instigated, proced. See Vol. VII. p. 217, n. 7. Malone”

1791- rann

rann

3878 put on] Rann (ed. 1791-) : “ instigated, produced by artifice and misrepresentation.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal (modified to Vol. XII, p. 19, n. 9)

3878 put on]

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

3878 put on]

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

3878 put on]

1819 cald1

cald1

3878 put on] Caldecott (ed. 1819) : “Produced”

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813 +

3878 put on] Malone (apud Boswell, ed. 1821) : “See [Cor. 2.3.252 (1692)] MALONE”.

v1821

3878 cunning] Boswell (ed. 1821, 21:Glossary): “skill.”

1826 sing1

sing1 = v1821 (minus Cor. //)

3878 put on]

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1 + magenta underlined

3878 put on] Caldecott (ed. 1832) : “produced, prompted. See [Mac 4.3.241 (2090)]. Mal.”

1854 del2

del2

3877-8 casual slaughters . . . cause] Delius (ed. 1854) : “casual slaughters bezieht sich auf Polonius, die deaths put on etc., auf Rosencrantz und Guildenstern; forc’d cause, wofür die Qs. for no cause lesen, ist der Zwang der Noth, der Hamlet zu seinem Verfahren trieb (put on). [“casual slaughters describes the deaths put on of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; forc’d cause , for which the Qq read for no cause , is the pressure of the need which Hamlet puts on in his procedure.”]

1856 hud1 (1851-6)

hud1 :

3878 Of . . . cause] Hudson (ed. 1856) : “The phrase put on here means instigated or set on foot. Cunning refers, apparently, to Hamlet’s action touching ‘the packet,’ and forc’d cause , to the ‘compelling occasion,’ which moved him to that piece of practice. H.”

1856 sing2

sing2 = sing1

1858 col3

col3

3878 put on] Collier (ed. 1858) : “‘Put on’ means here produced , or occasioned : below it rather means incited , instigated .”

col3

3878 cunning] Collier (2nd ed. 1858, 6:Glossary): “knowledge.”

1864 ktly

ktly

3878 cunning] Keightley (ed. 1864 [1866]: Glossary): “knowing, skilful, in a good meaning.”

1864-68 c&mc

c&mc ≈ standard

3878 put on] Clarke (ed. 1864, Glossary)

3878 put on] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1864-68, rpt. 1874-78): “‘Instigated,’ ‘occasioned.’”

1869 tsch

tsch: see n. 3876

1872 del4

del4 = del2

3877-8 casual slaughters . . . cause]

1872 cln1

cln1

3878 put on] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “instigated. Compare [Cor. 2..1.252 (1694)]: ‘Which time shall not want, If he be put upon’t.’ See note on [1.3.94 (560)].”

cln1: VN

3878 for no cause] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “forc’d cause]] So the folios. The quartos read ‘for no cause.’”

cln1

3979 vpshot] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “in this conclusion of the tragedy. In archery the ‘upshot’ was the final shot, which decided the match. It is used in the same metaphorical sense in [TN 4.2.76 (2102)]: ‘I cannot pursue with any safety this sport to the upshot.’”

cln1

3879 mistooke] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “mistaken. Compare [2H4 4.2.56 (2159)]: ‘My father’s purposes have been mistook.’”

1872 hud2

hud2=hud1

3878 put on]

1877 v1877 (see n. 560)

v1877 ≈ v1821

3878 put on] Furness (ed. 1877): “See [1.3.94 (560)].”

v1877 ≈ cln1 (minus TN quotation)

3979 vpshot] Clark & Wright (apud Furness, ed. 1877): “This conclusion of the tragedy. In archery the ‘upshot’ was the final shot, which decided the match. It is used in the same metaphorical sense in [TN 4.2.76 (2102)].”

1881 hud3

hud3 = hud2

3878 Of . . . cause]

1885 macd

macd

3878 put on] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “‘put on,’ indued, ‘brought on themselves’—those of Rosincrance, Guildensterne, and Laertes.”

macd

3878 for no cause] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “forc’d cause]] —those of the king and Polonius

macd

3879 purposes mistooke] MacDonald (ed. 1885):”’and in this result’—pointing to the bodies—’purposes which have mistaken their way, and fallen on the inventors’ heads.’ I am mistaken or mistook, means I have mistaken: ‘purposes mistooke’—purposes in themselves mistaken:—that of Laertes, which came back on himself; and that of the king in the matter of the poison, which, by falling on the queen, also came back on the inventor.”

1885 mull

mull

3878 Of deaths put on by cunning] Mull (ed. 1885): “those stated in line 379 [Rosencrantz & Guildenstern], and Laertes.”

mull

3879 purposes mistooke] Mull (ed. 1885): “‘Purposes mistook’ means wicked designs misdirected, so they have ‘fallen on the inventors’ heads.’”

1889 Barnett

Barnett

3878 put on] See n. 3897.

1891 oxf1

oxf1

3878 put on] Craig (ed. 1891: Glossary): “to instigate. [Oth. 2.3.360 (1477); [Lr. 1.3.13 (514)].”

1899 ard1

Ard1 ≈ cln1 w/o attribution +

3878 put on] Dowden (ed. 1899): “for other examples see Schmidt.”

1906 nlsn

nlsn: standard

3878 put on] Neilson (ed. 1906, Glossary)

1929 trav

trav: contra del

3878 for no cause] Travers (ed. 1929): “understood by the mid-xix th cent. German scholar Delius apologetically; Hamlet was "forced to contrive" these deaths to save his own life. Might not the allusion be rather to the forgery? In which case ‘forc’d’ would mean ‘distorted, falsified,’ much as, in .A Winter’s Tale, IV, iv, 41, "forced thoughts" are thoughts perversely made to deviate from the truth.”

1934 Wilson

Wilson

3878 for no cause] Wilson (1934, 1:146): <p. 146> “Finally, the quite ingenious correction at [3878], which gives us instead of ‘Of deaths put on by cunning and forc’d cause’ the Q2 reading ‘Of deaths put on by cunning, and for no cause,’ was probably helped a little by Shakespeare’s handwriting in which ‘rcd’ might resemble ‘rno’ if carelessly penned.” </p. 146>

1934 cam3

cam3 : standard

3878 put on] Wilson (ed. 1934, Glossary): “instigated.”

cam3 : standard

3878 for no cause] Wilson (ed. 1934, Glossary, forced cause): “by reason of compulsion.”

cam3 ≈ OED

3979 vpshot] Wilson (ed. 1934, Glossary): “issue, conclusion, lit. ‘the final shot in a match at archery’ (N.E.D.).”

1939 kit2

kit2 ≈ standard

3878 put on] Kittredge (ed. 1936, Glossary):

kit2 ≈ del +

3878 put on] Kittredge (ed. 1936): “instigated, prompted. These deaths, Delius thinks, were those of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. If so, cunning describes Hamlet’s cleverness in changing the death mandate, and forc’d cause indicates the necessity of self-defence which prompted him. Possibly, however, Horatio alludes to the death of Hamlet, to which Laertes was instigated by the King’s craftiness and his own ‘forced’ (exaggerated) passion of revenge, and to the death of Laertes.”

3878 for no] Kittredge (ed. 1936): “forc’d]] Cf. [Lr. 1.1.172 (184)]: ‘strain’d pride.’”

1947 cln2

cln2 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

cln2 ≈ standard

3979 vpshot] (perhaps cam3 )

1957 pel1

pel1 : standard

3878 put on]

1970 pel2

pel2=pel1

3878 put on]

1974 evns1

evns1 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

1980 pen2

pen2 ≈ kit2 w/o attribution

3878

pen2 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

pen2 ≈ standard

3979 vpshot]

pen2

3878 for no] Spencer (ed. 1980): “forc’d]] not genuine.”

pen2

3879-80 purposes . . . heads] Spencer (ed. 1980): “((the death of Laertes by the unbated sword intended for use on Hamlet; the Queen’s death by the poison intended for Hamlet; the King’s death by the poisoned sword and drink)).”

1982 ard2

ard2 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

ard2 ≈ standard +

3878 for no] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “forc’d]] Cf. [Oth. 1.3.111], ‘indirect and forced courses’.”

ard2 ≈ pen2 w/o attribution

3879-80 purposes . . . heads] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “Cf. above, [3783-4, 3798-9, 3811-2]. While here specifically applied ((in this upshot)) to the final strategems of Claudius and Laertes, this is of course a dominant motif of the play, particularly manifest elsewhere in the fates of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (([3.4.208-9)) and generally in the whole story of murder and revenge. Cf. [3.2.206-7].”

1984 chal

chal : standard

3878 cunning] Wilkes (ed. 1984): “scheming.”

chal : standard

3878 forced cause] Wilkes (ed. 1984): “contrivance.”

1984 chal

chal : standard

3879 mistooke] Wilkes (ed. 1984): “i.e. having mis-taken, failed to come off.”

1985 cam4

cam4

3878 for no cause] Edwards (ed. 1985): “forced cause]] A cause where the truth has been wrested and constrained into falsehood ((compare [WT 3.3.79], the ‘forced baseness’ which Leontes has put uopn Perdita)). Horatio probably means the lies to the English king by which Hamlet would have been executed. Some editors wrongly suppose ‘forced’=‘compelled’.”

cam4 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

cam4 ≈ cam3 w/o attribution

3979 vpshot]

1987 oxf4

oxf4 ≈ standard

3878 put on]

oxf4

3878 for no cause] Hibbard (ed. 1987): “forced cause]] foul means.”

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

3878 put on]

1992 fol2

fol2≈ standard

3878 put on]

1993 dent

dent ≈ standard

3878 put on]

dent ≈ standard

3878 for no cause] forc’d cause

3979 vpshot]

dent

3878 purposes mistooke] Andrews (ed. 1989): "Horatio probably means plans mis-taken ((not only mistakenly conceived, but conceived out of evil intent)) that have boomeranged on the perpetrators: Claudius and Laertes in particular. But to a lesser degree, Horatio’s words can be applied to Hamlet’s ’rough-hewn’ purposes too, and most especially to the way the Prince disregarded his intuition that he was likely to be walking into an ambush when he accepted a wager purposed by the same King who had already made one attempt to kill him by treacherous means."

2008 OED

OED≈ standard

3979 vpshot]OED n 1 A final shot in a match at archery; chiefly fig., a closing or parting shot. Obs.

3878 3879