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Line 627 - 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 0-1017 ed. Bernice W. Kliman

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

627 Be thy {intents} <euents> wicked, or charitable,	1.4.42

1747 warb

warb

627 intents] Warburton (ed. 1747): “Some of the old editions read events; from whence I suspect that Shakespear wrote, ‘Be thy advent wicked or charitable.’ i.e. thy coming.”

1747- mBrowne

mBrowne contra warb +

627 intents] Browne (1747-): “Some old editions read Events—I see: no occasion for W’s alteration of it into Ädvent—or how the advent can be wicked or charitable but with reference to the Intent of it.”

1752 Dodd

Dodd

627 intents] Dodd (1752, 1. 222): Hamlet questions whether the ghost’s intents toward him are “to serve or harm him.”

See entire note in 625

1765 Heath

Heath ≈ warb +

627 intents] Heath (1765, p. 530): “Advent is a conjecture of Mr. Warburton’s from the reading of some of the old editions, which give us, events. But as from his own representation it appears that the common reading, ‘.Be thy intents wicked or charitable’ is that also of other old editions, I know: no advantage, besides the introduction of an uncouth pedantick word, without the least pretext of necessity to excuse it.”

1773- mstv1

mstv1: warb

627 intents] mstv1 (ms. notes, ed. 1773): “For intents Dr Warburton has advent i.e. thy coming.”

1843 col1

col1

627 intents] Collier (ed. 1743): “Those who profess to adhere to the first folio have frequently left important variations unnoticed, though materially affecting the authority of that edition.”

1858 col3

col3: Perkins F2

627 intents] Collier (ed. 1858): “So the 4tos: the folio, 1623, reads ‘Be thy events;’ but it is altered to ‘intents’ in the corr. fo. 1632. The two words were not unfrequently confounded, and a remarkable proof of it has been preserved in Marlowe’s ‘Tamberlaine, Part I.’ (edit. Dyce, i.93), where the second Virgin wishes to move the hero to pity, or as she expresses it, to ‘Convey intents of mercy to his heart.’ ‘Intents’ (i.e. intentions) is misprinted events in the old copies, and so it has been allowed to remain in the new impression.”

1861 wh1

wh1

627 intents] White (ed. 1861): “The folio, misprints, ‘Thy events.’ ”

I have not been counting this sort of comment as a true CN recently.

1861 Nichols

Nichols

627 intents] Nichols (1861, pt. 1:28): “This sentence stands thus [i.e. events] in the folio of 1623: but in all the other editions we find ‘intents’ substituted for ‘events.’ Why, I know not. Shakespeare was wont to use words in their primitive sense. Now, the literal meaning of ‘event’ is, a coming forth, from e, forth or out of, and venire, to come: taken in this sense, what word could be more appropriate? The ghost had already appeared twice—this was the third time of his coming forth—therefore Hamlet addresses it very properly, when he says ‘Be thy events’ [thy comings forth] ‘wicked or charitable, Thou com’st in such a questionable shape, That I will speak to thee.”

1864 glo

glo check Glossary/ note placed in check in library (original edition doc.)

1874 Corson

Corson: F1, cam1 +

627 intents] Corson (1874, p. 14): “ ‘events’ = issues. The meaning is, not that Hamlet attributes any intents to the ghost, but that the ghost’s appearance is to him prognostic of certain issues or events; ‘thy’ is the personal, and not the possessive adjective, pronoun; in other words, it is used objectively.”

1877 v1887

v1877 ≈ Nichols; ≈ Corson

627 intents] Furness (ed. 1877): “nichols (i.27) advocates ‘events’ of Ff, in the sense of ‘coming forth.’ ‘The Ghost had already appeared twice,—this was the third time of his coming forth.’ Corson: The reading of the Ff is better than that of the Qq. Events is equivalent to issues. The meaning is, not that Hamlet attributes any ‘intents’ to the Ghost, but that the Ghost’s appearance is to him prognostic of certain issues or events; ‘thy’ is the personal, and not the possessive, adjective, pronoun; in other words; in other words, it is used objectively.”

1880 Tanger

Tanger

627 intents] Tanger (1880, p. 125): F1 variant “probably owing to the negligence, inattention, or criticism of the compositor.”

1939 kit2

kit2

627 charitable] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “good, benevolent.”

1980 pen2

pen2

627 Be thy intents] Spencer (ed. 1980): “whether your intentions are”

1985 cam4

cam4: see 625CN, where intents = intentions, = pen2.

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

627 Be thy intents] Bevington (ed. 1988): “i.e., whether your intents are.”

1989 guil

guil

627 charitable] Andrews (ed. 1989): “good, in keeping with caritas (Latin for ‘Christian love’).”