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.

1710 gildon

Gildon

785 sawes] Gildon (ed. 1710, Glossary, p. lxxii) defines as “Maxims, Proverbs, Sayings, &c.”

1728 Gildon v. 7./Sewell v.10/1728

785 Saws = Maxims, Proverbs, Sayings, &c. lxxii/ 56a

1819 cald1

cald1

785 sawes] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “Maxims, sayings. See song at the end of LLL.”

cald1

785 all pressures past] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “Impressions heretofore made.” See 1872.

1832 cald2

cald2 = cald1

785 sawes]

cald2 = cald1

785 all pressures past]

1833 valpy

valpy: standard + in magenta underlined

785 sawes] Valpy (ed. 1833): “Sayings, sentences.”

1853 Clarke

Clarke

785 pressures] Clarke (1853): Two instances of the word, both in Ham. (785, 1872).

1866 Bailey

Bailey

785 pressures] Bailey (1866, 2:9): “ . . .here also [as in 1872] postures or some other word ought to be substituted for pressures, on the grounds already assigned: in addition to which it may be pointed out, that we cannot consistently speak of impressions on the mind being copied in the mind.”

1867 dyceG

dyceG = Gildon without attribution

785 sawes] Dyce, ed. 1867, Glossary)

dyceG

785 pressures] Dyce (ed. 1867, Glossary): “Impressions”

1868 c&mc

c&mc: standard but new synonyms + //

785 sawes] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868): “‘Axioms,’ ‘adages.’ See [TN 3 (1899), n. 101].”

c&mc ≈ cald or dyce, without attribution + //

785 pressures] Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868): “Here used as an abbreviated form of ‘impressures,’ meaning ‘impressions.’ Shakespeare elsewhere uses ‘impressure’ for ‘impression.’ See [AYL 3.s.l (1794), n. 109],”

1870 rug1

rug1: standard + German

785 All . . . bookes] Moberly (ed. 1870): “All wise book-maxims (Sagen).”

1872 cln1

cln1: standard gloss + //

785 sawes] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “See [AYL 2.7.156 (1135)]: ‘Full of wise saws and modern instances.’”

cln1 ≈ cald2, Bailey, dyceG all without attribution

785 pressures] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “ impressions as of a seal. Compare [1872].”

1873 rug2

rug2 = rug1

785 All . . . bookes]

1877 v1877

v1877 = dyceG

785 sawes]

v1877 = dyceG, cln1 , Bailey

785 pressures]

1878 rlf1

rlf1 ≈ c&mc without attribution + further //s for impressure

785 pressures]

1881 hud3

hud3 : standard

785 sawes]

hud3 ≈ c&mc without attribution

785 all pressures past]

1883 wh2

wh2 : standard

785 sawes]

1885 macd

macd: standard

785 sawes]

1885 mull

mull : standard

785 sawes]

1899 ard1

ard1 ≈ c&mc (minus exact //) without attribution

785 pressures]

1939 kit2

kit2: standard

785 sawes of bookes] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "wise sayings extracted from books."

kit2

785 formes] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "ideas."

kit2: standard

785 pressures] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "impressions."

1947 cln2

cln2: standard

785 Rylands (ed. 1947): "i.e. all maxims, sketches, and past impressions"

1957 pel1

pel1: standard

785 sawes] Farnham (ed. 1957): “wise sayings.”

pel1: standard

785 formes] Farnham (ed. 1957): “mental images, concepts.”

pel1: standard

785 pressures] Farnham (ed. 1957): “impressions.”

1970 pel2

pel2 = pel1

785 sawes] Farnham (ed. 1970): “wise sayings”

pel2 = pel1

785 formes] Farnham (ed. 1970): “mental images, concepts”

pel2 = pel1

785 pressures] Farnham (ed. 1970): “impressions”

1980 pen2

pen2

785 sawes] Spencer (ed. 1980): “(usually somewhat derogatory) wise sayings, platitudes.”

pen2

785 formes] Spencer (ed. 1980): “general ideas.”

pen2

785 pressures past] Spencer (ed. 1980): “impressions previously received.”

1982 ard2

ard2:

785 formes] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “shapes drawn or imprinted upon the ’table’. Cf. pressures, impressions, and 1872, ’his form and pressure’. Shakespeare often uses form to refer to an exact image such as is given by a wax impression; e.g. MND 1.1.49; TN 2.2.28.”

1985 cam4

cam4

785 pressures] Edwards (ed. 1985): "imprints or impressions (continues the image of clichés and stereotyped thoughts)."

1987 oxf4

oxf4: standard

785 sawes of bookes] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "maxims copied from books."

oxf4: OED

785 formes] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "representations, likenesses (OED form sb. 2). Compare Sonnets 9.6, ‘thou no form of thee hast left behind.’ "

oxf4: OED

785 pressures] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "impressions (OED 4). Compare [3.2.24, 1873], the only other instance of pressure."

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

785 sawes] Bevington (ed. 1988): “wise saying.”

bev2: standard

785 formes] Bevington (ed. 1988): “shapes or images copied onto the slate; general ideas.”

bev2: standard

785 pressures] Bevington (ed. 1988): “impressions stamped.”

1995 Kliman

Kliman

785 Kliman (1995): "Hamlet, like the ghost, has a predilection for triplets. See 760, 762.”

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: standard

785 sawes of bookes] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “commonplaces or maxims copied from books”

ard3q2: standard gloss; xref

785 formes . . . pressures] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “familiar formulas and impressions: literally shapes drawn on the tablet. See ’to show . . . the very age and body of the time his form and pressure’ ([1868-72]).”