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.

1790 mal

mal

1376 How chances it they trauaile?] Malone (ed. 1790):: “To travel, in Shakspeare’s time was the technical word, for which we have substituted to stroll. So, in the Office-book of Sir Henry Herbert, Master of the Revels to king Charles the First, a manuscript of which an account is given in Vol. I. Part the second: ‘1622. Feb. 27, for a certificate for the Palsgrave’s servants to travel into the country for six weeks, 10s.’ Again, in Ben Jonson’s Poetaster, 1601: ‘If he pen for thee once, thou shalt not need to travell, with thy pumps full of gravell, any more, after a blinde jade and a hamper, and stalk upon boords and barrel-heads to an old crackt trumpet.’ These words are addressed to a player.”

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal

1376 How chances it they trauaile?] Malone (ed 1793): “To travel, in Shakspeare’s time, was the technical word, for which we have substituted to stroll . So, in the Office-book of Sir Henry Herbert, Master of the Revels to King Charles the first, a manuscript of which an account is given in Vol. II.: “1622. Feb, 17, for a certificate for the Palgrave’s servants to travel into the country for six weeks, 10s,’ Again, in Ben Jonson’s Poetaster, 1601: ‘If he pen for thee once, thou shalt not need to travell, with thy pumps full of gravell, any more, after a blinde jade and a hamper, and stalk upon the boords and barrel-heads to an old crackt trumpet.’ These words are addressed to a player.”

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793 (subst; Vol.III: not Vol.II.: of the Office-book; six week not six weeks )

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813

1826 sing1

sing1

1376 How chances it they trauaile?] Singer (ed. 1826): “In the first quarto copy this passage stands thus :----’Ham. How comes it that they travel? do they grow restie? Gil. No, my lord, their reputation holds as it was wont. Ham. How then? Gil. I faith, my lord, novelty carries it away, for the principle publike audience that came to them, are turned to private plays, and to the humour of the children.’ By this we may understand what Hamlet means in saying ‘their inhibition comes of the late innovation,’ i.e. their prevention or hinderance comes from the late innovation of companies of juvenile performers, as the children of the revels, the children of St. Pauls, &c. They have not relaxed in their endeavours to please, but this (brood) aiery of little children are now the fashion, and have so abused the common stages as to deter many from frequenting them. Thus in Jack Drum’s Entertainment, or Pasquil and Catherine, 1601 :---’I sawe the children of Powles last night,| And troth they pleased me prettie prettie well,| The apes in time will do it handsomely. Pla. I’faith, I like the audience that frequenteth there,|With much applause : a man shall not be chokt |With the stench of garlick, nor pasted |To the barmy jacket of a beer-brewer. Bra. ‘Tis a good gentle audience, and I hope|The boys will come one day in great request.’”

1845 Hunter

Hunter

1376-80 How...innouasion.] Hunter (1845, p. 230-1): <p. 230>“‘Inhibition’ appears to me to be opposed to residence; ‘their inhibition’ is their not being in a settled habitation, but travelling, wandering. See what is said on Macbeth, ‘If trembling I inhibit.’ It is, however, a rare word in this sense, and I am not prepared with a decisive authority for the use of it.

“Their inhibition, their travelling, comes ‘by means of the late innovation.’ What the innovation was is plainly intimated in the dialogue which follows; it was the appearance of children on the stage, who for a time drew away the public from the old performers. But that this was the innovation which produced this effect, we learn more decidedly from the newly-discovered copy. There we read ‘Y-faith, novelty carries it away: for the principal public audience that come to them are turned to private plays and to the humours of children.’ We have most decisive evidence that the company to which Shakespeare belonged, did occasionally leave London and travel, in the title-page of this quarto of 1603, in which the play is said to have been performed at Oxford, Cambridge, and other places. This scene was of the nature of an apology for their travelling, which was probably then, as it would be now, thought beneath the dignity of a company of performers who were the Lord Chamberlain’s servants.

“In all that has been written on the History of the English stage, scarcely any attention has been paid to the history of any other stage than that of London. But the subject can never be thoroughly understood till we look at the growth of theatrical amusements in country places, not merely in the performances at Coventry, Chester, and Woodchurch of the </p. 230><p. 231>ancient mysteries, but in the representation of popular stories, which approaches nearer to the drama of the age of Shakespeare. There seem to have been companies of persons who made the stage, such as it was, a profession, without ever appearing in London, but who were sometimes, no doubt, as now, reinforced by persons who belonged to the London theatres.

“It is said that Shakespeare was once performing at Edinburgh, but no one has yet been able to produce evidence that is satisfactory. The English comedians sometimes even travelled abroad. Heywood in his Apology for Actors, 1612, tells a remarkable story of a woman betraying a consciousness of murder when a company of English players were performing at Amsterdam. But a still more remarkable story is told of twenty-four English players who were acting at Cologne in the reign of James the First. It happened that there was a society of Irish Capuchins in that city, of whom Father Nugent was the superior. He engaged these players, who were all Protestants, in a theological controversy, and finally succeeded in recovering them to the Catholic Church. This occurred about 1613. The name of the principal person among them was N. Spencer.* Companies of English performers going in a body amongst a people of a different language is a remarkable fact, and shews a pre-eminence of the English theatre over those of Holland and Germany, at least. With what Archbold relates agrees what Prynne in his Histriomastix says, that very many of the players of his time were Roman Catholics.

*This notice of a company of English actors at Cologne, is taken from a manuscript history of the Society of Irish Capuchins in that city, written by Nicholas Archbold, who was one of them, in 1628. It is in the Library of the British Museum, Harleian, 3888. The manuscript contains several valuable biographical notices, peculiar to itself.”</231>

1856b sing2

sing2=sing1

1872 hud2

hud2

1377-8 How chances it they travaile?] Hudson (ed. 1872): “The London theatrical companies, whne not allowed to play in the city, were wont to travel about the country, and exercise their craft in the towns. This was less reputable, and at the same time brought less pay, than residing in the city. Stratford was often visited by such strolling companies during the Poet’s boyhood, an hence it was, probably, that he found his way to the stage.”

Hud3 = Hud2 minus Stratford note

1377-8 How chances it they trauaile?] Hudson (ed. 1881): “ The London theatrical companies, when not allowed to play in the city were wont to travel about the country, and play in the towns. This was less reputable, and also brought less pay , than playing in the city.”

1899 ard1

ard1

1376-7 residence] DOWDEN (ed. 1899): “i.e. in the city.”

1934a cam3

cam3 = ard1

1376-7 residence] Wilson (ed. 1934): “residence i.e. in the city.”