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Line 1624 - Commentary Note (CN) More Information

Notes for lines 1018-2022 ed. Eric Rasmussen
For explanation of sigla, such as jen, see the editions bib.
1624 That I the sonne of {a} <the> deere murthered,2.2.583
1773 jen
JEN
1624 That... murthered,] Jennens (ed. 1773): “So the 1st q. The fo’s and R. read the dear murthered. All the rest, a dear father murthered. There seems to be no necessity of the word father here; or rather, it is a tautology.”
1791- rann
rann
1624 of a dear father murder’d,] Rann (ed. 1791-): “—of the dear murdered.”
1821 v1821
v1821
1624 Boswell (ed. 1821): “Father is not to be found either in the first quarto or the first folio, and is perhaps unnecessary. The dear murthered, for the dear person murthered, is very far from being a harsh ellipsis.”
1841 knt1 (nd)
knt1
1624 Knight (ed. 1839): “The rejection, by some editors, of the beautiful reading of ‘ the dear murthered,’ would be unaccountable, if we did not see how pertinaciously these have treated the folio of 1632 as of no authority.”
1843 col1
col1
1624 Collier (ed. 1843): “Modern editors, following the reading of the folio, have left out the material word ‘father’ in this line: and it is certainlly not found in the quartos, 1604 or 1605. It is, however, in some copies of the undated quarto, which may be assigned to the year 1607, and in that of 1611, but not in the quarto, 1637, the omission must have been ciscovered as the tragedy was going through the press, when first printed for Smethwicke, and then supplied; for it is a fact, showing how necessary it is to examine different copies of the same edition, that all those in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire, excepting the first, are without ‘father.’ The quarto, 1603, has the line thus: ‘Why this brave! that I the son of my dear father,’ omitting the word murdered.”
-1845 mhun1
mhun1
1624 That...murthered] Hunter (-1845, f. 244r): “‘Father’ is wanting in the quartos and first folio. It is found in the new-discovered quarto ‘that I the son of my dear father.’”
1847 verp
verp
1624 That I the sonne of a deere murthered] Verplanck (ed. 1847): “ ‘That I, the son of the dear murthered.’ This is the reading of the folio. Some of the quartos, followed by most modern editors, read — ‘That I, the son of a dear father murthered.’ But the word father is omitted in others of the quartos; so that the weight of evidence is much in favour of the reading here preferred, while I think that there can be no comparison in the beauty and expressiveness of the two. ‘The dear murthered’ — the loved and mourned, whose revenge fills all Hamlet’s thoughts. How is this weakened and diluted, by the general words, ‘a dear father!’”
1856 hud1 (1851-6)
hud1
1624 the sonne of a deere murthered] Hudson (ed. 1856): “Thus the folio; some copies of the undated quarto, and the quarto of 1611, read, ‘the son of a dear father murder’d.’ The quartos of 1604 and 1605 are without father; and that of 1603 reads, ‘the son of my dear father.’ There can be no question that the reading we have adopted, besides having the most authority, is much the more beautiful and expressive, though modern editors commonly take the other.--The words, ‘O, vengeance!’ are found only in the folio. H.”
1857 dyce1
dyce1
Dyce (ed. 1857):"That I, the son of a dear father murder’d, &c." Quotes Collier.--But in Boswell’s opinion "the dear murdered" is very far from being a harsh ellipsis;" Caldecott adopted it; and (as above mentioned) so does Mr. Knight, who thinks it a "beautiful reading."
1861 wh1
wh1
1624 White (ed. 1861): “‘That I, the son of the dear murthered’:--A fine form of speech. which needs no support; and which we have had before in this play.--’Bear ’t that the opposed may beware of thee.’ Act I. Sc. 3. This, the reading of the folio and of the 4to. of 1604, is set aside by some editors in favor of the inferior line (inferior both in thought and in rhythm) found in a subsequent 4to., 1611:--‘That I the son of a deare father murthered.’”
1865 hal
hal
1624 the sonne of a deere murthered] Halliwell (ed. 1865): “So in ed. 1604 and ed. 1623, but in some editions the word father is added after dear. The ‘dear departed’ is still a common phrase, and the ellipsis in the text was I suspect in consonance with the phraseology of Shakespeare’s time.”
1866a dyce2
dyce2
1624 Dyce (ed. 1866): “‘Some modern editors (intellige Mr. Knight), following the reading of the folio (‘That I, the Sonne of the Deere murthered’), have left out the material word ‘father’ in this line; and it is certainly not found in the quartos 1604 or 1605. It is, however, in some copies of an undated quarto, which may be assigned to the year 1607, and in that of 1611, but not in the quarto 1637. (It is in my copy of the quarto 1637. A.D.) The omission must have been discovered as the tragedy was going through the press, when first printed for Smethwicke, and then supplied. ... The quarto 1603 has the line thus, ‘Why this is braue, that I the sonne of my deare father,’ omitting the word ‘murdered’.’ COLLIER.---- But in Boswell’s opinion, ‘the dear murdered’ is very far from being a harsh ellipsis;’ Caldecott adopted it; and (as above mentioned) so does Mr. Knight, who thinks it a ‘beautful reading.’ ---1865. And Mr. Grant White pronounces it to be ‘a fine form of speech, which needs no support.’”
18?? dyce3
dyce3=dyce2
1899 ard1
ard1 = hal
dear father murder’d] Dowden (ed. 1899): “Halliwell supports the reading, ‘a dear murdered’ by comparing the phrase ‘the dear departed.’”
1934a cam3
cam3
1624 Wilson (ed. 1934): CAM3=MSH+ “The coincidence of Q2 and F1 suggests that Sh. himself may have omitted the word ‘father.’”
1624

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