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Line 1914 - 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 1018-2022 ed. Eric Rasmussen

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

1914 Since my deare soule was mistris of {her} <my> choice,	3.2.63

1765 john1

john1

1914 deare] Johnson (ed. 1765): “Perhaps, my clear soul.”

1773 v1773

v1773 = john1

1778 v1778

v1778

1914 deare] Steevens (ed. 1778): “Dear soul is an expression equivalent to the [Greek lettering] of Homer.”

1819 cald1

cald1

1914 deare] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “Dear is out of which arises the liveliest interest. Thus ‘dear concernings.’ III. 4. Haml. See "dearest foe." I. 2. Haml. Distinguish of, is distinguish between, or discriminate. Her choice, the reading of our text, instead of my, that of the folios, is from the quartos; which also read and punctuate ‘And could of men distinguish her election, S’hath seal’d,’ &c.”

1844 dyce

dyce

1914-16 Since...herselfe] Dyce (1844, p. 213-214): <p. 213> “No commentator has observed, that a passage, which may have suggested the above, occurs in The Case is altered, act. I. sc. 2; ‘Dear Angelo, you are not every man, </p. 213><p. 214> But one, whom my election hath design’d As the true proper object of my soul.’ Whether The Case is altered was written by Jonson or not (and, for my own part, I believe it to be his), we are at least certain that it was produced before 1599, as it is familiarly mentioned in Nash’s Lenten Stuff, which appeared during that year.” </p. 214>

1857 dyce1

dyce1

1914-16 Dyce (ed. 1857): “’Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice, / And could of men distinguish, her election / Hath seal’d thee for herself.’ So the quartos, 1604, &c. give the first line.—The folio has "— mistris of my choyce,"—which, though the context proves it to be an error, Mr. Knight retains,—as he does another ‘my’ of the folio at p. 524— ‘My operant powers my functions leave to do.’ In both cases the error was occasioned by the preceding ‘my’.”

1874 corson

corson

1914-15 Corson (1874, p. 26): “Since my deere Soule was Mistris of my choyse, And could of men distinguish, her election Hath seal’d thee for her selfe. F. The C. follows the pointing of the F. in having a comma after ‘distinguish.’ The Quartos read, ‘distinguish her election, S’hath (Shath Quartos 4th and 5th, Sh’ath Quarto 6th); ‘distinguish her election’ is decidedly Shakespearian, and may be what the poet wrote. The use of a cognate accusative is a marked feature of Shakespeare’s diction. ‘of men,’ too, joins better to ‘election’ than to ‘distinguish.’ The C. reads ‘her choice,’ after the Quartos.”

1885 macd

macd

1914 MacDonald (ed. 1885): ‘since my real self asserted its dominion, and began to rule my choice,’ making it pure, and withdrawing it from the tyranny of impulse and liking.”