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.

1861 wh1

wh1

1980-1 White (ed. 1861): “This contradiction of ’within these two hours’ is found in all the old editions.”

1866a dyce2

dyce2

1980-1 Dyce (ed. 1886): “A contraction of ‘within these.’”

1881 hud2

hud2

1980-1 Hudson (ed. 19881): “Within’s is a contracton of within this. The Poet has some contractions even harsher than this.”

1882 elze

elze

1980-1 within’s two howres] Elze (ed. 1882): “For this reading I must answer myself. QB: tis twice two months; FA: ‘tis twice two moneths; twice om. Hanmer; ‘tis quite two months Dr Ingleby conj. In § 22 the date of old Hamlet’s death is given in the following words: But two months dead: nay not so much, not two; and in his reply to Ophelia in the present passage Hamlet exclaims: O heauens, die two months agoe, and not forgotten yet? From these two passages it clearly results, that the reading ‘tis twice two months cannot have come from the poet’s pen. The easiest and most natural flow of the dialogue, in my opinion, is restored by the introduction of the above correction. The same phrase ‘within two months’ occurs twice in QA, at p. 8 of Mr Griggs’ facsimile. See P. A. Daniel, A Time-Analysis of the Plots of Shakespeare’s Plays (Transactions of The New Shakspere Society, 1877-9, Part II) p. 210 seq. The Athenaeum, June 11, 1881, p. 783.”

1934a cam3

cam3

1980-1 Wilson (ed. 1934): “This ‘idle’ reference to ‘his father’s death’ and the ‘o’er—hasty marriage’ causes the Queen to hide her confusion by turning away and joining in the conversation with the K. and Pol.”