Notes for lines 2023-2950 ed. Frank N. Clary
| 2262 And doe such <bitter> busines as the {bitter} day | 3.2.391 |
|---|
1747 warb
warb
2262 business . . . day] Warburton (ed. 1747): “The Expression is almost burlesque. The old quarto reads, And do such business as the BITTER day Would quake to look on. —‘This is a little corrupt indeed, but much nearer Shakespear’s words, who wrote, ‘—BETTER day,’ which gives the sentiment great force and dignity. At this very time, (says he) hell breathes out contagion to the world, whereby night becomes polluted and execrable; the horror therefore of this season fits me for a deed, which the pure and sacred day would quake to look on. This is said with great classical propriety. According to ancient superstition, night was prophaned and execrable; and day, pure and holy.”
1765 john1
john1, john2=warb
Johnson provides warb’s annotation verbatim, even though emendation is not adopted. Perhaps john seeks to preserve the Ff reading in the text while providing a clarifying comment; otherwise, and more likely, annotation is a corrective at warb’s expense.
1765 Heath
Heath: contra warb
2262 business . . . day] Heath (1765, pp.540-1): “This is an emendation of Mr.Warburton; the common reading was, ‘And do such bitter business as the day. Mr. Warburton objects, that ’the expression is almost burlesque.’ It is so; but it is so only from an abuse of the word, bitter, which is crept into our language from amongst the vulgar, long since the days of Shakespear, and which therefore can have no weight in the present case. The same gentleman informs us, that the old quarto reads, ‘And do such business as the bitter day:’ But this variety of reading is most probably owing to a transposition, which in the hurry of his employment escaped the inattentive printer. If the reader, however, moved by this authority, should think some alteration necessary, I should suppose the poet wrote, ‘And do such business as the bitter’st day.’”
1773 v1773
v1773 ≈ john1 + magenta underlined
2262 business . . . day] Steevens (ed. 1773): “This expression bitter, business is still in use, and though at present a vulgar phrase might not have been such in the age of Shakespeare. WATTS, in his Logic, says: ‘Bitter is an equivocal word; there is bitter wormwood, there are bitter words, there are bitter enemies, or a bitter cold morning.’ It is, in short, any thing unpleasing or hurtful. Steevens.”
1778 v1778
v1778=v1773 + magenta underlined
2262 business . . . day] Steevens (ed. 1778): “This expression bitter, business is still in use, and though at present a vulgar phrase might not have been such in the age of Shakespeare. The bitter day is the day rendered hateful or bitter by the commission of some act of mischief. WATTS, in his Logic, says: ‘Bitter is an equivocal word; there is bitter wormwood, there are bitter words, there are bitter enemies, or a bitter cold morning.’ It is, in short, any thing unpleasing or hurtful. Steevens.”
New explan. supports the editor’s restoration of Qq reading “such business as the bitter day.”
1784 ays1
ays1=v1778 (only the sentence added to v1773)
2262 bitter day] Ayscouth (ed. 1784): “The bitter day is the day rendered hateful or bitter by the commission of some act of mischief.”
1791- rann
rann
2262 bitter day] Rann (ed. 1791-): “The day made bitter, or dreadful, by the commission of such an act—bitter business.”
1805 Seymour
Seymour ≈ warb + magenta underlined
2262 bitter day] Seymour (1805, p. 180): “I believe we should read, ‘better day,’ the day too good to be a witness to the acts I am ready to commit. ‘Better’ is often used absolutely, thus, for good, as better fortune, better angel, better stars.”
1805 Chedworth
Chedworth: theo1, v1773
2262 such. . . day] Chedworth (1805, p. 354): “I concur with Theobald in preferring the reading of the folio. Though bitter business is now a vulgar phrase, I think with Mr. Steevens that it might not have been such in Shakespeare’s time.”
1819 cald1
cald1: v1773 + magenta underlined
2262 busines . . . day] Caldecott (ed. 1819): “Shocking, horrid. The quartos read ‘Such business as the bitter day.’’ Mr. Steevens quotes Watt’s Logick. ‘Bitter is an equivocal word; there is bitter wormwood, there are bitter words, there are bitter enemies, and a bitter cold morning.’ ‘Bitter sky,’ we may add, is the language of Amiens’s song in ayl [2.7.184 (1163)] and we have had ‘bitter cold,’ [2.7.184 (1163)] Fran.”
1844 verp
verp: Forrest
2262 such busines]
Verplanck (ed. 1844): “‘Bitter business’ etc.—Thus the folio. Nine out of the ten modern editors, with Malone, follow the quartos, and read—‘such business as the bitter day Would quake to look on.’
“The epithet bitter has no clear significance here as applied to day; and unless the folio reading is adopted, as I think it should be, I would prefer an ingenious emendation suggested by Mr. E. Forrest—the better day, i.e. better, as contrasted with night.”
1853 Dyce (Notes)
Dyce (Notes): contra mal, col, knt +
2262 business . . .
day]
Dyce (1853, pp. 141-2): <p.141> “So Malone, adhering to the quartos; while Mr. Collier and Mr. Knight adopt the reading of the folios,—‘And do such
bitter business as the day,’ &c.
“All this is marvellous! Can any thing be plainer than that, in the quartos, ‘
bitter’ is a misprint for ‘better’ (as it often is; e.g.; ‘Here come my
bitter Genius, whose advice,’ &c.
A pleasant conceited Comedy, how to choose a good Wife from a bad, 1634, sig. G4); that the editor or printer of the folio, not perceiving that it was a misprint, made his stupid transposition; and that the genuine lection is, ‘And do such business as the
better day Would quake to look on’? </p.141><p.142> Did the modern editors never read in Milton, ‘Hail,
holy light, offspring of Heaven,’ &c?” </p.142>
1854 del2
del2
2262 business . . . day] Delius (ed. 1854): “Die Fol. setzt bitter mit Recht zu business; in den Qs. steht es aus Versehen vor day.” [The Folio places bitter correctly with business; in the Quartos it mistakenly stands before day.]
1854 White
White: contra Dyce (Notes)
2262 business . . . day] White (1854, pp. 415-7): “Mr. Dyce, turning from the original folio to the quartos, advises, that in Hamlet’s exclamation, as it stands in the original, [quotes passage] we should transose three words and change one letter, to read, ‘And do such business as the better day,’ &c.
“He says, that in the reading of the quartos, ‘And do such business as the bitter day.’ ‘bitter’ was a misprint for better; and the editor or printer of the folio, ‘not perceiving that it was a misprint made his stupid transposition.’ And he quotes, to sustain ‘better day,’ Milton’s, ‘Hail holy light, offspring of Heaven,’ &c.
“The suggestion is plausible, and the quotation not amiss; but O! Mr. Dyce, if you love us humble lovers of Shakespeare, if you venerate his mighty genius, if you would preserve your well-earned reputation, let not your acuteness and your learning lead you astray; and spare us, spare us that ‘bitter business’ which ‘the day’—any day, worse or better, lit by the sweet light of heaven—’would quake to look on!’ Spare us, good Mr. Dyce! our keen relish of this most Shakespearian morsel, or we shall lose not only that; but some one, sheltering himself under your eminent name; and emulating your ingenuity, will be proposing to read a certain line in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ‘In maiden fancy, hesitation free.’ This undeniably gives a sense, and requires but the transposition of two words and the change of two letters in the original. But still, as there is the best reason—the testimony of the folio—for believing that Shakespeare wrote, </p.416><p.417> ‘In maiden meditation, fancy free.’ and as, from use, we have become somewhat partial to the line in that form, we would not willingly see the ‘ingenious’ alteration made.
“With no other feelings would we all regard the change of Hamlet’s ‘bitter business’ which ‘the day would quake to look on’ into a ‘business’ which ‘the better day would quake to look on.’ Better strike the lines from the soliloquy, than thus emasculate them.”
1857 fieb
fieb=v1773 for And doe . . . day
1858 col3
col3: contra Dyce Notes)
2262 business . . . day] Collier (ed. 1858): “The Rev. Mr. Dyce (“Few Notes,’ p. 141) would read better for ‘bitter,’ and, like the 4tos, would apply the epithet, not to ‘business,’ but to ‘day,’ quoting as his authority Milton’s ‘Hail, holy light!’ His perversion of Shakespeare’s text seems to us about upon a par with his conversion of Milton’s address to the sun; for nothing less applicable could easily have been pointed out. Surely ‘bitter business,’ in Hamlet’s state of mind requires no forced explanation.”
1859 Dyce (Strictures)
Dyce (Strictures): contra COL, Gent. Mag., Kemble
2262 business . . .
day]
Dyce (1859, pp. 187-8): <p.187> “In the second edition of his
Shakespeare Mr. Collier remarks; ‘In the 4tos. the epithet ‘bitter’ </p.187><p.188> is applied to ‘day,’ not to ‘business.’ The Rev. Mr. Dyce (‘Few Notes,’ p. 141) would read
better for ‘bitter,’ and, like the 4tos, would apply the epithet, not to ‘business,’ but to ‘day,’ quoting as his authority Milton’s ‘Hail, holy light!’ His perversion of Shakespeare’s text seems to us about upon a par with his conversion of Milton’s address to the sun; for nothing less applicable could easily have been pointed out. Surely ‘bitter business,’ in Hamlet’s state of mind, requires no forced explanation.’
“Here Mr. Collier writes ignorantly,—to say nothing of his mistake in supposing that Milton’s ‘Hail, holy light!’ (Par. Lost, iii. 1) is, or could be, a portion of Satan’s ‘address to the sun’ (Par. Lost, iv. 32).
“Though in my recent edition of Shakespeare I have preferred printing, with the folio,—‘And do such bitter business as the day Would quake to look on,’—I certainly cannot allow that the amended lection of the quartos, which I formerly advocated,—‘And do such business as the better day Would quake to look on,’ is to be regarded as indefensible,—far from it; and I transcribe, for the benefit of Mr. Collier, the following remark by a critic of no mean taste and learning:—‘How this reading [‘And do such business as the bitter day Would quake to look on,’] could have been permitted to stand [in the Variorum Shakespeare] we cannot think. The word is ‘better.’ ‘The better day’ is opposed to ‘the witching time of night.’ It is the Greek Here of Homer, Il. θ. 66.’ Gentleman’s Magazine for Feb. 1845, p. 125.
“(I well remember that John Kemble—whose performance of the Prince of Denmark is among the most vivid recollections of my youth—invariably delivered the passage thus, ‘And do such business as the better day Would quake to look on.’ See Hamlet, revised by J. P. Kemble, 1814, p. 51.)”
1863 Hackett
Hackett: verp + Oth. //s
2262 such busines]
Hackett (1863, p. 196): “such bitter business] I fully concur with Mr.
Verplanck in his preference to this reading, which is that of the Folio, because the meaning of ‘bitter’ is obvious, when applied to ‘business,’ which it qualifies in concordance with—‘the bloody book of law You shall yourself read in the
bitter letter.’—
Oth. [1.3.67-8 (404-5)]. again—‘My spirit and my place have in them power To make this
bitter to thee.’—
Ibidem [1.1.103-4 (114-5)].”
1866 Cartwright
Cartwright ≈ dyce1 (Gentleman’s Magazine , Feb. 1845, p. 125) without attribution
2262 business . . . day] Cartwright (1866, p. 37): “‘And do such bitter business as the day.’ Omit bitter and read the light of day. Opposed to the ‘witching time of night.’ The quartos have ‘bitter day.’”
1867 ktlyn
ktlyn
2262 business . . . day] Keightley (1867, p. 293): “The 4tos, followed by editors in general, join ‘bitter’ with ‘day.’ See Introd. p. 61.”
1868 c&mc
c&mc
2262 such . . .
day]
Clarke & Clarke (ed. 1868, rpt. 1878): “Because the Quartos transpose this passage thus—‘Such business as the bitter day,’ &c., it has been proposed to alter the phrase into ‘Such business as the
better day,’ &c. But the Folio reading, which we give, affords perfectly the sense here required, when it is borne in mind what special force Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word in such passages as— ‘Those blessed feet Which fourteen hundred years ago were nail’d For our advantage on the
bitter cross.’
1H4 [1.1.25-7 (29-31)]. And—‘There is no help; The
bitter disposition of the time Will have it so.’
Tro. [4.1.48-50 (2222-3)].”
1869 tsch
tsch: col, dyce
2262 bitter] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “ein Ausdruck, der bei H’s Stimmung und Lebensanschauung nicht auffallen kann. Der Tag, an dem er mit der Aussenwelt zu verkehren gezwungen ist, erscheint ihm wie diese verderblich und unheilvoll. Der Sinn ist also: Selbst der Tag, der so viel des Bösen schaut, an dem so viele Leiden zu ertragen sind, würde bei dem schaudern, was ich zu thun gedenke. Mir scheint, dass der Streit zwischen Collier und Dyce, ob bitter business oder better day zu lesen sei, durch die richtige Auslegung der Q2 leicht zu vermeiden war.” [an expression that is not remarkable considering Hamlet’s mood and outlook on life. The day when he is forced to deal with the outside world seems to him like this world destructive and unhealthy. The sense is then: Even a day that sees so much evil, on which so many sufferings must be borne, would shudder at what I think to do. It seems to me that the fight between Collier and Dyce, whether bitter business or better day are the right readings, was easy to avoid by a correct interpretation of Q2 ]
1877 v1877
v1877=warb, Heath, v1778, Mitford, Cartwright; ≈ Dyce (Notes)
2262 business . . .
day]
Furness (ed. 1877): “
Warburton: This expression is almost burlesque. The Quarto is much nearer Shakespeare’s words, who wrote
‘better day,’ which gives the sentiment great force and dignity. ‘The horror of the season fits me for a deed which the
pure and
sacred day would quake to look on.’ This is said with great classical propriety. According to ancient superstition,
night was prophane and execrable, and
day pure and holy.
Heath: Warburton objects that the phrase is almost burlesque. It is so; but it is so only from the abuse of the word ‘bitter,’ which is crept into our language from amongst the vulgar, long since the days of Sh., and which can have no weight in the present case. If alteration be necessary, I should suppose Sh. wrote ‘the
bitter’st day.’
Steevens: Though at present this is a vulgar phrase, yet it might not have been such in Shakespeare’s time.
Dyce, in his
Few Notes, &c., p.
141, not knowing that he had been anticipated by Warburton, proposed ‘
better day.’ And although in both of his eds. he preferred the reading of the Ff, he would not allow that ‘better’ was indefensible, but cites in his ed. ii the following note by
Mitford: ‘The word is
better. The “
better day” is opposed to the “witching time of night.” It is the
GREEK HERE
of Homer, Il,
. 66.’ —Gent. Maga. Feb. 1845, p. 125. ‘I may add, too,’ continues Dyce, ‘that John Kemble,—whose performance of the Prince of Denmark is among the most vivid recollections of my youth,—invariably [said “better day.”] See Hamlet, revised by J.P. Kemble, 1814, p. 51.’ Cartwright (New Readings, &c., p. 37): Read, ‘And do such business as the light of day.’”
1877 COL4
col4: contra DYCE (Notes)
2262 busines . . .
day]
Collier (ed. 1877): “Some modern editors and critics would amend the line thus, ‘And do such business as the
better day’. Surely, this is the mere madnes or folly of innovation: see
Few Notes on Shakespeare, 8vo. 1853, p. 141.”
1882 elze
elze: Kitchin (FQ); 1H4, R3, Cym. //s
2262 such busines] Elze (ed. 1882): “bitter business] Compare Faerie Queene, 1.2.18:—’Curse on that Crosse, (quoth then the Sarazin,) That keeps thy body from the bitter fit.’
“‘The bitter fit,’ says Mr Kitchin (Book I of the Faery Queene, Oxford, 1875, p. 172)—‘the painful throes of death.’ In a word, the ‘bitter fit’ means dying, and the ‘bitter business’ means killing. Compare the bitter cross (1H4 [1.1.27 (31)]); his punishment was bitter (Qq. cruel) death (R3 [2.1.106 (1233)]); a thing bitter to me as death (Cym. [5.5.104 (3371)]). Hamlet’s thoughts turn to his task and he feels prepared at this gloomy moment to use his dagger against his uncle, a deed, which the day would quake to look on, and which, like every murderer, should be done in the dark; he is, however, soon averted from this strain of thought and remembers that he is expected by his mother to whom he may ‘speak daggers, but use none’. There is some alleviation to his oppressed mind in the prospect of giving vent to his revenge in the bitter reproaches with which he is going to taunt his mother; being unable to kill the real culprit with his dagger, he thinks it an act of bravery to kill his unfortunate mother with words.”
1890 irv2
irv2: contra warb
2262 busines . . . day] Symons (in Irving & Marshall, ed. 1890): “bitter business as the day] So Ff.; Qq. have ‘business as the bitter day,’ which few editors have followed. I do not see what Warburton means by saying that the expression bitter business is ‘almost burlesque.’ I see nothing burlesque in it, nor anything reasonable or admirable in the suggestion of ‘better day.’”
1891 dtn
dtn
2262 such busines] Deighton (ed. 1891): “such bitter business] such deeds of bitter cruelty.”
1982 ard2
ard2: contra Charney; WT //s
2262 bitter . . . day] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “In defence of Q2 Charney (Style in ‘Hamlet’, p.10) suggests that ‘the bitter day’ is Doomsday. But the antithesis is between day and night [3.2.388 (2259)]. Revenge is ‘bitter’ in WT [1.2.457 (574)], [4.4.773 (2655)].”
1984 chal
chal: xrefs.
2262 bitter day] Wilkes (ed. 1984): “the day of judgement (cf. ‘bitter end’ and [1.1.130 (129)], [2.2.251 (1296)], [3.4.55 (2439)]).”
1987 oxf4
oxf4: OED
2262 bitter] Hibbard (ed. 1987): “cruel (OED a. A5).”
1993 dent
dent
2262 bitter day] Andrews (ed. 1993): “Hamlet may be referring to Judgement Day. It seems more likely, however, that his immediate subject is daylight, which is now bitter for him because of the situation in which he finds himself.”
2006 ard3q2
ard3q2: ≈ chal; Warburton, Steevens
2262 the bitter day] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “Perhaps ’the judgemental day’, or even doomsday. F has ’biter businesse as the day’, which has been widely adopted (though no in the eighteenth century, when editors such as Warburton and Steevens objected to ’bitter business’ as a ’burlesque’ or ’vulgar’ expression).”
2262