Line 2587-88 - 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.
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Notes for lines 2023-2950 ed. Frank N. Clary
| 2587-8 King. There’s {matter} <matters> in these sighes, | these profound heaues, | |
|---|
1844 Dyce (Remarks)
Dyce (Remarks)
2587-8 sighes . . . You] Dyce (1844, p. 217): “This punctuation [sighs: these profound heaves You] is quite against the sense [4.1, p. 294]. The proper pointing is; “these sighs, these profound heaves: You . . . .’”
1857 fieb
fieb
2587-8 matter . . . heaues] Fiebig (ed. 1857): “Matter is import, that which has some particular relation.—Heave, properly, exertion of effort upwards: thence, rising of the breast, painful breathing.”
1857+ mstau
mstau
2587 sighes,] Staunton (ms. note in Knight, ed. 1857): “sighs.”
Colon substituted for knt1 semicolon.
1860 Walker
Walker: contra Dyce (1844)
2587-9 There’s . . . translate] Walker (1860, 3:268): “Point—‘There’s . . . sighs, these . . . heaves, You must translate.’ i.e., ‘which you must translate.’ Dyce too (Remarks, p. 217) has altered the punctuation, but I prefer the above.”
1866a dyce2
dyce2: Walker (1860, 3:268)
2587-9 There’s . . . translate] Dyce (ed. 1866): “Walker (Crit. Exam. &c. vol. iii, p. 268) would point ‘ . . . heaues, You must translate.’ i.e. ‘which you must translate.’”
1869 tsch
tsch: xref.
2587-9 Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Die Besorgniss des Königs an dieser Stelle macht die Worte des P. 2.2.118 deutlich.” [The worry of the king in this passage makes the words of Polonius in [2.2.120 (1148)] clear.]
1874 Corson
Corson
2587-9 There’s . . . translate] Corson (1874, p. 30): “The better pointing of the Folio is here unquestionable [sighes. | These profound heaues | You]. According to the pointing of the C. [sighs, these profound heaves: You], ‘heaves’ is construed with ‘sighs’ and ‘You must translate’ stands detached in construction. Furthermore, the King uses ‘profound’ equivocally, as it may mean, ‘deep,’ literally, and ‘deep’ in significance; and upon the latter meaning, ‘translate’ bearrs. The king then adds, ‘’tis fit we understand them.’ This is lost in the C. pointing.”
In each of his “jottings on the text,” Corson notes variants between F1 and cam1, stating his preference and, to a greater or lesser extent, offering a rationale. In this particular instance, both editions vary from Q2 in pointing [sighes, these profound heaues, You]; lineation in Q2 more nearly approximates cam1.
1877 v1877
v1877 ≈ Walker (Crit.), Corson
2588 heaues]
Furness (ed. 1877): “
Walker (
Crit, iii, 268) prefers the punctuation of the Qq, and understands ‘which’ before ‘You.’
Corson: The King uses ‘profound’ equivocally, as it may mean
deep literally, and
deep in significance, and upon the latter meaning ‘translate’ bears.”
1878 rlf1
rlf1 ≈ Corson minus remarks on pointing
2588 profound] Rolfe (ed. 1878): “The king uses profound equivocally, as it may mean deep literally and deep in significance, and upon the latter meaning translate bears (Corson).”
1885 macd
macd
2587-90 MacDonald (ed. 1885): “I would have this speech uttered with pauses and growing urgency, mingled at length with displeasure.”
1891 dtn
dtn
2587 matter] Deighton (ed. 1891): “something of importance, something material.”
dtn
2588 profound] Deighton (ed. 1891): “drawn from the depths of your heart, and so deep in significance.”
1903 p&c
p&c
2587 these sighes] Porter & clarke (ed. 1903): “According to the ‘Hystorie,’ the king willingly ‘would have killed him but durst not offend the Queene,’ and she told her son that ‘hee distrusteth and feareth mee for thy sake and is not so simple to be easily perswaded that thou art a foole or mad’.”
1903 rlf3
rlf3 = rlf1 + magenta underlined
2588 profound] rolfe (ed.1903): “The king uses profound equivocally, as it may mean deep literally and deep in significance, and upon the latter meaning translate bears (Corson). For the accent see on [1.4.50 (635)] above.”
1939 kit2
kit2: standard
2587 matter] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “meaning.”
kit2 ≈ Corson; xref.
2588 profound] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “‘deep, literally, and deep in significance’ (Corson). For the accent see [1.4.50 (635)].”
1947 yal2
yal2
2588 heaues] Cross & Brooke (ed. 1947): “prolonged sighs.”
1967 SQ
Smith: 2374 xref
2587 Smith (1967, p. 13): “All three of the original texts of Hamlet have the Queen remain on-stage at the end of the present-day III.iv [fnc 2374], and two of the three -- the First Quarto and the Folio -- say nothing about her entering at the beginning of IV.i [TLN 2587]. . . I agree with those scholars who believe that she does not enter at the beginning of IV.i, and therefore did not depart at the end of III.iv; on the contrary, she remains continuously in her closet and the King joins her there; and to the other arguments in favor of this theory should be added Shakespeare’s demonstrated reluctance to let a character return to the stage after having immediately departed.”
1980 pen2
pen2
2587 matter] Spencer (ed. 1980): “significance.”
1982 ard2
ard2: Revenger’s Trag. analogue
2587-9 There’s matter . . . translate] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “The syntax is not without ambiguity, as the variant punctuation shows. But I take it that a relative is to be supplied before You. For (1) the sighs have not merely matter, or purport, but a purport which is not apparent, and (2) what needs translating is not the sighs, or heaves, but the matter they express. This is not inconsistent with ‘understand them’. With heaves, cf. the ‘penitential heaves’ of Revenger’s Trag., 2.3.12.”
ard2: xrefs.
2587-8 profound] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “For the accentuation on the first syllable (in contrast with [2.1.91 (991)]), see ln. [1.4.52 (637)].”
1987 oxf4
oxf4: OED
2588 matter] Hibbard (ed. 1987): “significance, matter of consequence (OED matter sb. IIc).”
1993 dent
dent: xrefs.
2588 profound heaues] Andrews (ed. 1993): “Deep heaving motions. Compare [3.4.59 (2443)]. Matter recalls [3.1.23, 173 (1672, 1830)], [3.2.324 (2195)], [3.4.7, 13, 143, 186 (2385, 2391, 2526, 2562)], and anticipates [4.5.92, 98, 174 (2829, 2837, 2926)], [4.6.24 (2997)], [5.1.150, 290, 295 (3342, 3489, 3494)], [5.2.158, 213 (3625, 3662)].”
2006 ard3q2
ard3q2
2587 matter] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “substance, meaning.”
2006 ard3q2
ard3q2: standard
2588 heaves] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “heavings of the breast, sobs.”
2587 2588