HW Home	Previous CN	View CN	View TNM	View TNI	Next CN

Line 3407-08 - 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 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand

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

3407 The Queene, the Courtiers, who is {this} <that> they follow? {Laertes and}	5.1.218

3408 And with such maimed rites? this doth betoken, {the corse.}	5.1.219

1726 theon

theon :

3408 rites] Theobald (1726, p. 124) : <p. 124>“The Church-Ceremonies, that are ordered either in Marriages or Funerals, are always written Rites, (from Ritus, in the Latine;) and not Rights. Correct therefore, </p. 124> <p. 125>‘—What is That they follow, And with such maimed RITES?’ The same literal Mistake, I find, is made in the Tempest, pag. 44. ‘If Thou dost break her Virgin Knot, before All santimonious Ceremonies may With full and holy RIGHT be minister’d, &c.’ Where, likewise it must be restor’d, RITE. And so Mr. Pope at other times takes care to spell this Word; as thrice in this very Place of Hamlet . Page. 442. ‘No noble RITE, nor formal Ostentation,’ And, pag. 457. ‘Yet here She is allowed her Virgin RITES,’ And again, pag. 471. ‘—And for his Passage, The Soldier’s Musick, and the RITES of War, Speak loudly for him. —’ And so in Romeo and Juliet, pag. 274. ‘If that thy Bent of Loue be honorable, Thy Purpose Marriage, send me Word to morrow, By One that I’ll procure to ome to Thee, Where, and what time, thou wilt perform the RITE.’ And in many other places.” </p. 125>

1743 mF3

mF3

3408 rites] Anon. (ms. notes in F3, 1743) : “rights]] rites, or ceremonies.”

1755 John

John

3408 rites] Johnson (1755, rite): “n.s. [rit,Fr. ritus, Lat.] Solemn act of religion; external observance. “The ceremonies, we have taken from such as were before us, are not things that belong to this or that sect, but they are the ancient rites and customs of the church.’ Hooker.’It is by God consecrated into a sacrament, a holy rite, a means of conveying to the worthy receiver the benefits of the body and blood of Christ.’ Hammond’s Fundamentals.

“‘When the prince her fun’ral rites had paid, He plow’d the Tyrrhene seas.’ Dryden.”

1765 john1

john1

3408 maimed rites] Johnson (ed. 1765) : “Imperfect obsequies.”

1770 Gentleman

Gentleman

3408 maimed rites] Gentleman (1770, I:28): <p. 28> “The funeral of Ophelia is indeed a maimed and to me, an irreconcileable piece of work.—She is we find allowed Christian burial, is attended by the king queen and whole court yet the clergyman refuses funeral service; supposing her death doubtfull, tho’ the queen in the foregoing act mputes it without reservation to an accident; and I venture to presume there is no medium between admission to consecrated ground with all ususal ceremonies; and a total eexclusion from the whole; but the author seems to have been in a state of difficulty; he would have a grave, and made the best apology for it he could.” </p. 28>

1773 v1773

v1773 = john1

3408 maimed rites]

1778 v1778

v1778 = v1773

3408 maimed rites]

1784 ays1

ays1 = john1

3408 maimed rites]

1785 v1785

v1785 = v1778

3408 maimed rites]

1787 ann

ann = v1785

3408 maimed rites]

1790 mal

mal = v1785

3408 maimed rites]

1791- rann

rann = mal without attribution

3408 maimed rites]

1793 v1793

v1793 = mal

3408 maimed rites]

1803 v1803

v1803 = v1793

3408 maimed rites]

1813 v1813

v1813 = v1803

3408 maimed rites]

1821 v1821

v1821 = v1813

3408 maimed rites]

1832 cald2

cald2

3408 rites] Caldecott (ed. 1832) : “i.e. curtailed, imperfect.”

1855 Wade

Wade

3407ff Wade (1855, p. 22-23): <p. 22> “We now once more see Hamlet convulsed into momentary action—or rather, acting; for acting it is—exceedingly melodramtic, and, in theatre-phrase, ‘well got up.’ The funeral-procession of her of whom he has most probably been the betrayer, and certainly the virtual, although not the direct and wilful, murderer; of the ‘Rose of May’—poor Ophelia, enters the churchyard, composed of her brother Laretes, the king and queen, and others. Hamlet, from the, we may suppose, rather unusual circumstance of these Royal presences, sagaciously concludes that the corse they follow ‘was of some estate;’ and, from the designedly ‘maimed rites’ visibly accorded to it, that it was that of one who ‘Did with desperate hand Foredo its own life.’ The truth is, if he thought about the matter at all, he must have known it was that of Ophelia; and doubtless did know it so to be; but, a necessity for action (always ungrateful to this unready prince) comes in his view; and he therefore, with the active instinct of his inactive nature, meets the contingency, not as a man—as ‘a good man and true;’ but—as ana ctor; and, worse—or, let us not be too harsh with him—better, perhaps—as a very second-rate actor. His art does not conceal his art; and in so far, and so far only, is he true to nature. ‘Couch we awhile, and mark,’ he says to </p. 22> <p. 23> his fidus Achates, Horatio.” </p. 23>

1869 tsch

tsch

3408 maimed rites] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “Hor. hat vom Tode der O. keine Ahnung, da er gleich nach Empfang der Briefe zu H. agbereist ist.” [“Horatio has no presentiment of Ophelia’s death, because he started for Hamlet immediately after the reception of the letters.”]

1872 cln1

cln1

3408 maimed] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “imperfect, curtailed. By the English law a person who committed suicide was formerly buried at the meeting of cross roads with a stake driven through his body and without any form of burial service.”

1874 Corson

Corson

3407 this] Corson (1874, p. 32): <p. 32> “‘that]] ‘that’ is, per se, better than this, Hamlet and Horatio being supposed to be at some distance from the procession; and then ‘this’ occuring in next line, referring to ‘maimed rites,’ adds tot he preferableness of the F. reading.” </p. 32>

1877 v1877

v1877 ≈ Corson

3407 this]

1885 mull

mull ≈ cln1 w/o attribution

3408 maimed]

1885 Guernsey

Guernsey

3408 maimed rites] Guernsey (1885, p. 42-3): <p. 42>“ It should be remembered that Ophelia’s funeral was in a rural district, and that high church practices prevailed there, as before stated, and that therefore the disgrace of withholding the usual church services at funerals was more keenly felt by the friends and relatives of deceased than if such omission was common.

“‘(Hamlet and Horatio in the churchyard. Church bell rings.) [Aside: Here comes the king, The queen, the courtiers. Who is this they follow? And with such maimed rites! This doth betoken The corse they follow did, with desperate hand, Foredo its own life. ’Twas of some estate: Couch we awhile, and mark.’</p. 42><p. 43> The funeral cortege was maimed in such manner as to show that the deceased did with violent hands undo its own life. The maiden pall bearers and the carrying of rosemary, and the strewing of flowers in the pathway by the friends of deceased, virgin crants carried before the coffin by the maidens showed it to be a deceased maiden. Thus they arrived at the entrance of the church- yard. The church bell ringing, the parish priest was there to meet the corpse as required by law. There were no torch bearers, no cross bearer, no holy water, no singing.*

“The meager burial services, as required in the Book of Common Prayer, are read in a low voice, and the procession is allowed to silently proceed to the grave, the strewments of flowers in the pathway is continued to the grave, and the virgin crants are allowed there to be placed upon the grave. The coffin is placed on the brink of the grave.”</p. 43>

<n><p. 43>“* The Calvinists and Lutherans sang psalms whenever an opportunity was offered. So the absence of singing was marked on this occasion.”</p. 43></n>

1939 kit2

kit2

3407 who . . . follow] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “Hamlet has not heard of Ophelia’s death or even of her madness, and this fact must be remembered in judging his passionate behavior at the grave. There is nothign strange in his ignorance. He has not yet gone to court, and Horatio would not blurt out the sad news as soon as he met him at the pier.”

1938 parc

parc ≈ standard

3408 maimed

1974 evns1

evns1 ≈ standard

3408 maimed rites

1980 pen2

pen2 ≈ standard

3408 maimed rites

1982 ard2

ard2 : contra Wilson (What Happens in Hamlet)

3408-10 Jenkins (ed. 1982): “Contrast above [3193] and n. This not so much an inconsistency as a balancing of what is essential to Christian burial against what is usual but is here withheld. See [3418-28]. It is impossible to agree with Dover Wilson that the maimed rites, so symbolic of Ophelia’s tragedy, originated in ‘theatrical convenience’ ((WHH [What Happens in Hamlet], p. 295)).”

1984 chal

chal : cln1

3408 maimed

1985 cam4

cam4 ≈ standard

3408 maimed

1992 fol2

fol2≈ standard

3408 maimed

1993 dent

dent ≈ standard

3408 maimed

1999 Dessen & Thomson

Dessen & Thomson

637 corse] Dessen & Thomson(1999) find that this alternative to body is rarely used in SDs and found primarily in funerals and related ceremonies.Ó See within speeches in Q2 and F1 (287); Q1 CLN 219 (332); Q2, F1, and Q1 CLN 441 (637); Q2, F1, and Q1 CLN 1980 (3355); and in a SD, Q2 (3408), the latter referring appropriately to a funeral (Ophelia’s). The more common alternative, body, appears in the SD for the Dumb Show, Q2 and F1 (2001); in the SD for Hamlet’s exit from his mother’s closet, Q1 CLN 1601 (2585); and frequently in all the texts (for Polonius’s body, for example)."