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Line 3543 - 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).

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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.”

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Notes for lines 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand

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

3543 As peace should still her wheaten garland weare	5.2.41

1733 theo1

theo1

3543-4 As . . . amities] Warburton (apud Theobald, ed. 1733): “Peace is finely and properly personaliz’d here, as the Goddess of good League andFriendship: but what Ideas can we form of her standing as a Comma, or Stop, betwixt their Amities? I am sure, she stands rather like a Cypher, in this Reading. I have no Doubt, but the Poet wrote; ‘And stand a Commere ‘tween their Amities;’

“i.e. a Guarantee, a Common Mother. Nothing can be more picturesque than this Image of Peace’s standing drest in her wheaten Garland between the two Princes, and extending a Hand to each. In this Equipage and Office we frequently see her n Roman Coins: particularly, on two exhibited by Baron Spanheim; one of Augustus, and the other of Vespatian. The Poets likewise image to us Peace holding an Ear of Corn, as the Emblem of Plenty. Tibull. lib. I. Eleg. x. ‘At nobis, Pac alma, veni, spicamqs teneto. ‘ Mr. Warburton.”

1740 theo2

theo2=theo1

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1747 warb

warb≈theo1 + magenta underlined

3543-4 As . . . amities]Warburton (ed. 1747) : “Peace is here properly and finely personalized as te Goddess of good league and friendship; and very classically dress’d out. Ovid says,’Pax Cererem nutrit, Pacis alumna Ceres.’

“And Tibulus, ‘At nobis, Pax alma! veni, spicamove teneto.’ But the placing her as a Comma, or stop, between the amities of two Kingdoms, makes her rather stand like a cypher. The poet without doubt wrote, ‘And stand a COMMERE ‘tween our amities.’ The term is taken from a traficker in love, who brings people together, a procuress. And this Idea is well appropriated to the satirical turn which the speaker gives to this wicked adjuration of the King, who would lay the foundation of the peace of the two kingdoms in the blood of the heir of one of them. Periers in his Novels, uses the word Commere to signify a she-friend. A tous ses gens, chacun une Commere. And Ben Johnson, in his Devil’s an Ass, englishes the word by a middling Gossip.‘Or what do you say to a middling GossipTo bring you together. ‘“

1752 Misc.Ob.

Misc.Ob. : Warb ; han1

3543-4 As . . . amities]Anon. [Grey?] (1752, pp. 49-51): <p. 49> “As Peace should sitll her wheaten Garland wear, ‘And stand a Comma, ‘tween their Amities.’This obscure Passage the Rev. Mr. W----has endeavoured to restore. His Note is worth reading. ‘Peace is here (says he) properly and finely personalized as the Goddess of good League and Friendship; and very classically dressed out.’ Ovid says, ‘Pax Cererem mutrit, pacis alumna Ceres.’ And Tibullus, ‘At noblis, pax alma! veni, spicamque teneto.’ But the placing her as a Comma of Stop, between the Amities of two Kingdoms, makes her rather stand like a Cypher. The Poet without doubt wrote, </p.49> <p.50> ‘And stand a Commere ‘tween their Amities.’ The Term is taken from a Trafficker in Love, who brings People together, a Procuress: And this Idea is well appropraited to the satyrical Turn which the Speaker gives to this wicked Adjuration of the King, who would lay the Foundation of the Peace of the two Kinsdoms, in the Blood of the Heir one of them.’ Sir Thomas Hanmer, who often alters the Context, without giving any Reason for his so doing, is pleased to read, ‘And stand a Cement, ‘tween their Amities.’ He does not pretend to justify this Reading, and indeed it is out of his Power. The Poet has represented Peace as a Goddess that hinder Strife, the Critic as a Piece of Mortar. The Truth of the Matter is this, Sir Thomas had given over the Passage as desperate, and imagined some critical Experiments might be very safely tried upon it. I shall propose another Reading, which seems to me to be the true one, ‘As Peace should still her wheaten Garland wear, And stand a Comma, ‘tween ther Enmities.’ This is making Peace perform her proper Office; hinder two Nations from destroying each other, by standing as a Bar between them. This Word being ill-written of blotted, the </p. 50> <p. 51> Printer might very easily mistake Enm for Am, and thereby cause the Confusion. I cannot conclude without observing that Sir Thomas Hammer has anticipated me in Note 8 Act II. Scene IV, and reads ‘It likes us well, / And at our more consider’d Time we’ll read, / And think upon an Answer to this Business.’ Both the Emendations are to the same Effect, and which is best it is left to the Reader to determine, who will be so candid, if he finds I have accidentally made use of the Odservations or Alterations of foregoing Critics, to believe, that the same Thoughts occured to us both, and that it was not done designedly or on Purpose.” </p. 51>

1757 theo4

theo4=theo2

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1765 Heath

Heath≈warb + new commentary

3543-4 As . . . amities]Heath (1765, pp. 549-50): <p. 549>“P.253. And stand a commere ‘tween their amities .

“So Mr. Warburton assures us ‘Shakespear without doubt wrote,’ understanding by the word, commere , ‘a bawd or procuress.’ But he hath not been able to shew, that this word is ever used in this signification, as in truth it never is, in the French, much less in the English,, language; nor indeed hath he so much as attempted to prove, that in the latter language it hath ever been once used in any signification whatever. The common reading was,‘And stand a comma ‘tween their amities .’The only circumstance of resemblance the poet seems to have had in view in his similitude is merely that of standing between. As a comma stands between two several members of a sentence, without separating them, otherwise than by distinguishing the/ one from the other, in like manner peace personized, or the Goddess of peace, is understood to stand between theamities of the two Kings.”

[TOLLET2 offers a marginal mss. note on p. 549-50 on this passage from HEATH, borrowing from JOHNSON above: “The comma is the note of connection & continuity of sentences; the period is the note of abruption & disjunction. Shakespeare had it perhaps in his mind to write, that unless England complied with / the mandate, war should put a period to their amity, he altered his mode of diction and thought that in an opposite sense he might put, that Peace should stand a comma between their amities. JOHNSON”

1765 john1

john1≈warb+

3543-4 As . . . amities] Johnson (ed. 1765):“Hanmer reads,’And stand a cement—’

“I am again inclined to vindicate the old reading. That the word Commere is French, will not be denied; but when or where was it English ? The expression of our authour is, like many of his phrases, sufficiently constrained and affected, but it is not incapable of explanation. The Comma is the note of connection and continuity of sentences; the Period is the note of abruption and disjunction. Shakespeare had it perhaps in his mind to write. That unless Englnd complied with the mandate, war should put a period to their amity; he altered his mode of diction, and thought that, in an opposite sense, he might put, That Peace should stand a Comma between their amities. This is not an easy style; but is it not the style of Shakespeare ?”

1773 v1773

v1773=john1

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1773 jen

jen

3543 comma] Jennens (ed. 1773) : “commere]] a go-between, a procuress. See Heath in loc.”

1774 capn

capn

3543 peace] Capell (1779-83 [1774]:1:1:147) : If the description of “ Peace “ in this passage, her position, her dress, and her office, be consider’d by any Judicious person, he will be inclin’d to embrace an opinion advanc’d by the third modern [Theobald],--that the Poet took his idea from some medal or medals that he had met with; upon which this identical goddess, attir’d in part as above, is seen standing between the princes united, whose “amities “ those same medals commemorate: and, if this was his idea, “ commere “ (a word in use with the French, in that sense which may be found in the Glossary [see n. 3544]) must have been his word in this place; and chang’d by his first printer, for one familiar and known to him, and that has a seeming propriety. The opinion is further confirm’d by what we find in l. 18 [3542], for in that too the image looks the same way; “palms “ being the emblems of Peace, and, as such, are often found upon medals that have been struck upon occasion of one of them.

[ ≈ In the page after this, l. 7, “by their own insinuation “ signfied -- by their having insinuated themselves into this office, made court for it, fought for it. ≈ “ think thee,” l. 12, a reading of the first and best quarto) is--bethink thee. This needs to be moved to the proper TLN. 3562, 3567]

capn

3543 commere] Capell (1779-83 [1774]:1:1:Glossary ): “a common Mother or Godmother. Fre.”

1778 v1778

v1778=v1773

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1784- mF4TTC

mF4TTC

3543 As peace should still her wheaten garland weare]Anon. (ms. notes in F4):”’pax cererem nubrit, pacis alumna ceres.’ Ovid.” mF4TTC notes

1785 v1785

v1785=v1778

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1787 ann

ann = v1785 (minus WARB “But . . . you together “; minus JOHN1 “Hanmer . . . explanation”)

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1790 mal

mal≈john1( minus warb)

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1791 rann

rann

3544 comma]Rann (ed. 1791—): “and subsist but for another instant between them.”

1793 v1793

v1793=v1785

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1803 v1803

v1803=v1793

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1813 v1813

v1813=v1803

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1815 Becket

Becket : theo1 ; warb ; john1 +

3543-4 As . . . amities] Becket (1815, pp. 73):: <p. 73> “‘Comma,’ if it does not absolutely mean stop , must yet be understood as making a pause , a sense which will not do here. There can be little question but that Shakspeare wrote—’be a co-mate ‘tween their amities.’ ‘Co-mate,’ i.e. companion . The meaning of the passage is: ‘that peace should be associate with them.’ B” </p. 73>

[gives THEO’s representation of WARBURTON, WARBURTON’s own 1747 note and JOHN1’s note, finally giving his own note]

1819 cald1

cald1

3543-4 As . . . amities] Caldecott(ed. 1819) : “ Continue the passage or intercourse of amity between them, and prevent the interposition of a period to it: we have the idea, but used in a contrary sense, in an author of the next age. ‘As for the field, we will cast lots for the place, &c. but I feare the point of the sword will make a comma to your cunning.’ Nich. Breton’s Packet of Letters, 4to. 1637, p. 23

“In the Scornful Lady we have something like this mode of expression:‘No denial—must stand between your person and the business.’ A. III.”

1821 v1821

v1821=v1813

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1826 sing1

sing1≈john1

3543-4 As . . . amities] Singer (ed. 1826): “This is oddly expressed, as Johnson observes: but the meaning appears to be, ‘Stand as a comma , i.e. as a note of connexion between their amities, to prevent them from being brought to a period .”

1832 cald2

cald2=cald1

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1841 knt1 (nd)

knt1≈cald2 (abbreviated and attributed)

3543-4 As . . . amities] Knight(ed. 1841) : “Caldecott explains this— ‘Continue the passage or intercourse of amity between them, and prevent the interposition of a period to it.’”

1843 col1

col1 = john1

3543-4 As . . . amities]

1853 Singer (Sh. Vindicated)

SING : see n. 3544

1854 del2

del2

3544 comma]Delius (ed. 1854): “Wie ein Komma die Sätze, zwischen denen es steht, verbindet, so sollte auch zum vrbindenden Zeichen der Friede zwischen den freundschaftlichen Gesinnungen Englands und Dänemarks stehen.” [As a comma combines the sentences between which it stands, so should also the unifying design of peace stand between the friendly opinions/designs of England and Denmark.]

1855 mHunter

mHunter≈john1+

3543-4 As . . . amities]Hunter (1855, p. 229): <p. 229> “Notwithstanding the ingenuity of Johnson’s note, I take the sense of this line to be thus:—Hamlet is alluding sarcastically to [word unclear?] which may be found in [word unclear?] creation of peace & unity, perhaps in some one then well known—in which this absurd expression is used, & he thus ridicules it. The lines before it are evidently so & in the II act we have lines ridicule of the priorities of the politicians of the time ‘Too expostulate why he’ indeed the whole character of Polonious was evidently intended to ridicule the [words run vertically in the binding and are thus unreadable] </p. 229>

1856 hud1 (1851-6)

hud1=sing1 [w/o attribution]

3544 comma

1856 sing2

sing2≈Singer (1853)

3544 comma]Singer (ed. 1856): “The old copies read, ‘stand a comma ‘tween their amities.’ Johnson supposes that the meaning may be, ‘Stand as a comma , i.e. as a note of connextion between their amities, to prevent them from being brought to a period . But think of Peace standing as a comma ! I have no doubt that we should read:—‘And stand a co-mere ‘tween their amities,’ i.e. as a mark defining them . Mere is a boundary mark , the lapis terminalis of the ancient; and it should be remembered that the god meres or bounds, Terminus, was wont to end the strifes and controversies of people in dividing their lands.”

1857 dyce1

dyce1≈ Singer (1853)+

3544 comma]Dyce (ed. 1857): ”On this line Mr. Singer writes: ‘Warburton suggested ‘stand a commére; ‘ Hanmer, ‘stand a cement ;’ others, ‘a column ,’ and “stand commercing .’ Well might some one say, ‘none of these words please me, yet I would rather it should be ‘stand an elephant than a comma .’ It is evident that Peace is personified, and if we red ‘stand a co-mere ‘tween their amities,’ it would be that Peace might stand as a mark or euidence between them. A co-mere would be a joint landmark ,’ &c. Shakespeare Vindicated , &c. p. 268.—But our author’s text is not to be amended by the insertion of words coined expressly for the occasion: and to me at least a tampering of critics with the passage does not prove that it is corrupt.”

[Here, Dyce clearly uses Singer’s Shakespeare Vindicated but to contradict it-HLA]

1858 col3

col3 ≈ john1(abbreviated)

3544 comma]Collier (ed. 1858): “The comma (says Johnson) is the note of connection and continuity of sentences; the period is the note of abruption and disjunction.”

1859- mWright(MS b.58.154)

mWright

Hamlet. As peace should still her wheaten garland wear And stand a comma ‘tween their amities; Act V Sc 2

3543 comma] Wright (1859) : With all reverence to the shade of Johnston [sic] this reading is ridiculous, and his explanation an impossibility. Before I was aware of Warburton’s reading commère[?] I had thought of the Italiansite “Comare,”[Footnote: See plague of custom K. Lear (I.2) from Ital-plaza[?] and several Italianality used words in Hamlet] and still hold to it. He requests that as peace with her wheaten garland, (a phrase significantly calling to mind the accustomed Danish incursions,) in order that peace with her plentiful and undesolated fields should stand security for the non-falling away of their friendship into temptation and evil, so the King of England should do this thing. The phrase is a courteous wish with a diplomatically concealed menace, and is therefore fitly made the climax to—As England—and—as love.

“In a higher sense also peace is a god-notion[?], chosen of God from the right that her adoeut[?] on earth was heralded by angel hymns. I suspect a touch of Hamlet’s irony when he makes the devil-king talk scripturally for evil purposes.”

1865 hal

hal = cald2

3543 comma]

1872 del4

del4 = del2

3543 comma]

1882 elze2

elze2

3543 wheaten garland] Elze (ed. 1882): “Compare [TNK], ed. Harold Littledale (for The New Shakspere Society), p. 3 and 108. Tell-Trothes New-yeares Gift, ed. Furnivall (for The New Shakspere Society), p. 8: Modesty in a young woman is as a garland of wheat in a ioyfull harvest.’ Dyce’s note on Middleton’s Blurt, Master-Constable (Works, I, 231).”

1931 crg1

crg1

3543 wheaten garland] Craig (ed. 1931): “symbol of peace.”

1939 kit2

kit2

3543 wheaten garland] Kittredge (ed. 1939): “since agriculture can flourish only in time of peace.”

1951 crg2

crg2=crg1

3543 wheaten garland]

1957 pel1

pel1 : standard

3543 wheaten garland]

1970 pel2

pel2=pel1

3543 wheaten garland]

1980 pen2

pen2 ≈ standard

3543 wheaten garland]

1982 ard2

ard2

3543 still] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “always.”

ard2 ≈ standard

3543 wheaten garland]

1984 chal

chal : ard2

3543 still]

chal : standard

3543 wheaten garland]

1987 oxf4

oxf4 ≈ standard ; Jonson //

3543 wheaten garland]

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

3543 still]

bev2

3543 wheaten garland] Bevington (ed. 1988): “((Symbolic of fruitful agriculture, of peace and plenty.))”

1999 Dessen & Thomson

Dessen & Thomson

3543 wheaten garland] Dessen & Thomson(1999) refer to a wheaten garland in a SD for a wedding in TNK 1.1.0 (00); they note that Henslowe’s inventory includes a garland (Diary, App. 2, 68).Ó