Line 3809 - 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
| 3809 Drinke {of} <off> this potion, is {the Onixe} <thy Vnion> heere? | 5.2.326 |
|---|
1773 jen
jen
3809 the Onixe]
Jennens (ed. 1773) : “it’s likely
Shakespeare first wrote
onys, and afterwards finding the error, altered it to
union.”
1774 capn
capn
3809 Drinke . . . heere] CAPELL (1774: 1:1:149) : “The literal sense of these words leads us to imagine—that Hamlet pours some of the poison’d cup into the mouth of the King as he lyes gasping, or else dashes what is left on’t upon him; But how then could Horatio, in either case, say what he does at [3827][“Here’s yet some liquor left.] for Hamlet would hardly pour it so gently as to leave much behind: It is probable, that the expression is figurative; and spoken upon making the King, who had declar’d he was only “hurt ,” taste again of his “ sword;”that other enuenom’d cup, which might be of the King’s preparing, and so occasion what is said by Laertes in 3811 [ “It is a poison temper’d by himself”] : “Is the union here ?” has more poignancy when the passage is interpreted this way. “
1790 mal
mal
3809 the Onixe] Malone (ed. 1790) : “thy Vnion]] Thus the folio. In a former passage in the quarto, 1604, for union we have unice ; here it has onyx. It should seem from this line, and Laertes’s next speech, that Hamlet here forces the expiring king to drink some of the poisoned cup, and that he dies while it is at his lips. MALONE”
1793 v1793
v1793 = mal
3809 the Onixe]
1803 v1803
v1803 = v1793
3809 the Onixe]
1813 v1813
v1813 = v1803
3809 the Onixe]
1819 cald1
cald1
3809 Drinke . . . heere] Caldecott (ed. 1819) : “A bitter sarcasm. Take this as thy lot or portion! the richly prepared cup! D’ye find here an union? Go with, follow the queen!”
1821 v1821
v1821 = v1813
3809 the Onixe]
1832 cald2
cald2 = cald1
3809 the Onixe]
1854 del2
del2 : v1821 (mal only)
3809 Drinke . . . heere] Delius (ed. 1854) : “Malone nimmt an, dass Hamlet den auf den Tod verwundeten König zwingt, den Giftbecher, aus dem die Mutter getrunken, zu leeren. abser abgesehen davon, dass das Gift, wie das Beispiel der Königin zeigt, keinen augenblicklichen Tod, also hier auch nicht den Tod des Kønigs veranlasst, lassen sich Hamlet’s Worte: drinke off this potion: is thy union here? leicht figülrlich erklaren. Der Trank ist ein zweiter Stich mit dem vergifteten Degen, und in bitteer Ironie fügt er hinzu: Ist das die Perle, von der du sprachst?—Auch in Laertes’ Worten: it is a poison temper’d by himself lässt der Sinn diese allgemeinere Deutung zu.” [Malone supposes that Hamlet forces the poisoned cup into the body of the wounded King to empty it, [the cup] out of which the mother has drunk. But to learn by observing that the poison, as the example of the queen points out, causes no momentary death, likewise here neither the death of the king, allows Hamlet’s words—drink off this potion: is thy union here? —to account for the easy figurative. The drink is a second sting with the poisoned sword, and in bitter irony he adds: is this the pearl of which you speech?—Also in Laertes’s words: it is a poison temper’d by himself leaves the sense of this universal meaning.]
1857 elze1
elze1
3809 onixe]
Elze (ed. 1857, 261): <p. 261>"
union]] So die Fs. QB liest an dieser Stelle, gleich den übrigen Qs, ’the onixe’. Vgl. § 233." ["
union]] so the Ff. Q2 reads in this passage, along with the remaining Qq, ’the onixe." Compare § 233 [3732]."]
1858 col3
col3
3809 onixe] Collier (2nd ed. 1858: 6: Glossary): “union]] a species of pearl.”
1861 wh1
wh1
3809 potion] Anon. (ms. notes in White, ed. 1861) : “Hen. LVII 188.”
[HLA:We’ll have to check this one out.]
1866 dyce2
dyce2 = mal (through v1821?)
3809 potion] Malone (apud Dyce, ed. 1866) : “thy Vnion]] Thus the folio. In a former passage in the quarto, 1604, for union we have unice ; here it has onyx. It should seem from this line, and Laertes’s next speech, that Hamlet here forces the expiring king to drink some of the poisoned cup, and that he dies while it is at his lips. MALONE”
1869 tsch
tsch
3809 the Onixe] Tschischwitz (ed. 1869): “the union]]Offenbar weist H. hier auf die sterbende Mutter, indem er union in dem abstracten Sinne, also ‘Gespons’ nimmt, da er fortfährt: follow my mother. Die Ausdrücke im vorhergehenden Verse: incestuous, murderous, damned, verrathen den Umstehenden immer noch nicht das Vergehen der Mutter, und können zum Theil auf das eben Geschehene bezogen werden.” [“Clearly Hamlet here points to the dying mother while he takes union in the abstract sense as wife, since he continues: follow my mother. The expressions in the previous verse: incestuous, murderous, damned, does not betray to the boystanders still the iniquity of the mother, and could be referring even to part of the event.”]
1872 del4
del4 : del2
3809 Drinke . . . heere] Delius (ed. 1854) : “Malone nimmt an, dass Hamlet den auf den Tod verwundeten König zwingt, den Giftbecher, aus dem die Mutter getrunken, zu leeren. abser abgesehen davon, dass das Gift, wie das Beispiel der Königin zeigt, keinen augenblicklichen Tod, also hier auch nicht den Tod des Kønigs veranlasst, lassen sich Hamlet’s Worte: drinke off this potion: is thy union here? leicht figülrlich erklaren. Der Trank ist ein zweiter Stich mit dem vergifteten Degen, und in bitteer Ironie fügt er hinzu: Ist das die Perle, von der du sprachst?—Auch in Laertes’ Worten: it is a poison temper’d by himself lässt der Sinn diese allgemeinere Deutung zu.” [Malone supposes that Hamlet forces the poisoned cup into the body of the wounded King to empty it, [the cup] out of which the mother has drunk. But to learn by observing that the poison, as the example of the queen points out, causes no momentary death, likewise here neither the death of the king, allows Hamlet’s words—drink off this potion: is thy union here? —to account for the easy figurative. The drink is a second sting with the poisoned sword, and in bitter irony he adds: is this the pearl of which you speech?—Also in Laertes’s words: it is a poison temper’d by himself leaves the sense of this universal meaning.]
del4 : del2
3809 the Onixe] Delius (ed. 1872) : “Die Qs. lesen is the onixe heere (vgl. oben Anm. 86 [n. 3732]).
1872 cln1
cln1 : standard
3809 the Onixe] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “thy union]] The reading of the folios, and of the quarto of 1603 [Q1]. The other quartos have ‘the onixe,’ or ‘onyx.’ See [3732].”
1873 rug2
rug2
3809 Moberly (ed. 1873): “Was this cursed drug the pearl that you said you were putting in?”
1877 v1877
v1877 ≈ capn (minus “‘that other envenom’d cup . .. interpreted this way.”)
3809 Drinke . . . heere]
v1877 ≈ cald2?
3809 Onixe]
Caldecott (
apud Furness, ed. 1877): “
Vnion]] There may be a play here upon the word ‘union.’”
v1877 :≈ rug2
3809 Onixe]
Moberly (
apud Furness, ed. 1877): “Was this cursed drug the pearl that you said you were putting in?”
1885 mull
mull ≈ rug2 w/o attribution
3809 Onixe]
1899 ard1
ard1 ≈ v1877 (cald) w/o attribution
3809 Onixe]
1934 rid1
rid1 : standard
3809 Onixe] Ridley (ed. 1934, Glossary, union):
1934 cam3
cam3 ≈ v1877 w/o attribution(paraphrasing CALDECOTT)
3809 Onixe] Wilson (ed. 1934): “union]] Caldecott suggests a quibble; ‘the potion (v.G.) effects the union of the King and Queen.’ Cf. Bradley, p. 151.”
Wilson is clearly drawing on v1877 for this note, since it sounds more like
Furness’s paraphrase of Caldecott than Caldecott himself.
cam3
3809 potion] Wilson (ed. 1934, Glossary): (a) dose of medicine or poison, (b) draught, drink.”
1939 kit2
kit2 ≈ v1877 (capn) +
3809 Kittredge (ed. 1936): “[3812], then, must also be figurative [as is 3809]; but anything is better than to make Hamlet force the dying King to drink. Capell supports his explanation by a reference to [3827].”
1947 cln2
cln2 ≈ standard
3809 Onixe] Rylands (ed. 1947, Notes): “union]] a last quibble. Claudius and Gertrude are united by the poison.”
1980 pen2
pen2
3809 Onixe] Spencer (ed. 1980): “union]] Hamlet is probably still making a pun, referring to his uncle’s union in marriage with his mother.”
1982 ard2
ard2
3809 Drinke of this potion] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “Objection has been made to Hamlet’s forcing the liquor on the King. But death from the cup as well as the sword is necessary so that ((1)) treachery falls on the inventor’s head—cf. [3785, 3812, 3880]; ((2)) the King is punished for the Queen he has destroyed by being joined with her in death.”
ard2
3809 Onixe] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “union]]((1))the pearl of [3732, 3749]; ((2)) the King’s marriage, of which the poisoned cup thus becomes the symbol. Cf. Bradley, p. 151.”
1984 chal
chal : standard (ard2 ; pen2; cln2)
3809 Onixe]
1985 cam4
cam4 : contra capn ; contra kit2
3809 Drinke of this potion] Edwards (ed. 1985): “Some commentators ((including Capell and Kittredge)) think this is figurative, and that ‘this potion’ is a second sword-stab. Kittredge doesn’t like the savagery of forcing the drink down the dying man’s throat. Like it or not, that, it seems, is what we are given.”
cam4 ≈ standard (ard2?)
3809 Onixe]
1987 oxf4
oxf4 ≈ standard
3809 Onixe] union
1988 bev2
bev2: standard (cln2 ; pen2)
3809 Onixe] union
1992 fol2
fol2≈ standard
3809 Onixe] union
3809