The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 2 of 9]Shakespeare, William
General
The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 2 of 9]
Shakespeare, William
English drama
II. 1. 218. In the copy before us of Theobald’s first edition, which
belonged to Warburton, the latter has written ‘Mr Warburton’ after
the note in which the reading ‘impassable,’ adopted by Theobald,
is suggested and recommended, thus claiming it as his own. We have
accepted his authority in this and other instances.
NOTE X.
II. 1. 237. _bring you the length of Prester John’s foot: fetch
you a hair off the great Cham’s beard._ Though ‘of’ and ‘off’ are
frequently interchanged in the old copies, yet, as in this place both
Quarto and Folios are consistent in reading ‘of’ in the first clause
and ‘off’ in the second, we follow them.
NOTE XI.
II. 1. 284. The old copies here give us no help in determining
whether Beatrice is meant to cry, ‘Heigh-ho for a husband,’ or
merely, ‘Heigh-ho,’ and wish for a husband. Most editors seem by
their punctuation to adopt the latter view. We follow Staunton in
taking the former. It probably was the burden of a song. At all
events it was so well-known as to be almost proverbial. It is again
alluded to III. 4. 48.
NOTE XII.
II. 2. 39. The substitution of ‘Borachio’ for ‘Claudio’ does not
relieve the difficulty here. Hero’s supposed offence would not be
enhanced by calling one lover by the name of the other. The word
‘term,’ moreover, is not the one which would be used to signify the
calling a person by his own proper name. It is not clearly explained
how Margaret could, consistently with the ‘just and virtuous’
character which Borachio claims for her in the fifth act, lend
herself to the villain’s plot. Perhaps the author meant that Borachio
should persuade her to play, as children say, at being Hero and
Claudio.
NOTE XIII.
II. 3. 27–30. _wise, or I’ll none; virtuous, or I’ll never cheapen
her; fair, or I’ll never look on her._ Pope erroneously remarks,
‘these words added out of the edition of 1623.’ They are found in the
Quarto, all the Folios, and Rowe. Warburton enhances the blunder by
including the next clause also, ‘mild, or come not near me.’
NOTE XIV.
II. 3. 81. We have adhered to the old stage direction in this place,
because it is not certain that any musicians accompanied Balthasar.
The direction of the Quarto at line 38, ‘Enter Balthasar with
musicke,’ may only mean that the singer had a lute with him. In the
direction of the Folios, at line 33, only ‘Jacke Wilson’ is mentioned.
NOTE XV.
II. 3. 225. Mr Halliwell says that we ought to change ‘dinner’
to ‘supper’ here and at line 235, in order to make the action
consistent, as we find from line 34 that it is evening: ‘How still
the evening is, &c.’ Such inaccuracies are characteristic of
Shakespeare, and this cannot well have been due to the printer or
copier.
NOTE XVI.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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