OTHELLO.

"You must not put another scandal on him,That he is open to incontinency."

"You must not put another scandal on him,

That he is open to incontinency."

For 'That' we must readThan. Introd. p.68.

"To speak of horrors—he comesinbefore me."

The addition ofin, besides improving the metre, adds greatly to the force and vivacity of the passage.

"As he would draw it. Longtimestay'd he so."

"Pleasant and helpful to him.—Ay, amen."

The folio omits 'Ay'; I read 'Amen, amen,' as the metre requires.

"Both to my God, one to my gracious King."

So the folio reads; the 4tos, more simply, haveandfor 'one.'

"My news shall be the fruit to that great feast."

So the 4tos properly read; the folio hasnewsfor 'fruit.'

"If I had play'd the desk or table-book."

Perhapsply'd, as pretending to be occupied. In Tit. Andron. v. 2, the 4tos read 'ply,' the folio 'playmy theme.'

"And we all wail for.—Do you think 'tis this?"

The originals read 'all we.'

"Tomark the encounter. If he love her not."

"Being a good kissing carrion.—Have you a daughter?"

Warburton for 'good' readgod, which alone makes sense. We have "common-kissing Titan" (Cymb. iii. 4). Malone also quoted from King Edward III.:—

"The freshest summer's-day doth soonest taintThe loathed carrion that it seems to kiss."

"The freshest summer's-day doth soonest taint

The loathed carrion that it seems to kiss."

"But not as your daughter may conceive."

The 4tos omit 'not,' which was supplied by the folio, and is indispensable.

"Little eyases that cry out on the top of question."

This is hard to understand; but there is no reason to suspect any corruption of the text. The allusion seems to be to the loud shrill tones of the children in acting.

"Like to some boy, that acts a tragedy,Speaks burly words and roars out passion."

"Like to some boy, that acts a tragedy,

Speaks burly words and roars out passion."

Marston, Ant. and Mel. II. iv. 5.

"I know a hawk from a handsaw."

The proper word ishernshaw; but the phrase may, as was not unusual, have undergone a change.

"The first row of thePons Chansonwill show you more."

What 'Pons Chanson' is, no one has divined. Editorstherefore read 'pious chanson,' meaning the ballad of Jephtha and his daughter.

"May be the devil and the devil has power."

For the first 'the devil,' 4to 1604 readsa deale; so the reading was probably 'a devil,' which is best.

"Niggard of question; but of our demandsMost free in his reply."

"Niggard of question; but of our demands

Most free in his reply."

Warburton transposes 'niggard' and 'most free'; and certainly, unless the poet forgot himself, he was by no means 'niggard of question'; and 'niggard' would also accord better than 'free' with 'of demands.' It might be better to readtofor 'of,' as these words were often confounded.

"Good gentlemen, give him a further edge."

Here 'edge' seems used in a peculiar sense, as the substantive ofegg, to urge, incite.

"Affront Ophelia. Her father and myself [lawful espials]."

As 'lawful espials' is only in the folio, injures the measure, and is not necessary, I would omit it.

"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles."

Though we meet in Shakespeare with incongruities as great as this, I incline to read for 'sea'siege, my own conjecture, as well as Pope's. We have "All sores lay siege" (Tim. iv. 3), "Sickness did lay siege" (M. N. D. i. 1), and several other expressions; and this is almost a solitary instance of the figurative use of 'sea' by our poet.Assay, orassays, for 'a sea,' has also been proposed, "Galling the gleaned land with hotassays" (Hen. V. i. 2); and it may have been the poet's word. If so, I should incline to readthe assay.

"With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear."

This is the reading of the folio, which I retain. 'These,'which gives much force to the expression, refers either to the evils he had enumerated, or is, as is so frequently the case, used in a general indefinite sense.

"Inthe undiscover'd country from whose bourneNo traveller returns."

"Inthe undiscover'd country from whose bourne

No traveller returns."

If any one refuses his assent to this very slight addition to the text, and which for the first time gives it sense, I must leave him to his own devices. Introd. p.57.

"Yeheavenly powers, restore him!"

"And the very age and body of the time his form and pressure."

As 'age of time' seems not to be a very correct expression, we might feel inclined to readworldfor 'time,' but no change is required;timeis the age, the world, and so 'age of the time' may signify period of the world, the then state of society. M. Mason readeveryfor 'the very.'

"And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee."

I see not what 'pregnant' can mean here. It might be better to readpliant, or some such word.

"Even with the very comment of thy soul."

So the 4tos properly read; the folio hasmyfor 'thy.'

"So long? Nay, then, let the Devil wear black; forI'llnothave a suit of sables."

"So long? Nay, then, let the Devil wear black; for

I'llnothave a suit of sables."

When the critics shall have proved—which they have not done yet—that a dress trimmed with sable was called 'a suit of sables,' I will grant that Hamlet did not mean mourning, and that the negative is not needful. The passage, as I now give it, answers to the vulgar phrase, "The Devil may wear black for me."

"Marry, this is miching malicho."

For 'miching malicho,' which is nonsense, I readmucho malhechoSp.,i.e.very ill-done.

"For women fear too much; even as they love."

A line riming with this is lost.

"So you must take your husbands."

So the 4to 1603 reads, with an evident allusion to the Marriage Service. The others and the folio havemistake.

"On my rais'd shoes."

So Steevens read. The folio hasrac'd, the 4tosraz'd.

"A very, very paiock."

For 'paiock' Pope readpeacock(the usual reading), Theobaldpaddock, Blakewayputtock. I agree with Theobald, as the King is afterwards called a paddock, and there is probably an allusion to the poisoning.Puttockis favoured by "I chose an eagle and did avoid a puttock" (Cymb. i. 2).

"If my duty be too bold, my love is too unmannerly."

Tyrwhitt proposed 'benottoo bold.' I read, 'If my duty be too bold, my love [is] too unmannerly....'

"Govern these ventages with your fingers and your thumb."

"And do such bitter business as the dayWould quake to look on."

"And do such bitter business as the day

Would quake to look on."

The 4tos, followed by editors in general, join 'bitter' with 'day.' See Introd. p.61.

"Though inclination be as sharp asitwill."

"I'll silence me e'en here."

The 4to 1603 reads, "I'llshrowdmyself behind the arras." Hanmer and Hunter read 'sconceme,' and we have, "I'llensconceme behind the arras" (Mer. Wives, iii. 3). Still no change is required.

"A slave that's notatwentieth part the tithe."

"EnterGhostin his night-gown."

I have given this stage-direction from the 4to 1603, as it is quite incongruous to suppose that the Ghost appeared in armour in a room of the palace; and as Hamlet says, "My father in hishabitas he lived!" As the Ghost makes but one short speech, I think, if it could be so managed, it would be more psychologic and effective for him to remain invisible, except to Hamlet mentally, and his voice only be heard by the audience.

"Lest with this piteous action you convertMy stern effects."

"Lest with this piteous action you convert

My stern effects."

I read, with Singer,affects. See on Meas. for Meas. iii. 1.

"That monster Custom, who all sense doth eateOf habits, devil is angel yet in this."

"That monster Custom, who all sense doth eate

Of habits, devil is angel yet in this."

The verb 'eate' here could never have come from the poet's pen; for it makes pure nonsense. I readcreatewith the greatest confidence, of which the two first letters must have been effaced in the MS. We have an exact parallel insmell, 'all' (Tim. i. 2). See also on All's Well, i. 1, ii. 1. 'Sense' seems here, as in M. for M. iv. 4, to signify kind, manner, way.

"And either master the Devil or throw him out."

So 4to 1604, but omitting 'master'; while 4to 1600 and the undated omit 'either.' Malone readcurbfor 'master'—a most needless alteration.

"One word more, goodmylady."

"Would from a paddock, from a bat, a gib."

I read gib-cat, as 'gib' never occurs alone. We surely would not saya tomfor a tom-cat,a jackfor a jackass, a jackdaw, etc. See Introd. p.58.

"So haply Slander,Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter," etc.

"So haply Slander,

Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter," etc.

The happy suppliance of Theobald, universally adopted with the change of hisfortoso.

"Pays homage to us—thou mayest not coldly setby."

"I'll be with you straight. Goona little before."

"But greatly to find quarrel in a straw."

'But' here is somewhat ambiguous. We may take it as yet, nevertheless, or in its original sense of save, except; in which last case 'to find' would be finding.

"Which bewept to the grave did not go."

Pope, who has been generally followed, struck out 'not'; but though the printers often omitted the negative (as once already in this play) they rarely added it. We have, however, an instance in Much Ado, iii. 2, and it might be better to suppose the same to be the case here. We might also read 'unwept,' which occurs in Rich. III. ii. 2, or, as I have done, 'unbewept,' as the initialunis at times omitted. See on Cymb. i. 7.

"All from her father's death. And now, behold....O Gertrude, Gertrude!"

"All from her father's death. And now, behold....

O Gertrude, Gertrude!"

'And now behold' is added from the 4tos. Punctuated as here it seems effective.

"And notgonewhere I had aim'd them."

"As how should itbutbe so? how otherwise?Will you be ruled by me?—Ay, my lord."

"As how should itbutbe so? how otherwise?

Will you be ruled by me?—Ay, my lord."

It is manifest thatbutornothad been omitted. For 'Ay' we should readI will. See Introd. p.68.

"But that I know love is begun by time."

I cannot make any good sense of this, and I suspect that 'time' may be owing to the same word lower down. The love spoken of seems to be that of children for parents, and possibly the word waschildhood,birth.

"And then this 'should' is like a spendthrift sighThat hurts by easing."

"And then this 'should' is like a spendthrift sigh

That hurts by easing."

All the original 4tos read 'spendthrifts' (the passage is not in the folio); but this reading must be wrong, for the allusion is evidently to the popular belief, not yet extinct, that every sigh consumes a drop of the blood, and so is injurious to life; 'spendthrift' is therefore to be taken in the sense ofwasting. "With sighs of love that cost the fresh blood dear" (M. N. D. iii. 2), "Look pale as primrose, with blood-drinking sighs" (2 Hen. VI. iii. 2), "And stop the rising of blood-sucking sighs" (3 Hen. VI. iv. 4).

"As make your bouts more violent to that end."

It might be better to readAndfor 'As.'

"Hownow, sweet queen!"

This, the reading of 2nd folio, makes the line more euphonious.

"There with fantastic garlands she did come."

The 4tos, followed by the editors, read:

"Therewith fantastic garlands she didmake."

"Or like a creature native and indued."

Perhaps it should beinured, as 'indued' takeswith, notunto.

"Woo't drink up Esil? eat a crocodile?"

Those who maintain that 'Esil' is the acid of that name have not observed that 'drink up' means drink the whole of, and so could hardly be used of any liquid in the abstract. It is also to be observed that, at that time, eysel was used as a medicine:—

"Whilst, like a willing patient, I will drinkPotions ofeysel'gainst my strong infection."

"Whilst, like a willing patient, I will drink

Potions ofeysel'gainst my strong infection."

Son. cxi.

and further that, by association of ideas, 'crocodile' presupposes the mention of a river. The Yssel, a river of the LowCountries, runs by Deventer and Zutphen, near which last place Sir Philip Sidney received his death-wound, and so the name Yssel may have been familiar to the English mind. I therefore have placed it in the text.

"Inan hour of quiet thereby shall we see."

"Ifolded up the writ in form of the other."

"For by the image of my cause I seeThe portraiture of his. I'll count his favours."

"For by the image of my cause I see

The portraiture of his. I'll count his favours."

It is best to read, with Rowe, 'I'llcourthis favour.'

"You will do it, sir, really."

I incline to readreadily.

"And yet but yaw neither."

So 4to 1604. The others haveraw.

"The mostfondand winnowed opinions."

I quite agree with those who readfann'd.

"Asthat I have shot an arrow o'er the house."

"Stick fiery off indeed."

In my Edition I most rashly readStrikefor 'Stick.' In the language of the timestick offmeant set off, show off, display:—

"Nor virtue shines more in a lovely face,Than true desert isstuck offwith disgrace."

"Nor virtue shines more in a lovely face,

Than true desert isstuck offwith disgrace."

Chapman, Dedic. of Batrach., etc.

"His lute still touch'd tostickmoreoffhis tongue."

Id. Hymn to Hermes, 766.

Yet Chapman, in whom alone I have found it, may have adopted it from one of the 4tos of this play. See on Rom. and Jul. iii. 3.

"I do not fear it; I have seen you both.—But since he's better'd, we have therefore odds."

"I do not fear it; I have seen you both.—

But since he's better'd, we have therefore odds."

If he (i.e.Laertes) was bettered, in the ordinary sense of the word, how could the odds lie against him?You'rewould give better sense than 'he's'; but it does not satisfy me. A line has evidently been lost, and the latter part may be addressed to the Queen. The lost line may have been something like this: "'Tis true he did neglect his exercises." Hamlet had said (ii. 2) he had "foregone all custom of exercises." In my Edition I have made anAsidehere to the Queen, who may have made a sign of dissent; but a speech of the Queen's to the same effect may have been what is lost.

"Come.—Another hit.—What say you?[A touch a touch] I do confess."

"Come.—Another hit.—What say you?

[A touch a touch] I do confess."

With the 4tos I omit the bracketed words, as needless to the sense and injurious to the measure.

"Good madam ...—Gertrude,Gertrude, do not drink."

This repetition of the name, which is required by the metre, adds, I think, much energy. The name is repeated in the same manner in iv. 5.

"As thou'rt a man!...Give me the cup; let go; by Heaven I'll have it."

"As thou'rt a man!...

Give me the cup; let go; by Heaven I'll have it."

This appears to me to be the true punctuation.

"A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife."

The attempts made to give sense to 'wife' here are utterly ridiculous. I cannot see any objection tolife, the reading of the sagacious Tyrwhitt. Here, as elsewhere, it may be observed 'damn'd' is merely to be damned,i.e.condemned, be odious, as a person of fair regular life mustbe in the eyes of an Iago, who in fact says of Cassio's (v. 1) "He hath a daily beauty in hislife, That makes me ugly." If the allusion be to the person of Cassio, we might readface,skin, or some such word, as denoting effeminacy.

"Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy."

Perhaps the second 'joy' was suggested by the first instead ofhigh,bright, or some other adjective.

"Abus'd her youth with drugs or mineralsThat weaken motion."

"Abus'd her youth with drugs or minerals

That weaken motion."

I read with Hanmerwaken, for that was the object of philtres. 'Motion' is emotion, desire. In the next scene we have "To cool our ragingmotions, our carnal stings," and "mixtures powerful o'er theblood."

"As in these cases, where the aim reports,'Tis oft with difference."

"As in these cases, where the aim reports,

'Tis oft with difference."

The 4tos read 'they aim'; but the reading of the folio gives a more simple sense. 'The aim' is conjecture.

"And prays you to believe him."

It has been proposed to readrelieve, which seems to make better sense, and which I adopt.

"Sans witchcraft could notbe."

"I won his daughterwith."

Duke."To vouch this is no proof," etc.

The folio makes this part of Brabantio's speech.

"That I have passed." * *

We might addwith his demands complying.

"The rites for which I lov'd him are denied me."

Is not this—whether we read 'rites' or 'rights'—rather indelicate coming from the lips of Desdemona?

"Lovers can see to do their amorousritesBy their own beauties."

"Lovers can see to do their amorousrites

By their own beauties."

Rom. and Jul. iii. 2.

"The great prerogative andritesof love,Which as your due time claims, he does acknowledge."

"The great prerogative andritesof love,

Which as your due time claims, he does acknowledge."

All's Well, ii. 4.

"And with lascivious petulancy [she] sew'dFor hymeneal dalliance, marriagerights."

"And with lascivious petulancy [she] sew'd

For hymeneal dalliance, marriagerights."

Marston, What You Will, iii. 1.

Juliet might, to herself, speak of the "amorous rites," but for Desdemona to do so before the Senate of Venice! impossible. Would it not, then, be better to readparts? She had just said that it was "for his honours and his valiantparts" she loved him.

"Not to comply with heat the young affectsIn my defunct, and proper satisfaction;"

"Not to comply with heat the young affects

In my defunct, and proper satisfaction;"

The reading of Upton, Gifford, Singer, Dyce, etc., is

"Not to comply with heat (the young affectsInmedefunct) and proper satisfaction,"

"Not to comply with heat (the young affects

Inmedefunct) and proper satisfaction,"

and in proof of the validity of this punctuation Gifford quotes from Massinger:

"And though theyouthful heats,That look no further than your outward form,Are long sinceburied in me."

"And though theyouthful heats,

That look no further than your outward form,

Are long sinceburied in me."

Bondman, i. 3.

I have no doubt that Massinger had the present passage in view, and understood it in the same way as these critics; and still there might be a printer's error in it of which he was not aware. (See on Rom. and Jul. iii. 3.) But can any one produce a single instance of Shakespeare's thus interposing a parenthesis between two substantives connected by acopula, or forming a sentence like that in the parenthesis? and what can be more rugged and disjointed than the whole passage as thus arranged? Would not the following not very violent corrections make the whole more Shakespearian and more harmonious?

"Not to comply with heatofthe young affects,In mydistinctand proper satisfaction."

"Not to comply with heatofthe young affects,

In mydistinctand proper satisfaction."

'Affects,' as Johnson rightly observed, ispassions, notaffections, and Othello styles them 'young,' either as they were new in him, and had not been gratified, or as belonging chiefly to youth.

"For herself she's pastTheseyouthful heats."

"For herself she's past

Theseyouthful heats."

Fletch. Sea Voyage, ii. 2.

'Distinctand proper' means separate and peculiar.Distinct, the correction of 'defunct,' I regard as nearly certain. Its meaning here is separate.

"Sheds stuff'd with lambs and goats, distinctly kept,Distinct the biggest, the more mean distinct,Distinct the youngest."

"Sheds stuff'd with lambs and goats, distinctly kept,

Distinct the biggest, the more mean distinct,

Distinct the youngest."

Chapman, Odyss. ix. 34.

"He has a person and a smooth disposeTo be suspected."

"He has a person and a smooth dispose

To be suspected."

I do not clearly see the sense of 'dispose' here, perhaps we should readdiscourse.

"A Veronesè, Michael Cassio."

This is another instance of the poet's negligence or forgetfulness; for in the first Act he had called him a Florentine. Though the metre is perfect, it might be better to insertnam'dorone. As in the old copies 'Veronese' is speltVeronessa, Malone thought it was the ship that was so called; but that is not likely.

"Thanks you, the valiant of this warlike isle."

The reading of the folio, with 'this' forthefrom the 4tos, which read 'worthyisle.'

"And in the essential vesture of creationDoes bear all excellency."

"And in the essential vesture of creation

Does bear all excellency."

This is the reading of the 4to; the folio reads in the second line, 'Does tyre the ingenieur,' of which it seems almost impossible to make any good sense. 'The essential,' etc., means person, body, form.

"If this poor trash of Venice, whom I traceFor his quick hunting, stand theputtingon."

"If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace

For his quick hunting, stand theputtingon."

This is the reading of the folio; the 4to 1622 hascrushfor 'trace'; and Warburton, followed by Steevens, Singer, and Dyce, readbrachfor 'trash.' These last-named critics read the whole line thus: "If this poorbrachof Venice whom Itrash." "The jingle," Steevens says, "being in Shakespeare's manner." Now to this I object—first, that this was not Shakespeare's manner, for the apparent instances of it are mostly printers' blunders; and secondly, that Roderigo did not require to betrashedor checked 'for his quick hunting,' for he was always hanging back and ready to give up the chase till urged on by Iago. This last objection also applies to 'trace' in the sense of follow or accompany.

"Cantraceme in the tedious ways of art,Or hold me pace in deep experiments."

"Cantraceme in the tedious ways of art,

Or hold me pace in deep experiments."

1 Hen. IV. iii. 1.

It would also apply, though in a less degree, totrain, which would yield a tolerable sense. On the whole, I think that Iago's words may have beenpraise, which would suit his sneering ironical tone. As to 'brach,' though we frequently find it used of a woman, I believe it was never applied to a man.

"And passion having my best judgement collied."

The readingquelled, approved by Collier, is not so absurd as Singer thinks it.

"In night and on the court and guard of safety."

This is the reading of all the old copies. Malone read 'of guard and safety,' making the necessary transposition.

"Probal to thinking."

As I have never met with the word 'Probal' elsewhere, I think it may be a mere misprint forprobable.

"As the free element[s]."

It is the air that is meant, which was called 'the element.' See on Tw. Night, i. 1, and on Temp. v.ad fin.

"Save that they say the wars must make examplesOut of her best."

"Save that they say the wars must make examples

Out of her best."

There is an error either in 'wars' or in 'her,' and perhaps the simplest correction is to readwar. For 'her' Rowe, who is usually followed, readtheir. Singer readsthe.

"My lord, for aught I know....—What dost thou think?Think, my lord?—Think, my lord! By Heaven he echoes me."

"My lord, for aught I know....—What dost thou think?

Think, my lord?—Think, my lord! By Heaven he echoes me."

"It is the green-eyed monster which doth mockThe meat it feeds on."

"It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on."

This is the reading of the old copies. Southern and Hanmer readmakefor 'mock,' which appears to me to be indubitable; for this is the very thing which jealousy does—witness Ford and Leontes—while I cannot see how jealousy, which is given to anything rather than mockery, should mock its food. Singer and Dyce, however, retain 'mock,' but without giving any explanation.

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