OTHELLO.
Act I.
Sc. 1.
"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 to life, 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 must be in the eyes of an Iago, who in fact says of Cassio's (v. 1) "He hath a daily beauty in his life, That makes me ugly." If the allusion be to the person of Cassio, we might read face, 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 of high, bright, or some other adjective.
Sc. 2.
"Abus'd her youth with drugs or minerals
That weaken motion."
I read with Hanmer waken, for that was the object of philtres. 'Motion' is emotion, desire. In the next scene we have "To cool our raging motions, our carnal stings," and "mixtures powerful o'er the blood."
Sc. 3.
"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 read relieve, which seems to make better sense, and which I adopt.
"Sans witchcraft could not be."
"I won his daughter with."
Duke. "To vouch this is no proof," etc.
The folio makes this part of Brabantio's speech.
"That I have passed." * *
We might add with 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 amorous rites
By their own beauties."
Rom. and Jul. iii. 2.
"The great prerogative and rites of love,
Which as your due time claims, he does acknowledge."
All's Well, ii. 4.
"And with lascivious petulancy [she] sew'd
For hymeneal dalliance, marriage rights."
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 read parts? She had just said that it was "for his honours and his valiant parts" she loved him.
"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 affects
In me defunct) and proper satisfaction,"
and in proof of the validity of this punctuation Gifford quotes from Massinger:
"And though the youthful heats,
That look no further than your outward form,
Are long since buried 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 a copula, 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 heat of the young affects,
In my distinct and proper satisfaction."
'Affects,' as Johnson rightly observed, is passions, not affections, 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 past
These youthful heats."
Fletch. Sea Voyage, ii. 2.
'Distinct and 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."
Chapman, Odyss. ix. 34.
"He has a person and a smooth dispose
To be suspected."
I do not clearly see the sense of 'dispose' here, perhaps we should read discourse.
Act II.
Sc. 1.
"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 insert nam'd or one. As in the old copies 'Veronese' is spelt Veronessa, 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' for the from the 4tos, which read 'worthy isle.'
"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 trace
For his quick hunting, stand the putting on."
This is the reading of the folio; the 4to 1622 has crush for 'trace'; and Warburton, followed by Steevens, Singer, and Dyce, read brach for 'trash.' These last-named critics read the whole line thus: "If this poor brach of Venice whom I trash." "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 be trashed or 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.
"Can trace me 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, to train, which would yield a tolerable sense. On the whole, I think that Iago's words may have been praise, 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.
Sc. 3.
"And passion having my best judgement collied."
The reading quelled, 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 for probable.
"As the free element."
It is the air that is meant, which was called 'the element.' See on Tw. Night, i. 1, and on Temp. v. ad fin.
Act III.
Sc. 3.
"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 read war. For 'her' Rowe, who is usually followed, read their. Singer reads the.
"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 mock
The meat it feeds on."
This is the reading of the old copies. Southern and Hanmer read make for '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.
"I slept the next night well, was free and merry."
So the 4tos and the editors read; the folio inserts fed well after 'well,' which may be right, as six-foot lines abound in this play. With Singer I have therefore retained it.
"If it be that or any that was hers."
Both 4to and folio read 'it was hers'; the 2nd folio 'if it was hers.' It has been justly observed that the printer took yt (the abbreviation of that) for it.
"Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er keeps retiring ebb, but keeps due on."
The first 'keeps' was plainly produced, in the usual way, by the second. Pope read feels, which was afterwards found in 4to 1630, and is now generally received. Southern had read knows, which seems equally good; and the same is the reading of Collier's folio. I doubt much, however, if the original word was not makes, which I have given, corresponding with 'keeps' in not personifying. Feels is evidently a conjecture in 4to 1630, as well as by Pope, as having some resemblance to 'keeps'; but in these cases no resemblance need be sought. (See Introd. p. [65].) For 'icy' Singer reads yesty, most needlessly.
Sc. 4.
"A frank one.—You may, indeed, say so."
I have given it in my Edition 'A frank one too'; but no addition was necessary. I made an error for the sake of metre, and, I think, weakened the passage.
"Fetch me that handkerchief; my mind misgiving me...."
"For let our finger ache, and it indues
Our other healthful members even to that sense
Of pain."
Perhaps the word the poet wrote was induces.
Act IV.
Sc. 1.
"Who having, by their own importunate suit
Or voluntary dotage of some mistress,
Convinced or supplied them cannot choose
But they must blab."
In the third line I think that for 'convinced or' we should read 'convinc'd her and'; the confusion of 'or' and her was easy: and must of course be added to get sense. See Introd. p. [6]
"I never knew a woman love a man so."
Sc. 2.
"Nor send you out of the way?—Never, my lord."
"Had it pleased Heavens
To try me with afflictions, had they rained."
The 4to reads 'had he ruin'd.' 'Heavens' is frequently used instead of Heaven.
"A fixed figure for the Time of scorn
To point his slow unmoving finger at."
This is the reading of the 4to; the folio has 'The' for 'A,' and 'and moving' for 'unmoving.' For 'Time' Rowe, who is generally followed, read hand; for 'slow unmoving' Mason read 'slowly moving'; Hunter read 'of the Time for scorn.' I, however, see no need of change. 'The Time of scorn' is the scornful age or world, a frequent sense of 'time'; and we should print "To point his slow—unmoving finger at," the latter term being a correction of the former.
"Made to write whore upon? What sin committed?"
So also in two succeeding lines of this speech, and in all a syllable is wanting. It is really amazing how such an omission—destructive alike of energy and of metre—could not only have been made by the printer, but remain unnoticed by all the editors. As sin is wanting in both 4to and folio, it is clear that the former was printed from the latter, and not from a MS. In the last line I read 'hear of it.'
Sc. 3.
"And bade me to dismiss you.—To dismiss me!"
"She was in love, and he she lov'd prov'd mad
And did forsake her."
For 'mad,' which is certainly wrong, Theobald read bad, and I think he was right. 'Proved bad' answers to our present turned out bad. Regarding bad as rather low and trivial, I read in my Edition false, as that is the term in the ballad. I thought 'mad' might have been suggested by 'maid' in the preceding line.
Act V.
Sc. 1.
"And your unblest fate hies; strumpet, I come."
As 'hies' is always, as far as I am aware, followed by some qualifying term, I add on or with the 4to, 'apace.'
Sc. 2.
"Put out the light, and then ... put out the light!"
I adopt this punctuation of Warburton's. He was going to say something further, but he stops, and contents himself with repeating his words.
"Should I repent me: but once put out thine."
So the 4to; the folio for 'thine' has 'thy light,' which is far less effective.
"Oh, falsely, falsely murdered!"
It would not be possible, in the whole compass of poetry, to find a more glaring absurdity than this of making Desdemona speak after she had been smothered.
"Like the base Indian threw a pearl away
More worth than all his tribe."
The folio reads 'Iudean,' and there has been great controversy on the subject. In any case the allusion is unknown.
"Their medicinal gum."
The reading of the 4to; the folio has 'medicinable.' Mr. Dyce doubts if at that time 'medicinal,' with the accent on the penult, was in use; but this place might seem to prove it, and it may be so pronounced also in W. Tale, ii. 3. (See my note on Milton's Sam. Ag. 627.) In it the French and not the Latin accentuation was followed.
"Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk."
Perhaps here, as elsewhere, 'Where' has taken the place of When.
JULIUS CÆSAR.
Act I.
Sc. 1.
"But if you should be out, sir, I can mend you."
For a similar omission, also injurious to the metre, see on Twelfth Night, ii. 5.
Sc. 2.
"That her wide walls encompass'd but one man."
The folio has walks; the obvious correction is from Collier's folio.
"What you would work me to I have some aim of."
"From that it is disposed to; therefore 'tis meet."
Sc. 3.
"In favour's like the work we have in hand."
'In' is the necessary correction of Is of the folio. See on K. John, iv. 2.
Act II.
Sc. 1.
"Is not to-morrow, boy, the first of March?"
The correction of Theobald, Ides, has been universally and properly adopted; for 'first' must have been a printer's error.
"Brutus, thou sleepest: awake! Such instigations
Have been often dropped where I took them up."
"Speak, strike, redress!—Am I entreated then?"
"Sir, March is wasted fifteen days."
Theobald read fourteen, which was the exact number; but the error was the poet's.
"No, not an oath. If not the face of men."
Warburton read fate, which Singer justifies; Mason faith.
"When Cæsar's head is off.—Yet I do fear him."
Sc. 2.
"Fierce fiery warriors did fight upon the clouds."
"Horses do neigh, and dying men did groan."
The context demands the past tense here also. The 2nd folio properly therefore read did for 'do.' See on Mer. of Ven. ii. 3.
"We were two lions, litter'd in one day."
'Were' is Theobald's correction of hear of the original. Upton read equally well, are.
"For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizances."
I am rather dubious of 'stains'; as the meaning is not clear.
Sc. 4.
"The heart of woman is. O Brutus, Brutus!"
Act III.
Sc. 1.
"These couchings and these lowly courtesies
Might fire the blood of ordinary men."
As, so far as I know, the subs. couching does not occur anywhere else, we might read, with Hanmer, crouchings; for nothing is more common than the omission of a letter by the printer. Singer, however, quotes from Huloet, "Cowch like a dogge, Procumbo;" and we may see a reference to the dog in the whole speech. For fire I would read stir.
"To you our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony;
Our arms in strength of malice, and our hearts
Of brother's temper do receive you in them."
As the second line does not make sense, we may either, with Capell, read no for 'in,' or, deeming the error to lie in 'malice,' substitute friendship, or some other word.
"A curse shall light upon the limbs of men."
Johnson, followed by Dyce, prefers lives. I do not see much to be gained by the change.
"Passion I see is catching; from mine eyes."
For 'from' the 2nd folio properly read for.
Sc. 2.
"Cæsar has had great wrong.—Has he, my masters?"
"Read the will. We will hear it Antony;
You shall read us the will. Read Cæsar's will."
"For I have neither writ, nor words, nor worth."
The 2nd folio properly read wit, i.e. mental power.
Act IV.
Sc. 1.
"One that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations," etc.
I see no objection to this line; but Theobald read, and Dyce approves of, 'abject arts.'
"Our best friends made, our means stretch'd to the utmost."
I most willingly adopt this excellent addition of Malone's, which is every way to be preferred to the usually adopted reading of the 2nd folio, "and our best means stretched out." Of Malone's reading Mr. Collier says, "which is not only a bad verse, but is supported by no authority," as if the 2nd folio was an authority! And "a bad verse!" Mr. Collier has strange ideas of metre.
Sc. 3.
"Yet let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself."
Some read 'And let me'; but 'Yet,' in which I had been anticipated, seems preferable.
"Brutus, bay not me."
Theobald's judicious correction; the folio has baite.
"Set in a note-book, learn'd and conn'd by rote
To cast into my teeth."
The proper word is his, not 'my'; but it may be one of the poet's usual slips.
"Cicero one!—Yes; Cicero is dead."
"Came on refresh'd, new-aided, and encourag'd."
The reading of the folio is 'added.' Both Singer and Dyce agree in the correction.
Act V.
Sc. 1.
"You flatterers! Now, Brutus, thank thyself."
"This is my birthday; as this very day."
For 'as' we should, I think, read at, as I have done.
Sc. 2.
"And sudden push gives them the overthrow."
It might be better to read 'And a,' or rather A. See on Temp. i. 2.