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The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]

Name: The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 4 of 9]
Author: William Shakespeare

by William Shakespeare

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English drama

In: Plays/Films/Dramas·Classics of Literature·British Literature

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About this book

This volume presents the Cambridge edition of William Shakespeare’s English drama, the fourth in a nine‑part series that gathers the playwright’s major histories and tragedies. The opening material is a meticulous survey of the early printed forms of the plays, particularly the various quarto editions of King Richard II, Henry IV Parts I and II, and Henry V, detailing their title‑pages, printers, dates, and the textual variations that arise from successive re‑printings. The editor explains how the “new additions” of the Parliament scene in Richard II were incorporated, why the first Folio is preferred for that portion, and how the quartos compare in critical value. This scholarly apparatus is followed by a list of benefactors and a series of footnotes that clarify obscure readings, spelling quirks, and manuscript sources, giving readers a clear map of the textual history before they encounter the plays themselves.

The prose is formal and densely informative, reflecting the academic tone of early‑modern textual scholarship. It retains the period’s orthography, spelling such as “publikely” and “seruants”, to illustrate the evolution of early‑modern English printing, while the commentary is rendered in clear, contemporary English for modern readers. Those who enjoy literary history, textual criticism, or the study of Shakespeare’s publication record will find this edition rewarding; it is especially suited to students, scholars, and theatre practitioners interested in how the plays were shaped by their successive printings and performance contexts.

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3. THE FIRST PART OF KING HENRY THE FOURTH appeared in six successive Quarto editions before the publication of the first Folio. The title-pages of the first five of these editions are given in full below. The version in the first Folio seems to have been printed from a partially corrected copy of the fifth Quarto. In many places the readings coincide with those of the earlier Quartos, which were probably consulted by the corrector. The title of the play in the Folio is, 'The First Part of Henry the Fourth, with the Life and Death of Henry Sirnamed Hotspurre.' As there is no copy of the fourth Quarto in the Capell collection, our collation has been made from the copy in the Bodleian, and verified by that in the Devonshire Library. The deficiencies of Capell's copy of the third Quarto have been supplied by a collation of the Bodleian copy of that edition.

Subsequent editions in Quarto were printed in 1622 (Q₆) by T. P. for Mathew Law, in 1632 (Q₇) by John Norton for William Sheares, and in 1639 (Q₈) by John Norton for Hugh Perry. In all these the title-page is substantially the same. Each Quarto appears to have been printed from its predecessor.

The 'Dering MS.' quoted in our foot-notes was discovered in the muniment room at Surrenden by the Rev. Lambert B. Larking in 1844, and published in the following year for the Shakespeare Society under the editorship of Mr Halliwell. It contains a large portion of the First Part of Henry IV. and some scenes of the Second Part. Mr Halliwell believes it to have been written in the early part of the 17th century, certainly earlier than 1640, for the purpose of private theatrical performance. Some additions and corrections were made by the hand of 'Sir Edward Deryng, the first baronet, who died in 1644.' (Introduction, p. xii. ed. 1845.)

We are of opinion that this MS. was copied from the fifth Quarto of the First Part, and from a complete Quarto of the Second Part. The writer seems to have been both illiterate and careless. His punctuation is singularly bad, and his spelling peculiar to himself. We have noticed such various readings as seemed in any way remarkable.

In some copies of the Quarto the first scene of Act III. is left out altogether. The omission seems to have been discovered after part of the edition had been struck off and rectified by the insertion of two new leaves. In order to make this insertion, the type was taken to pieces in part of the preceding and subsequent leaves, so that there are two different impressions for the latter part of Act II. and the beginning of Act III. Sc. 2. Where this difference occurs we have used the symbols Q₁, and Q₂; where the two are identical we use only Q.

The version in the first Folio was probably printed from a transcript of the original MS. It contains passages of considerable length which are not found in the Quarto. Some of these are among the finest in the play, and are too closely connected with the context to allow of the supposition that they were later additions inserted by the author after the publication of the Quarto. In the MS. from which that edition was printed, these passages had been most likely omitted, or erased, in order to shorten the play for the stage. The Folio in other places affords occasional readings which seem preferable to those of the Quarto, but for the most part the Quarto is to be regarded as having the higher critical value.

The text of these Quarto editions is so imperfect and varies so much from the more authentic text of the Folio, that it was impossible to give the variations in our foot-notes. We are inclined to agree with Mr Collier and others in the supposition that the Quarto text was 'hastily made up from notes taken at the theatre during the performance, subsequently patched together.' The references to these Quartos are inclosed in brackets in accordance with the rule mentioned in the Preface to Vol. I. p. xxi.

It is scarcely necessary to add that 'The famous Victories of Henry the Fift,' published in 1617, has nothing to do with Shakespeare's play.

We have the pleasure of adding several new names to the list of our benefactors. Miss Thackeray, of Windsor, has been so kind as to lend us a copy of Nares's Glossary which belonged to her late father, the Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and is copiously annotated in his hand.

Mr Henry Wilbraham has obtained for us the loan of some valuable MS. notes on Shakespeare, compiled by the late Mr Roger Wilbraham, F.R.S., formerly Fellow of Trinity College, and now in the possession of Mr George Fortescue Wilbraham of Delamere House, Cheshire.

Dr C. M. Ingleby and Mr G. R. French have sent us valuable communications, the former with reference to difficulties in the text, the latter with reference to points of history and genealogy.

We are also indebted for various acts of kindness and courtesy to the Marquis Camden, the Rev. T. S. Woollaston, the Rev. Lambert B. Larking, the Rev. Archibald Clerke of Kilmallie, Mr Stirling of Keir, Mr Pryme, Mr W. B. Donne, Mr P. S. Worsley, Professor Goldwin Smith, the Rev. H. O. Coxe, Librarian of the Bodleian, Mr C. Wright, and the late Mr George Daniell.

W. G. C. W. A. W.

ADDENDA AND CORRIGENDA.

King John.

III. 1. 69. Add note, _his owner_] dishonour Bullock conj.

III. 1. 209. Note, for new betrimmed read new untamed or new betrimmed.

IV. 2. 63. Add note, _you_] you'd Keightley conj.

IV. 3. 54. Add to note, sin of time's Keightley conj.

V. 2. 30. Note, for Dyce conj. read S. Walker conj.

V. 7. 108. Add to note, give thanks to you Keightley conj.

King Richard II.

I. 2. 12. Note, for Q₁ Q₂ read Q₁ Q₂ Ff.

I. 3. 153. Note, for Anon. read Seymour.