24b. The Merry Wives of Windsor
previously unpublished; © the estate of eric sams
(Numbers in bold refer to the Documents section and bibliographical citations refer to the Bibliography of The Real Shakespeare II, on-line edition)
The Merry Wives of Windsor was registered to Arthur Johnson by assignment from John Busby in January 1602, and duly published in Quarto format in that same year by T.C. [i.e. Thomas Creede] for Arthur Johnson as 'A most pleasaunt and excellent conceited Comedie...By William Shakespeare. As it hath been diuers times Acted by the right Honourable my Lord Chamberlaines seruants [i.e. the company Shakespeare had joined eight years earlier, and with which he then remained all his working life] Both before her Maiestie and elsewhere'. (305) The same edition was reprinted by Jaggard early in the next century. But the play included as the third in the Comedy section of the 1623 Folio (502) was much longer and (by general consensus) better. So what is the relation of the two texts? Nobody doubted that the Quarto version represented Shakespeare's first thoughts until one P.A. Daniel found it 'very difficult to believe him capable at any time in his career of such a performance' (Daniel 1881). That opened the door for W.W. Greg. To this day, nobody bothers about Q1's 'By William Shakespeare', or its alleged insult to the Lord Chamberlain, or to Queen Elizabeth the First, or to its deluded and defrauded general public.
But shall we test this theory? If it is right, then the Quarto version could not possibly have been set up from authorial copy, whereas the Folio version must have been. So, in an age of extreme variability in spelling and so forth, the two texts were prima facie entirely different. Unfortunately for the theory, they are not. In particular, since F 1623 is authentically Shakespearean in origin, any idiosyncrasies that it may contain must derive from him and not from any compositor or copyists, since it was their function to normalise and regularise (not abnormalise and irregularise) his papers. There is no reason, conversely, why any of them should appear in Q1 or Q2 at all. However, they do. So the theory of Q1 as a 'memorial reconstruction', enthusiastically adopted by all modern editors, is just wrong. Many experts, both professional and lay, have rejected it, on rational grounds, e.g. that there is no actual evidence for it and all the extant evidence (as cited above, for example) stands foursquare against it. But no modern editor has taken the least notice. Here, for the first time, is a refutation based solidly on fact.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
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Q1 1602
answere/answered/answred
Braineford/Branford
Claperclaw/Claperclawe
cosen/cosened/cousen/cousin/ cousonage/cousened
crie/cried/cry daies/day dear/deare
die/dyed
Diuels
Doc/Doct/Doctor
fairie/fairies/fayrie Fal/Falstaffe
farewel/farewell/farwell
For/Ford/Foord/Ford
Garmaine/Germanes
Garter/Gartyr/Gartyre
god/gode/godeso/gods
hart/hartily/heart he/hee/heele/hees heere's/heeres/heer's/ here's/heres
iealosies/iealous/iealousie
kild/kill laid/laide/laie/lay
lie/lied/lies/lye/lying litle/little M./Maister/Maisters/Masters marrie/marry/mary me/mee mean/meane/meanes/means meethinkes/methinks mind/minde Misteris/Mistresse/Mistris/ Mistrisse Mis/Mi.For/Mis.For/Mis.Ford Mi.Pa./Mis.Pag
Nim/Nym
onlie/only Pa/Pag/Page
Pis./Pist/Pistoll pitie/pittie/pittifull Quic/Quickly Rogoby/Rugabie/Rugbie/ Rug/Rugby
said/saie/saiest/say/sed/ses seemed/seemes Shal./Shallow shal/shalbe/shall she/shee/sheed/sheele/shees shew/showne Sim/Simple Slen./Slender/Slendor smel/smell/smelles/smels
speak/speake/speakes sweet/sweete swelled/swelles
tarrie/tarries/tarry
there's/theres/ther's
we/wee/wee'l/weel/weele
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Both
Abhorre addresse always An/Anne and/&
Barbason ay/I be/beene/bene/bin between/betweene bodie/body boy/boyes
Briget Cabidge celestiall
cloathes come/coming command/commaund companie/company Corporall
dere
diuel/diuell/diuels
do/doe/doo
draw/drawes drink/drinke eat/eate entertaine/entertainment epicurean Ephesian
fellow/fellowes find/finde
forrest geminy
Glostershire go/goe/gon/gone
hark/harke
her/hir
keep/keepe key/keyes
least [lest]
Mockwater Musselshell myre new/newes
nostril old/olde
peece(s) perswade picke/pickt
sack/sacke
sommer son/sonne souldiers
tanck
tel/tell thank/thanke
think/thinke/thinkes/ tire/tyre to/too tydings waies/way walk/walke
wel/well wil/will wittolly yong/young |
F 1623
answer/answerd/answere
Braineford/Brainford
Clapper-claw/Clapper-de-claw
Cosen/couzening/Cozen/ cozend/cozened/cozonage cozoners cride/cried/cry day/dayes deare/deere
die/dye
Diuels
Docter/Doctor/Doctour
Fairies/Fairy/Fayrie Fal/Fall/Falstaffe/ Falstaff/Falstolfe farewell/farwel/farwell
For/Ford/M.Ford
Germane/Germanes/ Iamanie [Germany] Garter/Iarteer/Iarteere
god/Got/Got's/od's/odd's
hart/hartely/hartly/heart he/hee/hee'le/hee's heere's/heer's/here's
iealious/iealous/iealousie iealouzies
kill/killd/kill'd laid/laide/lay/layes
lies/liest/lye/lyer/lying litle/little M./Maister/Master/Masters marrie/marry me/mee meane/meanes/means methinkes/me-thinkes mind/minde Mistresse/Mistris
Mi.Ford/Mis.Ford/Mist.Ford Mi.Page/Mis.Page/Mist.Pa/Mist.Pag Mist/Page
Ni./Nim/Nym
onely/only M.Pa./M.Pag./M.Page/ Mr.Page/Pag.
Pist/Pistoll/ pittie-/pittifull Qu./Qui./Quickly Ru./Rug./Rugby
said/saide/saies/saist/say seemd/seeme/seemes Sh./Shal./Shall./Shallow shal/shall she/shee/shee'll/shee's shew/show/showne Si./Sim./Simp./Simple Sl./Slen./Slender smell/smelling/smels
speak/speake/speakes sweet/sweete sweld/swelles
taries/tarry
there's/ther's
we/wee/wee'l/wee'le/wee'll |