Shakespeare Study Programs; The Comedies by Charlotte Porter;Helen A. Clarke
page 39 of 126 (30%)
page 39 of 126 (30%)
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Who is the "Boy" of whom Berowne speaks repeatedly in his speech concluding this Act? What is the bearing of the reference to him upon the Play? How is the joke of the rhyme in which the Boy got the better of his Master by selling him the "Goose" to be explained? It is commonly supposed that the interpolation from the Quarto, i.e., the lines put between brackets in the "First Folio Edition" (p. 31) are necessary. It is better however, to leave them out, as they are left out in the Folio text, if it is understood that the Boy Moth, repeats ll. 91-92, after Armado has said them. Then Armado begins the "lenvoy" with the intention that the Boy will also repeat that and that being the end, turn the laugh on himself by calling himself the Goose. But the Boy is too clever. He says it ends where it should. Costard declares the Boy has sold him, and both laugh to the bewilderment of Armado. If the Page added the "lenvoy" as the Quarto puts it the joke would already have been turned against him. The explanation has to be very elaborate and the poor little joke is too thin to stand it, if both texts be followed. It is easy to see that the repetition by the Page of ll. 91 and 92, on the stage, confused the hearer who set it down for the publisher of the Quarto, and also that the repetition would be a part of the stage business and the lines might not appear twice therefore in the MS. of the Play itself. The question growing out of this is--Ought not the bracketed part of the text to be left out? QUERIES FOR DISCUSSION Why does Berowne say that he loves "the worst of all" (III, i, 193)? Is this true? Does he think it true? Does it refer to her looks, or |
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