The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 25.118 Friday, 7 March 2014
[1] From: Steve Roth <
Date: March 6, 2014 at 7:21:30 PM EST
Subject: Re: SHAKSPER: Balcony
[2] From: Laurie Johnson <
Date: March 6, 2014 at 11:47:14 PM EST
Subject: RE: SHAKSPER: Balcony
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steve Roth <
Date: March 6, 2014 at 7:21:30 PM EST
Subject: Re: SHAKSPER: Balcony
@Marianne Kimura: "I shall try to get my hands on better texts."
And any other Shakespeareans who my not know of it . . .
Run don’t walk to Internet Shakespeare Editions @ U Victoria:
http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Texts/Rom/
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Laurie Johnson <
Date: March 6, 2014 at 11:47:14 PM EST
Subject: RE: SHAKSPER: Balcony
Gabriel Egan asks:
>Could I just check how you know that the 1599 quarto of Romeo
>and Juliet was published before the opening of the Globe in 1599,
>Laurie? I don’t want to miss any new certainties about what I
>thought uncertain.
It is a fair question, and I must confess on reflection that it is based more on speculation than certainty. I base it on a number of factors, such as the lag time between “bad” Quartos and the appearance of newly augmented versions in other cases, other activities by Creede throughout 1599 and 1600, and the timing of the Bishops’ Ban in June (in which Creede’s print run of Micro-cynicon was among those burned). A few of these points are captured as tangential points in my extended discussion of Roberts and the Q2 Hamlet in my recent book, but you’re right that it is a claim to which should not be attributed the status of a certainty. Going back over my own notes, I see that it even still has a question mark next to it, meaning that I intended to revisit it, but allowed it to rigidify in my mind. Assertion withdrawn.
Perhaps it may be better to simply say that both Quartos were in print before R&J was performed at The Globe—since most scholarship I’ve encountered on the plays staged in the first 6 months at The Globe (June to November, 1599) don’t rate a mention of R&J.
Appreciate the gentle prod in the right direction, Gabriel.
Cheers,
Laurie.