How Editors Have Glossed "Antic Disposition"
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on
This page traces how editors from 1603 to 2016 have glossed, annotated, and punctuated one of Hamlet's most debated phrases. Each card shows the printed text and editorial notes from a specific edition. Notice how the meaning of "antic" shifts across the centuries — from fantastic to grotesque to mad to act crazy — and how the parentheses and punctuation around these lines change dramatically between editors.
How the Gloss Has Changed: Keywords Used by Editors
fantastic
grotesque
mad / madman
clown / buffoon
disguised
wild
bizarre
freakish
foolish
act crazy
1603
William Griggs, with Forewords by Frederick J. Furnivall
Shakspere's Hamlet: The First Quarto, 1603, A Facsimile in Photo-Lithography — W. Griggs, Hanover Street, Peckham, S.E.
How strange or odde soere I beare my selfe,
As I perchance hereafter shall thinke meet,
To put an Anticke disposition on (4.170–72)
As I perchance hereafter shall thinke meet,
To put an Anticke disposition on (4.170–72)
Facsimile reprint of Q1 — no editorial gloss provided.
1866
William George Clark & William Aldis Wright
The Works of William Shakespeare (Volume VIII) — Macmillan & Co.
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–72)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–72)
Textual Notes
170–172. How…on] Put in parentheses in Pope. (ed.I).
170–178. How…note] Put in parentheses in Qq.
170. soe'er] so ere FfQ6. so mere Q2Q3Q4Q5.
171–172. As…on] Put in parentheses in Ff.
170–178. How…note] Put in parentheses in Qq.
170. soe'er] so ere FfQ6. so mere Q2Q3Q4Q5.
171–172. As…on] Put in parentheses in Ff.
1899
Edward Dowden
The Works of William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Hamlet — Methuen & Co. Ltd. (5th edition 1919; first published 1899)
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–172)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–172)
Gloss
172 antic] bizarre, fantastic; Romeo and Juliet, II.iv.29, "antic…fantasticoes."
1908
Sidney Lee; special intro by George Santayana
The Complete Works of Shakespeare, vol. XXX (Hamlet) — George G. Harrap & Co.
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–172)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on, (1.5.170–172)
Gloss
172 antic] fantastic
1917
Tucker Brooke & Jack Randall Crawford
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark — Yale University Press (Revised 1947)
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on,— (1.5.169–171)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on,— (1.5.169–171)
Gloss
171 antic: fantastic
1934
John Dover Wilson
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark — Cambridge University Press (1964 reprint)
(How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on) (1.5.170–72) Wide parentheses — follows Qq
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on) (1.5.170–72) Wide parentheses — follows Qq
Glossary
ANTIC, odd, fantastic (1.5.172)
ANTIQUE, Meaning uncertain; either (i) ancient or (ii) ludicrous ('antic'); 2.2.473
ANTIQUE, Meaning uncertain; either (i) ancient or (ii) ludicrous ('antic'); 2.2.473
1953
Charles Jasper Sisson
William Shakespeare: The Complete Works — Odhams Press
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.175–77)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.175–77)
Gloss
Antic — fantastic, grotesque; grotesque phantom or pageant, clown.
1968
Bernard Lott
Hamlet — Longman
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself—
As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
Commentary
170 How strange . . . myself: however strangely or oddly I may behave.
172 antic disposition: fantastic manner. — Thus Hamlet warns them that he may act oddly (he will in fact pretend to be mad), but they are never to show that they understand why he is doing so, and what his aims may be. Perhaps at this stage Hamlet is himself not very clear as to why he should do this. It is a gesture of revenge, some action taken to avenge the death of his father.
172 antic disposition: fantastic manner. — Thus Hamlet warns them that he may act oddly (he will in fact pretend to be mad), but they are never to show that they understand why he is doing so, and what his aims may be. Perhaps at this stage Hamlet is himself not very clear as to why he should do this. It is a gesture of revenge, some action taken to avenge the death of his father.
1972
J.H. Walter
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark — Plays Inc.
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
Gloss
172 antic disposition, grotesque freakish mood. An antic was a character in some early stage plays, a clown or buffoon.
1980
T.J.B. Spencer
Hamlet — Penguin Books
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.178–80)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.178–80)
Commentary
170 How strange or odd some'er I bear myself. Hamlet's assumption of madness in order to lull suspicion seems to have been an essential element in the Hamlet story, and would be expected by an audience familiar with the earlier play on the stage.
172 antic — fantastically disguised.
172 antic — fantastically disguised.
1982
Harold Jenkins
The Arden Edition of the Works of William Shakespeare (Arden 2) — Methuen
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.178–80)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.178–80)
Commentary
180. To put . . . on] The famous announcement of his intention to affect madness. antic, grotesque — 'strange or odd' (l. 178). Cawdrey, A Table Alphabetical, 1604, defines 'anticke, disguised'. The word is particularly used of an actor with a false head or grotesque mask. For put on see III.i.2 n.
1985
Philip Edwards
Hamlet Prince of Denmark (The New Cambridge Shakespeare) — Cambridge University Press
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
Commentary
170 How strange…myself — Hamlet will ally himself with the 'stranger' by estranging himself from accepted norms of behaviour.
172 an antic disposition — fantastic and foolish manner
172 an antic disposition — fantastic and foolish manner
1987
G. R. Hibbard
The Oxford Shakespeare — Oxford University Press (reissued 2008)
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.177–79)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.177–79)
Commentary
179 put an antic disposition on — assume a wild fantastic manner of thought and behaviour. It is also worth remembering that an antic was a clown; for the part Hamlet will now go on to play in his dealings with his opponents will have much in common with that of the witty clown.
1992
Cyrus Hoy
A Norton Critical Edition: William Shakespeare, Hamlet — Norton & Company Inc.
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on) (1.5.169–71) Narrow parentheses — follows Ff
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on) (1.5.169–71) Narrow parentheses — follows Ff
Gloss
171 antic — mad
1994
Susanne L. Wofford
Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism: Hamlet — Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself
—As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
—As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on— (1.5.170–72)
Gloss
172. put…on: Behave in some fantastic manner, act like a madman.
2016
Gary Taylor, John Jowett, Terri Bourus & Gabriel Egan
The New Oxford Shakespeare — Oxford University Press
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on)— (1.5.168–70) Narrow parentheses — follows Ff
(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on)— (1.5.168–70) Narrow parentheses — follows Ff
Gloss
5.168 some'er — someever
5.168 bear myself — behave
5.169 hereafter — in the future
5.170 put…on — act crazy
5.170 antic — bizarre
5.168 bear myself — behave
5.169 hereafter — in the future
5.170 put…on — act crazy
5.170 antic — bizarre
2016
Ann Thompson & Neil Taylor
Arden Shakespeare Third Series — The Arden Shakespeare
How strange or odd some'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on (1.5.168–70)
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on (1.5.168–70)
Commentary
168 How … some'er — howsoever, however (see 1.2.247n.)
169 think meet — decide, see fit
170 antic disposition — wild, fantastic or clownish manner or behaviour. OED records this as its second instance of antic in this sense, the first being in Marlowe's Edward II where Gaveston imagines that 'My men like Satyres grazing on the lawnes, / Shall with their Goate feete daunce an antic hay' (1.1.59–60). That isn't the same sense!
169 think meet — decide, see fit
170 antic disposition — wild, fantastic or clownish manner or behaviour. OED records this as its second instance of antic in this sense, the first being in Marlowe's Edward II where Gaveston imagines that 'My men like Satyres grazing on the lawnes, / Shall with their Goate feete daunce an antic hay' (1.1.59–60). That isn't the same sense!
2007
Ann Thompson & Neil Taylor
Arden Shakespeare Third Series — Arden Shakespeare (Cengage Learning)
Earlier printing of the Arden 3 edition — see 2016 entry above for glosses.