Note XV

V. 2. 284, 285. The reading given in the text is that of the Quartos, substantially. The first has literatim thus:

'O Desdemona, Desdemona, dead, O, o. o.'

The second and third:

'O Desdemona, Desdemona; dead, O, o, o.'

The first Folio:

'Oh Desdemon! dead Desdemon: dead. Oh, oh!'

The second:

'Oh Desdemon! dead Desdemon: dead. dead. Oh, oh!'

The third:

'Oh Desdemona! dead Desdemona: dead, dead. Oh, oh!'

This is followed substantially by the fourth Folio and Rowe.

Pope reads:

'Oh Desdemona! Desdemona! dead, dead! Oh! Oh!'

This is adopted by Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton and Johnson.

Capell reads:

'O Desdemone! dead, Desdemone? dead? dead?
O, o, o!'

Steevens (1773) has:

'Oh Desdemona! Desdemona! dead!
Dead! oh! oh! oh!'

This reading is followed by Steevens himself in his later editions, Malone, Rann, the Variorum editors, Singer and Harness. Mr Knight reads substantially with the first Folio: Mr Collier follows the Quartos.

Mr Dyce reads:

'O Desdemon! dead, Desdemon! dead! O!'

Mr Staunton adopts the reading of the first Folio, putting a comma after the first 'dead.' Mr Grant White follows Mr Dyce.

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