Arrangement of Editor’s Notes

In the printed book, all notes were grouped at the end of the volume as “Notes on the Plays” and “Notes: Critical and Explanatory”. For this e-text, Notes have been placed after their respective plays.

The Notes as printed give only page and line numbers. References to Acts and Scenes were added by the transcriber. All links lead directly to the cited text. Annotated passages are identified in the body text with two kinds of link: dotted underlining for text notes; solid underlining for critical notes. Passages that have both kinds of note are linked to the “Critical and Explanatory” note.

The critical notes include a few cross-references to other volumes of the Complete Works. Where appropriate, these texts are quoted after each play’s Notes. The “N.E.D.” of the Notes is now generally known as the OED.

In the Notes, the variation between .’ and ’. (close quote before or after final period) is as printed and has not been regularized. The abbreviation “cf.” is always lower-case. Brackets are in the original.