제1및 제2사절판 『햄릿』의 인쇄와 발행에 관련된 사람들

Abstract

Concerning the publication of the First and Second Quartos of Hamlet, at least four people were involved: Nicholas Ling, John Trundle, James Roberts, and Valentine Simmes. What happened to them individually and collectively in the printing and publishing of Hamlet Quartos One and Two? About this mystery, David Scott Kastan has suggested a most persuasive explanation. He argued that these two stationers, Nicholas Ling and James Roberts "were known to one another." During the process of publishing early quartos of Hamlet, Kastan claims they came to "a pragmatic compromise." James Roberts was more of a printer than of a publisher even though he made business in both fields. He was in the habit of acquiring for his future use as many as assets by registering them in the Stationer's Company. Among these copyrights he registered (except for those he himself published), Roberts often transferred his rights to publish books to his co-publishers, and especially with Nicholas Ling. With him, Roberts co-published as many as 23 books. One may easily suspect, if we accept Kastan's theory, why did Roberts himself did not print Hamlet Quarto 1 in 1603? About this, Kastan says that Roberts was in "the third busiest year" of his printer's career so that he passed "the opportunity to work on Hamlet" to Valentine Simmes. After the Quarto 1 was published, Roberts was "no doubt delighted to produce a second edition," partly because the theater company was not happy with Quarto 1, and partly because both Simmes and he judged a new publication of Hamlet would make more profit. I think Kastan's scenario is attractive because there is no one until now who has suggested such plausible theory as this. Nevertheless, the possibility of pirate publication of Quarto 1 is still open. We need to consider that both Ling and Simmes were concerned with unhonorable printing or publication. If Valentine Simmes was allowed by James Roberts to do his printing of Hamlet Quarto 1, why did he omit his name on the title page? Another thing we need to remember is that James Roberts was not in good health around this time. Can we not we suppose that James Roberts could not prevent the clandestine publication of Hamlet’s Quarto 1 by John Trundle and Nicholas Ling because of his poor health? Is there no possibility that he was unable to give full attention to the general conditions extant in the printing and publishing market, as he was suffering from a chronic disease? My scenario for this mystery is as follows: John Trundle was a minor publisher without much money, yet he obtained the text of Quarto 1 through an unknown channel. Thus acquiring this Hamlet text, he hoped to profit by publishing it with Nicholas Ling. While accepting Trundle's offer, Ling also asked Valentine Simmes to quickly print this play secretly. Ling and Simmes learned printing under the same master, Henry Bynneman, and spent at least two years in the same printing house. Their special friendship was the reason for this disreputable double-printing. Worrying about unfavorable consequences, Simmes did not print his name on the title page.