Apologies if this is not quite at the level of MathOverflow, but it has already been asked at [MSE](https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1400501/question-about-hartshornes-proof-of-halphens-theorem) and gone unresolved for several years despite a bounty.


Hartshorne states the theorem as follows:



> 
> **Proposition IV.6.1**. A curve $X$ of genus $g\geq 2$ has a nonspecial very ample divisor $D$ of degree $d$ if and only if $d\geq g+3$.
> 
> 
> 


The necessity is shown, and then sufficiency. The idea is to show that the set $S$ of divisors $D \in X^d$ such that there exists $D' \sim D$ and points $P,Q \in X$ with $E = D'-P-Q$ an effective special divisor has dimension $\leq g+2$. Because $d\geq g+3$ this means there is some $D\notin S$ that is nonspecial and very ample of degree $d$.


Hartshorne shows that the set of divisors of the form $E+P+Q$ in $X^d$ that are nonspecial with $E$ a special effective divisor has dimension $\leq g+1$.


The part that confuses me comes afterwards. Namely, as $E$ is special the Riemann-Roch tells us that $\dim |E| \geq d-1-g$, and similarly that $\dim |E+Q+P| = d-g$. Because the difference between these two dimensions is at most 1, this somehow implies that the set of divisors $S$ as above has dimension $\leq g+2$.


I don't understand this implication. We have divisors of the form $E+Q+P$, each of which gives a linear system of dimension $d-g$, and all of which form a set of divisors of dimension $\leq g+1$. How does the difference in dimension of $E$ and $E+P+Q$ tell us the dimension of $S$?



Hartshorne's proof of Halphen's theorem
I think this Hartshorne's explanation is very rough. By using Picard variety, this step can be proved more clearly as follows.


Write $\mathrm{Pic}^d(X)$ for the scheme which parametrized all line bundles of degree $d$ on $X$, $\mathrm{Div}^d(X)$ for the scheme which parametrized all effective divisors of degree $d$ on $X$, and $D\_{\mathrm{univ}}\subset X\times \mathrm{Div}^d(X)$ for the universal effective divisor of degree $d$.
Then, by the universality of $\mathrm{Pic}^d(X)$, the line bundle $\mathcal{O}\_{X\times \mathrm{Div}^d(X)}(D\_{\mathrm{univ}})$ induces a morphism
$$
\varphi\_d:\mathrm{Div}^d(X) \to \mathrm{Pic}^d(X).
$$
This morphism can be written as $\varphi\_d(D) = \mathcal{O}\_X(D)$.
Hence each fiber of $\varphi\_d$ is linearly equivalent class.
In particular, for any $L\in \mathrm{Pic}^d(X)$, it holds that $\dim(\varphi\_d^{-1}(L)) = \dim H^0(X,L) - 1$.


Write $\mathrm{SpDiv}^d\subset \mathrm{Div}^d(X)$ for the closed subscheme determied by all special effective divisors.
Then, by Riemann-Roch, for any $D\in \mathrm{SpDiv}^d$, it holds that
$$
\dim(\varphi\_d^{-1}(\mathcal{O}\_X(D))) = 1+d-g+l(K-D)-1 \geq 1+d-g.
$$
Since $\dim(\mathrm{SpDiv}^d) = g-1$, it holds that
$$
\dim(\varphi\_d(\mathrm{SpDiv}^d)) \leq (g-1)-(1+d-g) = 2g-2-d.
$$


Now, let us consider the following two morphisms:
\begin{align\*}
f:X\times X\times \mathrm{Div}^{d-2}(X)\to \mathrm{Div}^d(X), (P,Q,D)\mapsto P+Q+D, \\
g:X\times X \times \mathrm{Pic}^{d-2}(X) \to \mathrm{Pic}^d(X), (P,Q,L)\mapsto L\otimes \mathcal{O}(P+Q).
\end{align\*}
Then we obtain the following commutative diagram:
$$
\require{AMScd}
\begin{CD}
X\times X\times \mathrm{SpDiv}^{d-2} @>{\subset}>> X\times X\times \mathrm{Div}^{d-2}(X) @>{f}>> \mathrm{Div}^d(X) \\
@. @V{\psi}VV @VV{\varphi\_d}V \\
@. X\times X\times \mathrm{Pic}^{d-2}(X) @>{g}>> \mathrm{Pic}^d(X),
\end{CD}
$$
where $\psi := \mathrm{id}\_X\times \mathrm{id}\_X \times \varphi\_{d-2}$.
Write $T:= g(\psi(X\times X\times \mathrm{SpDiv}^{d-2}))\subset \mathrm{Pic}^d(X)$.
Then
$$\dim(T) \leq 2g-2-(d-2)+2 = 2g-d+2.$$
Since $\dim(\mathrm{Div}^d)) = d$, and $\dim(\mathrm{Pic}^d) = g$,
the dimension of general fibers of $\varphi\_d$ are $d-g$.
Hence
$$\dim(\varphi\_d^{-1}(T)) \leq (2g-d+2)+(d-g) = g+2,$$
(where we note that if $T \subset \varphi\_d(\mathrm{SpDiv}^d)$, then the dimension of general fibers of $\varphi\_d^{-1}(T) \to T$ are $>d-g$, however, in this case, since $\varphi\_d^{-1}(T)\subset \mathrm{SpDiv}^d$, it holds that $\dim(\varphi\_d^{-1}(T)) \leq \dim(\mathrm{SpDiv}^d) = g-1 < g+2$).
Moreover, by our construction, the scheme $\varphi\_d^{-1}(T)$ parametrizes all effective divisors $D\subset X$ which are linearly equivalent to $E+P+Q$, the sum of a special effective divisor $E\subset X$ and points $P,Q\in X$.
This is desired conclusion.


