The Comedy Of Errors: A Comedy
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Identical twins separated at birth provides the foundation for humour in one of Shakespeare’s earlier plays. The young twin sons of Egeon, alongside another set of young twin boys, purchased as slaves, are lost to one another during a tempest at sea. Egeon, who saves one son and his slave by tying them to the mast, is separated from his wife, who is rescued with their other boy and his slave. As each searches for the other, the stage is set for a romp that revolves around mistaken identity, physical mishaps, and the comedy of errors referenced in the title.
Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.
HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) es ampliamente reconocido como uno de los más grandes escritores de todos los tiempos. Dramaturgo, actor y poeta, escribió casi cuarenta obras de teatro agrupadas generalmente según tres categorías: tragedias, comedias y obras históricas. Piezas como Hamlet, El rey Lear, El mercader de Venecia, Antonio y Cleopatra, Macbeth y Romeo y Julieta, por nombrar algunas de ellas, son aún a día de hoy estudiadas y representadas en todo el mundo.
Read more from William Shakespeare
The Christmas Library: 250+ Essential Christmas Novels, Poems, Carols, Short Stories...by 100+ Authors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Romeo & Juliet & Vampires Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Shakespeare in Autumn (Seasons Edition -- Fall): Select Plays and the Complete Sonnets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShakespeare's First Folio Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shakespeare's Love Sonnets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComplete Works of Shakespeare (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Comedy Of Errors
Related ebooks
The Comedy of Errors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Comedy of Errors: A Comedy Play Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Comedy of Errors, with line numbers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shakespeare: The Complete Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of William Shakespeare (37 plays, 160 sonnets and 5 Poetry...) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare : Complete Collection (37 plays, 160 sonnets and 5 Poetry...) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare: The Ultimate Collection - Every Play, Sonnet, and Poem at Your Fingertips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare : Complete Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete works of William Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare The Complete Works (37 plays, 160 sonnets and 5 Poetry Books With Active Table of Contents) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete works of William Shakespeare ( included 150 pictures & Active TOC) (AtoZ Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Illustrated) (Best Navigation, Active TOC) (A to Z Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors - Unabridged Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Comedy of Errors: The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Comedy of Errors/ Die Irrungen: Bilingual edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTHE COMEDY OF ERRORS: Including The Life of William Shakespeare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5William Shakespeare: The Complete Collection (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare: The Complete Works [Classics Authors Vol: 3] (Black Horse Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5William Shakespeare: The Complete Collection (Centaurus Classics) [37 Plays + 160 Sonnets + 5 Poetry Books + 150 Illustrations] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam Shakespeare: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (WordWise Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComplete Works Of William Shakespeare (37 Plays + 160 Sonnets + 5 Poetry Books + 150 Illustrations) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Performing Arts For You
The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book: The Script Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hamlet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Importance of Being Earnest: A Play Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Macbeth (new classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diamond Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coreyography: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romeo and Juliet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hollywood's Dark History: Silver Screen Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Town: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count Of Monte Cristo (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Women's Monologues from New Plays, 2020 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How I Learned to Drive (Stand-Alone TCG Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Strange Loop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whale / A Bright New Boise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey Into Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Comedy Of Errors
539 ratings16 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely loved it!! I loved the doubles!!!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Obviously an earlier work. More slapstick than his more sophisticated humor in his later works. The unfortunate servants serve as the receiving end of a Punch and Judy show. I don't recall that type of humor in his other works. But the "punderful" use of the English language is there from the start. Not a very compelling play, but fun nonetheless.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Really excellent insults and figures of speech throughout a ridiculous play. This play should not be performed "straight," or read silently--you need a framing device, or great physical comedy, or *something* to bring it up to the level of Shakespeare's other plays. Because there really isn't much to this farce, and what little substance there is, is a bit sketchy (ah, beating one's slave--hilarity!). Also, I hate mistaken identity stories, so I was prejudiced against this from the start.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shakespeare set this farce about identical twins in the ancient world. Early in the play, the father of one set of twins explains how the pairs were separated in a ship wreck. This background prepares the audience for scene after scene of mistaken identity as the Syracusan and Ephesian pairs move about Ephesus. I read along as I listened to the Arkangel audio production and laughed aloud at the characters’ confusion. It doesn’t pay to think too deeply about the plot. The Syracusan pair had been traveling for several years in search of their lost twins, so why didn’t it occur to them that their twins were living in Ephesus when all these strangers thought they were someone else?
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A good page of fat jokes, and no end of a-woman's-role-in-marriage repartee, but overall a rather mindless play. The introduction in the Norton Shakespeare struggles to find depth, citing the issue of identity which The Bard clearly doesn't grapple with here.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I had previously read many of Shakespeare’s works but somehow missed this one. It is based on a case of mistaken identity of two sets of twins with the same names. It takes place in Ephesus (in Greece at the time, now part of modern-day Turkey). In Act I, the father of one set of twins explains how they were separated during a storm as infants. I enjoyed this short humorous play. I particularly enjoyed being reminded of how plays were written in verse at the time. So many of our still-used phrases originated with Shakespeare, including the title. My edition included a biography of Shakespeare, a history of theatre in London during his lifetime, and annotations explaining portions of the narrative. All were worth reading. I was initially concerned that the “old English” would be difficult to decipher but found it rather easy to figure out what was happening. I think this play would be better seen than read, since a lot of the humor is based on mistaking one twin for another.
One of my favorite passages shows his beautiful writing style (said by one of the main characters to his wife):
“No; It is thyself, mine own self’s better part,
Mine eye’s clear eye, my dear heart’s dearer heart,
My food, my fortune, and my sweet hope’s aim,
My sole earth’s heaven, and my heaven’s claim.”
And he sure had a way with pithy observations:
“Ill deeds are doubled with an evil word.”
“No evil lost is wail’d when it is gone.”
“He must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.”
“Time comes stealing on by night and day.”
“Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season,
When in the why and the wherefore is neither rhyme nor reason?” - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fast and facile. A Shakespearean sit-com – clever and silly, but with no depth. This one, more than most, I think, needs to be seen performed to be properly appreciated – I imagine all the mix-ups might be quite entertaining, properly acted. Unfortunately I read it, along with a Librivox recording by a cast that included some really talented readers, some who were clearly new to the English language, and a robot. In fairness I'll admit that I'm generally luke-warm on the comedies, aside from “Much Ado, so my lack of enthusiasm probably doesn't say much about the actual merits of this play.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Have you ever seen the 1988 movie Big Business? If you have then you know the general idea of this play’s premise. Two sets of twins are born in the same place on the same night. One set of twins is wealthy, the other is not. The twins are separated at birth and one brother from each set end up growing up together as servant and master. Just to add to the confusion, the twins from each pair have the same name. The play is one big case of mistaken identity. Friends, lovers, foes, everyone is completely confused as they run into the brothers and mistake them for their twin. I think this would be an incredibly entertaining play for kids to see, especially if they’re new to Shakespeare’s work. It’s easy to follow and contains lots of big laughs. In later plays the Bard uses cases of mistaken identity and sets of twins to aid a larger story. This play feels like an early draft of the greater work to come, but it lacks the depth of his other plays. BOTTOM LINE: This is the shortest and shallowest of Shakespeare’s comedies. I have a feeling it would be really fun to see performed live, but it doesn’t work as well in the written form.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I wasn't surprised to learn that "Comedy of Errors" is one of Shakespeare's early plays. It really seemed unpolished compared to some of his best-known work.I guess my major objection was with the whole switcharoo premise, which seemed so implausible that I couldn't suspend that much disbelief.I perhaps might have enjoyed a performance of the play more than a read of it. Definitely one of my least favorites of the Shakespeare plays I've read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" because it seems to contain a dash of all his comedic abilities and elements, all thrown together into one play.This is the story of two sets of identical twins separated at birth. When the four of them end up in the same city at the same time, all sorts of, well, comedy and error ensues.Shakespeare makes sharp use of his usual witty twist of wordplay, farce and puns. Throw in theft, madness, more cases of mistaken identity than you could ever wish for, public beatings, arrest, false accusations, and fake possession, and you have this wild story.I wouldn't call this one perfect or without "errors" of its own, however. There is not much variation or development in the plot, and the joke gets old after awhile.All the same, it's Shakespeare, and a great introduction to his comedies.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great fun! Bit hard to get into at first, but it's hilarious once you do. I feel very sorry for everyone in this play, but that doesn't make it any less funny.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This play probably ties with Twelfth Night for my favorite Shakespeare play of those that I've read. The concept of people constantly mixing up two twins and this wreaking lots of havoc may not be the most advanced ever, but Shakespeare plays it out really well here.This play lives up to its status in the comedy of category. I found the humor very situational, and at times couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the characters' circumstances.I also thought that the characterization was quite well done here. The reader actually does get a fair amount of insight into Adriana's marriage with Antipholus of Ephesus and her feelings. I felt that I also got good insight into why things were happening because Shakespeare partially develops these charactesr by talking about the problems (and their anxieties regarding them) which they need to eliminate to avoid being arrested.I also thought this play was a quick read over all. I thought that the characters kept the reader engaged, as did the plot. It left me wanting to know what happened. Even if this play is a comedy, I think there's lots of other good reasons to enjoy it!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is one of Will's earlier comedies. There's a lot of slapstick, insults, and raunchy humor. This has the classic line, "She is spherical, like a globe. I could find out countries in her."
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not one of Shakespeare's best. Two pairs of twins were separated shortly after birth, one pair gentlemen and one pair servants. They are reunited after a series of confusing events and mistaken identity. It wasn't a bad play, and would probably be funnier on stage, but it didn't seem enough of a plot for 5 whole acts.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I went into this fairly skeptical of how much I would actually enjoy it. I was told that it was Shakespeare's first play and that the only reason that my instructor was having us read it was because it is actually being performed here on campus and we are required to attend the one-night-only performance. Not a glowing recommendation to have before starting a book!The play is surprisingly easy to follow and understand. The humor is actually funny and I found myself chuckling out loud and enjoying the many puns and instances of word play that take place throughout caused by the many mistakes in identity that occur due to the presence of two sets of long separated twins. The play does require the reader/viewer to suspend reality in order for the premise to work, but all in all, it's quite entertaining and worth checking out if you're interested in this sort of thing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5another of the 1890 wee books from the same series, wonder what else is out there
Book preview
The Comedy Of Errors - William Shakespeare
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
SOLINUS
Duke of Ephesus
AEGEON
a merchant of Syracuse
ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse, ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus
twin brothers, and sons to Aegean and Aemilia
DROMIO of Ephesus, DROMIO of Syracuse twin brothers, and attendants on the two Antipholuses
BALTHAZAR
a merchant
ANGELO
a goldsmith
First Merchant friend to Antipholus of Syracuse
Second Merchant to whom Angelo is a debtor
PINCH
a schoolmaster
AEMILIA
wife to Aegean; an abbess at Ephesus
ADRIANA
wife to Antipholus of Ephesus
LUCIANA
her sister
LUCE
servant to Adriana
A Courtezan
A Gaoler, Officers, and Attendants
THE SCENE: EPHESUS
ACT ONE
SCENE I. A hall in the duke’s palace.
Enter the DUKE OF EPHESUS, AEGEON, The Merchant of Syracusa, Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants.
AEGEON Proceed, Solinus, to procure me fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
DUKE Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more;
I am not partial to infringe our laws.
[5]
The enmity and discord which of late
Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal’d his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
[10]
Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks.
For, since the mortal and intestine jars
’Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,
[15]
To admit no traffic to our adverse towns;
Nay, more: if any born at Ephesus
Be seen at any Syracusian marts and fairs;
Again, if any Syracusian born
[20]
Come to the bay of Ephesus – he dies,
His goods confiscate to the Duke’s dispose,
Unless a thousand marks be levied,
To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
[25]
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore by law thou art condemn’d to die.
AEGEON Yet this my comfort: when your words are done,
My woes end likewise with the evening sun.
DUKE Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause
[30]
Why thou departed’st from thy native home,
And for what cause thou cam’st to Ephesus.
AEGEON A heavier task could not have been impos’d
Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable;
Yet, that the world may witness that my end
[35]
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I’ll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
In Syracusa was I born, and wed
Unto a woman, happy but for me,
And by me, had not our hap been bad.
[40]
With her I liv’d in joy; our wealth increas’d
By prosperous voyages I often made
To Epidamnum; till my factor’s death,
And the great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;
[45]
From whom my absence was not six months old,
Before herself, almost at fainting under
The pleasing punishment that women bear,
Had made provision for her following me,
And soon and safe arrived where I was.
[50]
There had she not been long but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly sons;
And, which was strange, the one so like the other
As could not be distinguish’d but by names.
That very hour, and in the self-same inn,
[55]
A mean woman was delivered
Of such a burden, male twins, both alike.
Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
[60]
Made daily motions for our home return;
Unwilling I agreed. Alas! too soon
We came aboard.
A league from Epidamnum had we sail’d
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
[65]
Gave any tragic instance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope,
For what obscured light the heavens did grant
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which though myself would gladly have
[70]
embrac’d,
Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn’d for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
[75]
Forc’d me to seek delays for them and me.
And this it was, for other means was none:
The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us;
My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
[80]
Had fast’ned him unto a small spare mast,
Such as sea-faring men provide for storms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
The children thus dispos’d, my wife and I,
[85]
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix’d,
Fast’ned ourselves at either end the mast,
And, floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
[90]
Dispers’d those vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wished light,
The seas wax’d calm, and we discovered
Two ships from far making amain to us –
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus