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= The_Comedy_of_Errors =
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Introduction
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'The Comedy of Errors' is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays.
It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major
part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in
addition to puns and word play. It has been adapted for opera, stage,
screen and musical theatre numerous times worldwide. In the centuries
following its premiere, the play's title has entered the popular
English lexicon as an idiom for "an event or series of events made
ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout".
Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, 'The Comedy of Errors' tells the
story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated
at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse,
arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin
brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus.
When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins,
a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful
beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and
false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic
possession.
Act I
=======
Because a law forbids merchants from Syracuse from entering Ephesus,
elderly Syracusan trader Aegeon faces execution when he is discovered
in the city. He can only escape by paying a fine of a thousand marks.
He tells his sad story to Solinus, Duke of Ephesus. In his youth,
Aegeon married and had twin sons. On the same day, a poor woman
without a job also gave birth to twin boys, and he purchased these as
servants to his sons. Soon afterward, the family made a sea voyage and
was hit by a tempest. Aegeon lashed himself to the main-mast with one
son and one servant, and his wife took the other two infants. His wife
was rescued by one boat, Aegeon by another. Aegeon never again saw his
wife or the children with her. Recently his son Antipholus, now grown,
and his son's servant, Dromio, left Syracuse to find their brothers.
When Antipholus did not return, Aegeon set out in search of him. The
Duke is moved by this story and grants Aegeon one day to pay his fine.
That same day, Antipholus arrives in Ephesus, searching for his
brother. He sends Dromio to deposit some money at The Centaur, an inn.
He is confounded when the identical Dromio of Ephesus appears almost
immediately, denying any knowledge of the money and asking him home to
dinner, where his wife is waiting. Antipholus, thinking his servant is
making insubordinate jokes, beats Dromio of Ephesus.
Act II
========
Dromio of Ephesus returns to his mistress, Adriana, saying that her
"husband" refused to come back to his house, and even pretended not to
know her. Adriana, concerned that her husband's eye is straying, takes
this news as confirmation of her suspicions.
Antipholus of Syracuse, who complains "I could not speak with Dromio
since at first, I sent him from the mart," meets up with Dromio of
Syracuse who now denies making a "joke" about Antipholus having a
wife. Antipholus begins beating him. Suddenly, Adriana rushes up to
Antipholus of Syracuse and begs him not to leave her. The Syracusans
cannot but attribute these strange events to witchcraft, remarking
that Ephesus is known as a warren for witches. Antipholus and Dromio
go off with this strange woman, the one to eat dinner and the other to
keep the gate.
Act III
=========
Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse discovers that he is very
attracted to his "wife's" sister, Luciana, telling her "train me not,
sweet mermaid, with thy note / To drown me in thy sister's flood of
tears." She is flattered by his attention but worried about their
moral implications. After she exits, Dromio of Syracuse announces that
he has discovered that he has a wife: Nell, a hideous kitchen-maid.
The Syracusans decide to leave as soon as possible, and Dromio runs
off to make travel plans. Antipholus of Syracuse is then confronted by
Angelo of Ephesus, a goldsmith, who claims that Antipholus ordered a
chain from him. Antipholus is forced to accept the chain, and Angelo
says that he will return for payment.
Antipholus of Ephesus returns home for dinner and is enraged to find
that he is rudely refused entry to his own house by Dromio of
Syracuse, who is keeping the gate. He is ready to break down the door,
but his friends persuade him not to make a scene. He decides, instead,
to dine with a courtesan.
Act IV
========
Antipholus of Ephesus dispatches Dromio of Ephesus to purchase a rope
so that he can beat his wife Adriana for locking him out, then is
accosted by Angelo, who tells him "I thought to have ta'en you at the
Porpentine" and asks to be reimbursed for the chain. He denies ever
seeing it and is promptly arrested. As he is being led away, Dromio of
Syracuse arrives, whereupon Antipholus dispatches him back to
Adriana's house to get money for his bail. After completing this
errand, Dromio of Syracuse mistakenly delivers the money to Antipholus
of Syracuse. The Courtesan spies Antipholus wearing the gold chain,
and says he promised it to her in exchange for her ring. The
Syracusans deny this and flee. The Courtesan resolves to tell Adriana
that her husband is insane. Dromio of Ephesus returns to the arrested
Antipholus of Ephesus, with the rope. Antipholus is infuriated.
Adriana, Luciana, and the Courtesan enter with a conjurer named Pinch,
who tries to exorcize the Ephesians, who are bound and taken to
Adriana's house. The Syracusans enter, carrying swords, and everybody
runs off for fear: believing that they are the Ephesians, out for
vengeance after somehow escaping their bonds.
Act V
=======
Adriana reappears with henchmen, who attempt to bind the Syracusans.
They take sanctuary in a nearby priory, where the Abbess resolutely
protects them. Suddenly, the Abbess enters with the Syracusan twins,
and everyone begins to understand the confused events of the day. Not
only are the two sets of twins reunited, but the Abbess reveals that
she is Aegeon's wife, Emilia. The Duke pardons Aegeon. All exit into
the abbey to celebrate the reunification of the family.
Text and date
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The play is a modernised adaptation of 'Menaechmi' by Plautus. As
William Warner's translation of the classical drama was entered into
the Register of the Stationers Company on 10 June 1594, published in
1595, and dedicated to Lord Hunsdon, the patron of the Lord
Chamberlain's Men, it has been supposed that Shakespeare might have
seen the translation in manuscript before it was printed - though it
is equally possible that he knew the play in the original Latin.
The play contains a topical reference to the wars of succession in
France, which would fit any date from 1589 to 1595. Charles Whitworth
argues that 'The Comedy of Errors' was written "in the latter part of
1594" on the basis of historical records and textual similarities with
other plays Shakespeare wrote around this time. The play was not
published until it appeared in the First Folio in 1623.
Analysis and criticism
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For centuries, scholars have found little thematic depth in 'The
Comedy of Errors'. Harold Bloom, however, wrote that it "reveals
Shakespeare's magnificence at the art of comedy", and praised the work
as showing "such skill, indeed mastery - in action, incipient
character, and stagecraft - that it far outshines the three 'Henry VI'
plays and the rather lame comedy 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'".
Stanley Wells also referred to it as the first Shakespeare play "in
which mastery of craft is displayed". The play was not a particular
favourite on the eighteenth-century stage because it failed to offer
the kind of striking roles that actors such as David Garrick could
exploit.
The play was particularly notable in one respect. In the earlier
eighteenth century, some critics followed the French critical standard
of judging the quality of a play by its adherence to the classical
unities, as specified by Aristotle in the fourth century BC. 'The
Comedy of Errors' and 'The Tempest' were the only two of Shakespeare's
plays to comply with this standard.
Law professor Eric Heinze, however, argues that particularly notable
in the play is a series of social relationships, which is in crisis as
it sheds its feudal forms and confronts the market forces of early
modern Europe.
Performance
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Two early performances of 'The Comedy of Errors' are recorded. One, by
"a company of base and common fellows", is mentioned in the 'Gesta
Grayorum' ("The Deeds of Gray") as having occurred in Gray's Inn Hall
on 28 December 1594 during the inn's revels. The second also took
place on "Innocents' Day", but ten years later: 28 December 1604, at
Court.
Theatrical
============
Like many of Shakespeare's plays, 'The Comedy of Errors' was adapted
and rewritten extensively, particularly from the 18th century on, with
varying reception from audiences.
Classical adaptations
=======================
* 'Every Body Mistaken' is a 1716 "revival" and directorial adaptation
of Shakespeare's play by an anonymous author.
* 'See If You Like It'; 'or, 'Tis All a Mistake', an anonymous
adaptation staged in 1734 at Covent Garden, performed in two acts with
text from Plautus and Shakespeare. Shakespeare purists considered it
to be the "worst alteration" available.
* 'The Twins', an adaptation by Thomas Hull produced for Covent Garden
in 1739, in which Hull played Aegeon. This production was more
faithful to Shakespeare's text, and played for several years. This
adaptation was performed only once in 1762, and was published in 1770.
Hull adapted the play a second time as 'The Comedy of Errors. With
Alterations from Shakespeare'. This version was staged frequently from
1779 onward, and was published in 1793. Hull added songs, intensified
the love interest, and elaborated the recognition scene. He also
expanded roles for women, including Adriana's cousin Hermia, who sang
various songs.
* 'The Twins; or, Which is Which? A Farce. In Three Acts' by William
Woods, published in 1780. Produced at the Theatre-Royal, Edinburgh.
This adaptation reduced the play to a three-act farce, apparently
believing that a longer run time should "pall upon an audience". John
Philip Kemble (see below) seemed to have extended and based his own
adaptation upon 'The Twins'.
* 'Oh! It's Impossible', by John Philip Kemble, was produced in 1780.
This adaptation caused a stir by casting the two Dromios as
black-a-moors. It was acted in York, but not printed. Later, nearly 20
years after slavery had been abolished within British domains, James
Boaden wrote, "I incline to think [Kemble's] maturer judgement would
certainly have consigned the whole impression to the flames.")
Modern adaptations
====================
* The Flying Karamazov Brothers performed a unique adaptation,
produced by Robert Woodruff, first at the Goodman Theater in Chicago
in 1983, and then again in 1987 at New York's Vivian Beaumont Theater
in Lincoln Center. This latter presentation was filmed and was aired
on MTV and PBS.
* 'The Comedy of Errors' adapted and directed by Sean Graney in 2010
updated Shakespeare's text to modern language, with occasional
Shakespearean text, for The Court Theatre. The play appears to be more
of a "translation" into modern-esque language, than a reimagination.
The play received mixed reviews, mostly criticizing Graney's modern
interpolations and abrupt ending.
* '15 Villainous Fools,' written and performed by Olivia Atwood and
Maggie Seymour, a two-woman clown duo, produced by The 601 Theatre
Company. The play was performed several times, premiering in 2015 at
Bowdoin College, before touring fringe festivals including Portland,
San Diego, Washington, DC, Providence, and New York City. Following
this run, the show was picked up by the People's Improv Theater for an
extended run. While the play included pop culture references and
original raps, it kept true to Shakespeare's text for the characters
of the Dromios.
* 'A Comedy of Heirors, or The Imposters' by feminist verse playwright
Emily C. A. Snyder performed a staged reading through Turn to Flesh
Productions in 2017, featuring Abby Wilde as Glorielle of Syracuse.
The play received acclaim, being named a finalist with the American
Shakespeare Center, as part of the Shakespeare's New Contemporaries
program, as well as "The Top 15 NYC Plays of '17" by 'A Work
Unfinishing.' The play focuses on two sets of female twins, who also
interact with Shakespeare's Antipholi. The play is in conversation
with several of Shakespeare's comedies, including characters from 'The
Comedy of Errors', 'Twelfth Night', 'As You Like It', and 'Much Ado
About Nothing'.
Opera
=======
* On 27 December 1786, the opera 'Gli equivoci' by Stephen Storace
received its première at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The libretto, by
Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozart's frequent librettist, worked off a French
translation of Shakespeare's play, follows the play's plot fairly
closely, though some characters were renamed, Aegeon and Emilia are
cut, and Euphemio (previously Antipholus) and Dromio are shipwrecked
on Ephesus.
* Frederic Reynolds staged an operatic version in 1819, with music by
Henry Bishop supplemented lyrics from various Shakespeare plays, and
sonnets set to melodies by Mozart, Thomas Arne, and others. The opera
was performed at Covent Garden under Charles Kemble's management and
included several additional scenes from the play, which were
considered necessary for the sake of introducing songs. The same
operatic adaptation was revived in 1824 for Drury Lane.
* Various other adaptations were performed down to 1855 when Samuel
Phelps revived the Shakespearean original at Sadler's Wells Theatre.
* The Czech composer Iša Krejčí's 1943 opera 'Pozdvižení v Efesu'
(Turmoil in Ephesus) is based on the play.
Musicals
==========
The play has been adapted as a musical several times, frequently by
inserting period music into the light comedy. Some musical
adaptations include a Victorian musical comedy (Arts Theatre,
Cambridge, England, 1951), Brechtian folk opera (Arts Theatre, London,
1956), and a two-ring circus (Delacorte Theater, New York, 1967).
Fully original musical adaptations include:
* 'The Boys from Syracuse', composed by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by
Lorenz Hart. The play premiered on Broadway in 1938 and Off-Broadway
in 1963, with later productions including a West End run in 1963 and
in a Broadway revival in 2002. A film adaptation was released in
1940.
* 'A New Comedy of Errors, or Too Many Twins' (1940), adapted from
Plautus, Shakespeare and Molière, staged in modern dress at London's
Mercury Theatre.
*'The Comedy of Errors' (1972) adaptation by James McCloskey, music
and lyrics by Bruce Kimmel. Premiered at Los Angeles City College and
went on to the American College Theatre Festival.
*'The Comedy of Errors' is a musical with book and lyrics by Trevor
Nunn, and music by Guy Woolfenden. It was produced for the Royal
Shakespeare Company in 1976, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for
best musical on its transfer to the West End in 1977.
* 'Oh, Brother!' is a musical comedy in one act, with music by Michael
Valenti and books and lyrics by Donald Driver, which premiered at ANTA
Theatre in 1981, also directed by Driver. The musical takes place
during a revolution in an oil rich Middle Eastern country on the
Persian Gulf in a quaint resort town where its populace of merchants
and revolutionaries mix Eastern tradition with Western consumerism.
'The New York Times' gave it a poor review, criticising Driver's heavy
handedness, while praising some of the music and performances.
* 'The Bomb-itty of Errors', a one-act hip-hop musical adaptation, by
Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, Gregory J. Qaiyum, Jeffrey
Qaiyum, and Erik Weiner, won 1st Prize at HBO's Comedy Festival and
was nominated opposite Stephen Sondheim for the Best Lyrics Drama Desk
Award in 2001.
* In 1940 the film 'The Boys from Syracuse' was released, starring
Alan Jones and Joe Penner as Antipholus and Dromio. It was a musical,
loosely based on 'The Comedy of Errors'.
Novel
=======
In India, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar adapted Shakespeare's play in his
Bengali novel 'Bhranti Bilash' (1869). Vidyasagar's efforts were part
of the process of championing Shakespeare and the Romantics during the
Bengal Renaissance.
Film
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The film 'Our Relations' (1936) starring 'Stan Laurel' and 'Oliver
Hardy', was adapted from the 'W. W. Jacobs' story "The Money Box", but
there are no twins in the Jacobs story. Our Relations owes its central
conceit to The Comedy of Errors. As in the Shakespeare play, the story
revolves around the confusion of two pairs of identical twins: one set
of Laurel brothers named "Stan" and "Alf", and one set of Hardy
brothers named "Oliver" and "Bert". Stan and Oliver think Alf and Bert
were killed at sea. As the story opens, Alf and Bert have just arrived
via ship at the same seaport where, unbeknownst to them, their married
twin brothers Stan and Oliver live. One nod to the movie's inspiration
is a running gag: whenever Stan and Ollie say the same thing at the
same time, they immediately perform a childhood ritual that begins:
"Shakespeare...Longfellow..."
The 'Three Stooges' film 'A Merry Mix Up' (1957) starring 'Moe
Howard', 'Larry Fine' and 'Joe Besser' expands the confusion by
telling the story of three sets of identical triplets: Bachelors Moe,
Larry and Joe; husbands Max, Louie and Jack; and newly-engaged
brothers Morris, Luke and Jeff. The triplets can only be distinguished
by their choices of neckties, bow ties, or no tie at all.
The film 'Start the Revolution Without Me' (1970) starring Gene Wilder
and Donald Sutherland involves two pairs of twins, one of each of
which is switched at birth; one set is raised in an aristocratic, the
other in a peasant family, who meet during the French Revolution.
The film 'Big Business' (1988) is a modern take on 'The Comedy of
Errors', with female twins instead of male. Bette Midler and Lily
Tomlin star in the film as two sets of twins separated at birth, much
like the characters in Shakespeare's play.
The short film 'The Complete Walk: The Comedy of Errors' was made in
2016 and starred Phil Davis, Omid Djalili and Boothby Graffoe.
Indian cinema has made nine films based on the play:
* 'Bhrantibilas' (1963 Bengali film) starring Uttam Kumar
* 'Do Dooni Char' starring Kishore Kumar
* 'Angoor' starring Sanjeev Kumar
* 'Oorantha Golanta' starring Chandra Mohan
* 'Ulta Palta' in the Kannada language starring Ramesh Aravind
* 'Ulta Palta' in the Telugu language starring Rajendra Prasad
* 'Ambuttu Imbuttu Embuttu' in the Tamil language
* 'Aamait Asal Eemait Kusal' in the Tulu language starring Naveen D
Padil
* 'Double Di Trouble' (2014 Punjabi Film) directed by Smeep Kang and
starring Dharmendra, Gippy Grewal
* 'Local Kung Fu 2' (2017 Assamese martial arts film)
* 'Cirkus' (2022 movie in Hindi language starring Ranveer Singh)
Television
============
* Roger Daltrey played both Dromios in the BBC complete works series
directed by James Cellan Jones in 1983.
* A two-part TV adaptation was produced in 1978 in the USSR, with a
Russian-Georgian cast of notable stage actors.
* The 'Inside No. 9' episode "Zanzibar" (season 4, episode 1) was
based on The Comedy of Errors
* Season 13 Episode 4 of Bob's Burgers: 'Comet-y of Errors' is also a
reference to Shakespeare's play.
See also
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* List of idioms attributed to Shakespeare
References
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(See p. 778; section Dramas.)
Editions of ''The Comedy of Errors''
======================================
* Bate, Jonathan and Rasmussen, Eric (eds.), 'The Comedy of Errors'
(The RSC Shakespeare; London: Macmillan, 2011)
* Cunningham, Henry (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The Arden
Shakespeare, 1st Series; London: Arden, 1907)
* Dolan, Francis E. (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The Pelican
Shakespeare, 2nd edition; London, Penguin, 1999)
* Dorsch, T.S. (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The New Cambridge
Shakespeare; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988; 2nd edition
2004)
* Dover Wilson, John (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The New
Shakespeare; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922; 2nd edition
1962)
* Evans, G. Blakemore (ed.) 'The Riverside Shakespeare' (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1974; 2nd edn., 1997)
* Foakes, R.A. (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The Arden Shakespeare,
2nd Series; London: Arden, 1962)
* Greenblatt, Stephen; Cohen, Walter; Howard, Jean E., and Maus,
Katharine Eisaman (eds.) 'The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford
Shakespeare' (London: Norton, 1997)
* Jorgensen, Paul A. (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The Pelican
Shakespeare; London, Penguin, 1969; revised edition 1972)
* Levin, Harry (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (Signet Classic
Shakespeare; New York: Signet, 1965; revised edition, 1989; 2nd
revised edition 2002)
* Martin, Randall (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The New Penguin
Shakespeare, 2nd edition; London: Penguin, 2005)
* Wells, Stanley (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The New Penguin
Shakespeare; London: Penguin, 1972)
* SwipeSpeare 'The Comedy of Errors' (Golgotha Press, Inc., 2011)
* Wells, Stanley; Taylor, Gary; Jowett, John and Montgomery, William
(eds.) 'The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works' (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1986; 2nd edn., 2005)
* Werstine, Paul and Mowat, Barbara A. (eds.) 'The Comedy of Errors'
(Folger Shakespeare Library; Washington: Simon & Schuster, 1996)
* Whitworth, Charles (ed.) 'The Comedy of Errors' (The Oxford
Shakespeare: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)
External links
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*
*
*
*
*
*
* [
http://www.swipespeare.com/the-comedy-of-errors.html "Modern
Translation of the Play"] - Modern version of the play
* [
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/comedy_errors/index.html 'The Comedie of
Errors'] - HTML version of this title.
* [
http://www.graysinnbanqueting.com/the-rooms/the-hall/ Photos of
Gray's Inn Hall] - the hall where the play was once performed
* [
http://webenglishteacher.com/ce.html Lesson plans for teaching 'The
Comedy of Errors'] at Web English Teacher
* [
http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4471 Information on the 1987
Broadway production]
License
=========
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Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comedy_of_Errors
