Comedy of Errors Act 2: I'm back!

Hello readers,
After taking a week away from the internet as part of working my way back through The Artist's Way, I was delayed a bit longer by saying goodbye to my sweet uncle who lost his battle with cancer this weekend. Needless to say, I am longing to look for the funny right now and if this week's posts aren't quite as insightful, you'll know why I'm distracted.

2.1
We finally get some women in this play! And some sexist/feminist fodder to boot.We are introduced to Adriana and Luciana- sisters who are very different types.
ADRIANA 
Why should their liberty than ours be more?
LUCIANA  
Because their business still lies out o' door.
Ah... in just the first few lines we get to talk housewives, liberty, asses,
Luciana talks on and on about how obedient and submissive wives should be and Adriana continues to call bull on the whole situation.
A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more would we ourselves complain:
So thou, that hast no unkind mate to grieve thee,
With urging helpless patience wouldst relieve me,
But, if thou live to see like right bereft,
This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.
Note all the cat in the hat like rhyme time couplets. A big red flag of Shakespeare's early works in my opinion...
The "girl talk" is interrupted by DofE's return. He get's the fantastic acting opportunity to play both himself and his supposed master during this delightful speech which is a fail proof acting exercize/ a great scene to work with in classrooms:
When I desired him to come home to dinner, He ask'd me for a thousand marks in gold: ''Tis dinner-time,' quoth I; 'My gold!' quoth he; 'Your meat doth burn,' quoth I; 'My gold!' quoth he: 'Will you come home?' quoth I; 'My gold!' quoth he. 'Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, villain?' 'The pig,' quoth I, 'is burn'd;' 'My gold!' quoth he: 'My mistress, sir' quoth I; 'Hang up thy mistress! I know not thy mistress; out on thy mistress!'
After this speech Adriana sends DofE out again and we see that she can be just as easily provoked to beat him as her husband. Luciana's reply after this violent send off?
Fie, how impatience loureth in your face!
Isn't loureth a wonderful word?!
Adriana replies with something that seems like an early Emilia speech from Othello about how if she has faults it is thanks to her husband. We also find out that Adriana is sure her husband is cheating on her:
I know his eye doth homage otherwhere, Or else what lets it but he would be here?
Luciana calls this mad jealousy and the scene ends there.

2.2
We are back with AofS, who meets DofS and mass confusion ensues as AofS accuses DofS about what DofE did. Confused yet? This is a PRIME example of where seeing a play is worth a thousand readings of it.
Poor DofS gets beaten for his confusion. A favorite piece of dialogue:
AofS
Shall I tell you why?

Dof S
Ay, sir, and wherefore; for they say every why hath a wherefore.
From there the scene goes on to typical fool riddles and jests about time and the mincing of words. Seriously, there's a ton of lines all revolving around baldness. and then come Adriana who thinks that AofS is AofE and has a monologue that, delivered to the right Antipholus would be quite moving/heartbreaking but delivered to the wrong one and seeing AofS's confused reactions, is pretty damn funny. An excellent teaching moment of how reacting is as important if not moreso than acting.
Ay, ay, Antipholus, look strange and frown:
Some other mistress hath thy sweet aspects;
I am not Adriana nor thy wife.
The time was once when thou unurged wouldst vow
That never words were music to thine ear,
That never object pleasing in thine eye,
That never touch well welcome to thy hand,
That never meat sweet-savor'd in thy taste,
Unless I spake, or look'd, or touch'd, or carved to thee.
She goes on to say a lot of beautiful things about the uniting of two as one flesh in the sacrament of marriage. and calls Antipholus estranged from thyself since she and him are one and he's been so distant from her. Luciana actually takes her sisters part this time after AofS explains he has no clue who this lady is and that he just got here. DofS is now ensnared in the confusion as well. AofS thinks Luciana must be correct in her information since she can call them each by name.
There's this lovely piece of embedded stage direction:
Come, I will fasten on this sleeve of thine: Thou art an elm, my husband, I a vine,
A of S then has a rather Sebastian from 12th night moment (SO excited to get to that play) Again, with super rhyming couplets:
To me she speaks; she moves me for her theme:
What, was I married to her in my dream?
Or sleep I now and think I hear all this?
What error drives our eyes and ears amiss?
Until I know this sure uncertainty,
I'll entertain the offer'd fallacy.
DofS is not so confident about this plan:
O, for my beads! I cross me for a sinner.
This is the fairy land: O spite of spites!
We talk with goblins, owls and sprites:
And then we set up the humor/confusion for the next scene:
Dromio, keep the gate.
Husband, I'll dine above with you to-day
And shrive you of a thousand idle pranks.
Sirrah, if any ask you for your master,
Say he dines forth, and let no creature enter.
Come, sister. Dromio, play the porter well.
So... they're dining above and keeping the door locked... anyone else get weirded out by the fact that this means AofS is probably about to sleep with his brother's wife? Those of you who have seen a production, did they play this up? or try and skip akwardly over it?
And that's act 2. another short and sweet.
Until tomorrow, friends, when next we meet...
(jeez... the couplets are contagious)