I read this play the summer before I started Pepperdine because it was supposedly going to be the spring show and like a good actor I wanted to prepare as early as possible. That show ended up being changed to The Grapes of Wrath, which was probably for the best since Comedy has a lot fewer parts for females than The Grapes of Wrath does and being involved in that show meant so much to me! My next experience with this play was when I was touring MBC before I decided on whether or not I'd go there for grad school. I saw Comedy of Errors my 1st night there performed by the touring troupe at the ASC and I thought- wow, if they can make me this excited about a play I have tepid feelings for, think what they can do with pieces I love (and they showed me that the next night when I went to see their production of Hamlet.) In other words- I immediately fell in love, giving this play a warmer place in my heart than it would have had.
1.1
For a comedy, this play starts out with a scene that seems awfully depressing. One of the first lines:
Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
yeah, sounds like we're in for a lot of fun. Not only do we have death, but we have painfully obvious exposition-
Unless a thousand marks be levied,
To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
and once the basic set up is fixed we have an even more depressing monologue that basically goes on forever, in fact, it goes on so long that even Aegeon- the character saying it, comments several times about how long he's been talking. But here's the basic set up of his story:
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,
A meaner 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.
so basic story: two sets of twins. one high born. one set of servants. and he's looking for the one son who went in search of his brother. He's looking everywhere:
Five summers have I spent in furthest Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,
And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus;
OK, I really had no reason to cite that line aside from the love of how Asia scans as 3 syllables a la how we said it during The Queens.... anyway, Aegeon's story is so sad that duke wishes he could switch the law but clearly this duke is not from the same school of ruling as the duke in Measure for Measure:
Now, trust me, were it not against our laws,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
Which princes, would they, may not disannul,
My soul would sue as advocate for thee.
So he says he can't change the fate, but he can delay it a bit and try his hardest to get his hands on enough money to save his life.
Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus;
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum,
And live; if no, then thou art doom'd to die.
Have I mentioned this show clips along? because we are already done with that scene.
1.2
We then meet Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse. Dromio is sent to the inn they will stay at and Antipholus tells a merchant of their time together:
A trusty villain, sir, that very oft,
When I am dull with care and melancholy,
Lightens my humour with his merry jests.
the boys seem to have a friendly relationship with warmth and laughter. But the mirth of Antipholus disappears when left onstage alone. He has this beautiful speech:
I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself.
I love that. Such a beautiful image. If you are looking for a new monologue this one goes on a bit longer/could be lovely. Then, Shakespeare wastes no time in the identity confusion as who should enter the stage but Dromio of Ephesus. Yes, not only is this play about 2 pairs of twins, but 2 pairs of twins with the same name. to save on typing and confusion, when I am not copying from the text I will now refer to the twins as AofS, AofE, DofS or DofE. got it? OK. So DofE comes to AofS thinking he is AofE and madness ensues. as well as setting the theme of beatings/physical humor for the show which if not done in a slapstick style would really be rather horrific:
Return'd so soon! rather approach'd too late:
The capon burns, the pig falls from the spit,
The clock hath strucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek:
AofS thinks that DofE is actually DofS and that he's making a joke that is not very funny. he tries to explain to dromio how not funny he finds him until finally he loses hit temper and partakes in the violence (This would be a very easy scene to introduce students to internal stage directions)
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face,
Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave.
DROMIO OF EPHESUS
What mean you, sir? for God's sake, hold your hands!
DofE leaves and AofS is severely confused, and we get this description of Ephesus that will most certainly come back throughout the play:
They say this town is full of cozenage,
As, nimble jugglers that deceive the eye,
Dark-working sorcerers that change the mind,
Soul-killing witches that deform the body,
Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks,
And many such-like liberties of sin:
So while the duke may not be like the one in Measure, apparently this town also has a crazy reputation that makes me think of Vegas.
Remember when i said this play clips along? That's the end of Act 1! short, sweet, etc. more mountebanks, jugglers, and cozenage tomorrow, though if you are looking for soul-killing witches I'd click over to my Macbeth posts, since you aren't going to find any in this play...
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