The Comedy of ErrorsShakespeare’s Comedy of Errors is the slapstick farce of his youth. In it, the lost twin sons of the old merchant Egeon—both named Antipholus—find themselves in Ephesus, without either one even knowing of the other's existence. Meanwhile, Egeon has arrived in search of the son he thinks is still alive—and has been sentenced to death for the "crime" of being from Syracuse. To add to the confusion, the two Antipholuses have twin servants, both named Dromio. As the four men unwittingly encounter each other, the play is crammed with wildly escalating misunderstandings before the truth emerges and Egeon is pardoned. Shakespeare bases his story on Plautus’s Menaechmi, a play about identical twins who accidentally meet after a lifetime apart. He borrows from another Plautus play by having Adriana, the wife of one Antipholus, entertain the other. The spirited Adriana often gives speeches evoking strong emotions—as do other characters at times. Even here, Shakespeare suggests complexities beyond the farce. The authoritative edition of The Comedy of Errors from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, is now available as an eBook. Features include: · The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference · Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation · Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play · Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play · Scene-by-scene plot summaries · A key to famous lines and phrases · An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language · Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books · An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play |
Contents
Editors Preface | ix |
Shakespeares The Comedy of Errors | xiii |
The Comedy of Errors | xv |
Shakespeares Life | xxv |
Shakespeares Theater | xxxvi |
The Publication of Shakespeares Plays | xlv |
An Introduction to This Text | xlix |
Text of the Play with Commentary | 1 |
ACT 3 Scene 2 | 71 |
ACT 4 Scene 1 | 87 |
ACT 4 Scene 2 | 97 |
ACT 4 Scene 3 | 103 |
ACT 4 Scene 4 | 109 |
ACT 5 Scene 1 | 129 |
Longer Notes | 163 |
Textual Notes | 171 |
ACT 1 Scene 1 | 7 |
ACT 1 Scene 2 | 17 |
ACT 2 Scene 1 | 29 |
ACT 2 Scene 2 | 37 |
ACT 3 Scene 1 | 57 |
A Modern Perspective | 179 |
Further Reading | 197 |
Key to Famous Lines and Phrases | 215 |
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Common terms and phrases
0F SYRACUSE Abbess acting action actors ADRIANA ANGELO ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS Antipholus of Syracuse arrested bear beat become beginning bound break bring brother called characters Comedy of Errors comes death deny dinner door DROMIO 0F DROMIO OF EPHESUS DROMIO OF SYRACUSE DUKE early edition Egeon Elizabethan English Enter example exit fair find first Folger Folio follows give gold hand hast hath head hour husband language Library live London longer looks lost LUCIANA marks master mean merchant mistress never offer performed perhaps phrase Plautus play present Press printed quartos readers reading reference scene seems sentence Shake Shakespeare ship sister speak stage stand stay tell theater thee thou tion town twin University wife wrong