Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare, characteristics and Analysis
Characteristics
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| Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare, characteristics and Analysis |
Solinus
Dromio EphesusEgeon
Merchant of Syracuse and father of the Antivolos twins, condemned to death if he did not manage to collect a thousand marks as a financial guarantee. Fortunately, he eventually reunites with his family and gets away with it.
Antipholus of Ephesus
He is one of Antipholus' twins and is married to Adriana. He first had the gold necklace made for his wife, and it was then closed from his house when his twin brother arrived.
Antipholus of Syracuse
As one of Antipholus' twins, his arrival in Ephesus confuses the townspeople between him and his twin brother. He had dinner with his brother-in-law Adriana and then reunited with Egon.
Dromio Ephesus
Servant of Antipholus of Ephesus and twin of Dromio of Syracuse.
Dromio of Syracuse
Antivolus servant of Syracuse and twin of Dromio Ephesus.
Adriana
As the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, she mistakenly brought Antipholus from Syracuse to her home and excluded her real husband.
Luciana
Adriana's sister, with whom Antipholus of Syracuse falls in love.
Nell
Adriana's housekeeper
Angelo
A jeweler makes a necklace for Adriana at the request of Antipholos of Ephesus.
Balthazar
The merchant who invited Anifolus from Ephesus to his house. Neil and Adriana refuse to let him in, which embarrasses Antipholus.
Courtesan
Courtesy of Antipholus of Syracuse, she falsely promised him the gold necklace.
Dr. Pinch
As a director and exorcist, she is asked to exorcise the demons of Antipholus of Ephesus whom Adriana believes are insane.
Ephesus trader
Antipholus' friend of Syracuse warns him that Ephesus is killing everyone in Syracuse.
Second dealer
the believer Angelo
Abbess
Known as Emilia, she is the abbot of a monastery in Ephesus and the wife of Aegon.
Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare, Analysis
The secondary characters, in this case Egeon and the Duke, form the framework of the play. At the Duke's request, Aegon describes his adventures and tells his life story. This presents the story of the comedy of errors and helps the audience keep track of the confusion that unfolds during the play.
There are many themes used by Shakespeare that are closely related to actual comedy. The contrasts between slavery and liberty, law and sympathy, death and rebirth, all form very dangerous undertones within the piece. There is also time for serious acting. Shakespeare demands that all proceedings end at five o'clock, the time of Aegon's execution, the meeting of Antivolus of Syracuse with the merchant and the time when Angelo should pay his money to the second merchant.
There are many threats in the room as well. The comedy begins with Egeon inadvertently breaking the law for which he was sentenced to death. Some theaters even installed a noose on stage throughout the performance, a constant reminder to audiences that despite being a comedy, the threat of death still hung over the performance. In addition to this real threat, there is the danger of the game ending prematurely. At various points, the characters come dangerously close to revealing the full story and ending the plot. This happens when Antipholus has a chance to extricate his father prematurely, as well as when the dromosan is on the other side of Adriana's front door.
The play doesn't end prematurely, for the simple reason that the characters are supposed to learn something. For example, the Duke claims to be merciful, but his duty is to uphold the law at all costs, which is why Aegon was sentenced to death. However, the public must bear in mind that Aegon's death depends on a ransom of a thousand marks. Thus, the Duke also had everything to gain by condemning Aegon to death. The purpose of his forgiveness of Aegon at the end of the play is to indicate that he not only learned to forgive, but that he overcame his selfishness by making him refuse the ransom offered by Antipholus.
The piece is also based on coincidence. When Antipholos arrived from Syracuse, the merchant paid him a thousand marks and at the same time warned him that a native of Syracuse had been arrested on the same day. So Antipholus of Syracuse has the opportunity to immediately rid Egeon and find his father. But it turns out that at first he is very selfish and prefers to walk the streets alone. This actually refers to the title, where Error comes from the Latin for Error. So the play is about wandering and the characters trying to find their true identity.
Another theme that appears throughout the piece is the phrase "a drop of water". Antipholus first uses this term to describe himself because he sees himself as a drop of water trying to find another drop in the vast ocean of humanity. In this case, he is referring to his search for his missing brother and father. Adriana later uses almost identical language when she refers to her husband, comparing their separation to the separation of water, so the term means the union of two people and denotes an intimate bond.
Shakespeare also plays with the question of the firstborn. This often appears at the end of the play when the two Drômes are still on stage. In England the eldest son always comes first, but since they are twins it is impossible to tell who is the eldest. So the two servants decided to walk through the door together instead of arguing over who was older. However, this case has real historical implications. The story of Jacob and Esau, in which Jacob deceived his brother Esau of his inheritance, is a story all Christians knew at the time. There is also the story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, in which one twin kills the other. Thus, the comedy's use of the twins in The Comedy The Flaw is not necessarily humorous in nature.
Another theme that comes up all the time in the play is slavery versus freedom. From the first scene where Egeon is connected and judged, the concept of connecting people arises. It continues with Adriana, who asks her sister why men have more freedom than their women. This culminates in the final scenes in which Antipholus is tied up by Ephesus and Dromio and in which Adriana asks the officer to bind Antipholus of Syracuse. However, the end of the play shows a change in freedom as the Duke orders Aegon's release and all characters are free.
This is completed in a comic context by two Drômes, called slaves. And so when the Ephesus Dromeo is tied, he turns around and comments on the fact that he is now literally tied to his Lord.
There are two subtle concepts related to the different beliefs about twins and sons that appear in the room. The twins were seen as two separate routes that could be taken or as a number of alternative routes. Sons were often seen as an extension of their fathers. So this is what the play shows by analyzing the events that Egon recounts. After the shipwreck in which Egon is separated from his children, he himself becomes a divided man. Where he had married before, he lifted his bachelor from the wreckage. Since he is supposed to follow his sons, we see that one of the sons is married and the other is still single. At the end of the play, when Egon meets his wife Emilia, his two sons also get married (or pretty much in the case of Luciana and Antivolos of Syracuse).
The gold chain should be commented on as it is the only significant thing in the room. The string is a symbol for the negative registration mark. The promise is made first to Adriana, then to the prostitute, and neither of them have accepted it. Antipholus and Angelo were arrested because they no longer had the chain, as it was mistakenly delivered to Antipholus of Syracuse. The chain also serves as a token of money as it has the ability to forgive. Its worth is enough to forgive Aegon, and Antipholus of Ephesus could also have been pardoned on the spot if he had had the chain.
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