The Comedy of Errors: Difference between revisions
SophieByvik (talk | contribs) (Made left-justified headings for Folios) |
SophieByvik (talk | contribs) (Created article and added info from Discover Shakespeare>Shakespeare's Works>The Plays>The Comedy of Errors) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Shakespeare’s ''The 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 Comedy of Errors'' was performed in late 1594, and Shakespeare probably wrote it between 1592 and 1594. The play was published in the 1623 First Folio.<ref>Adapted from the Folger Library Shakespeare edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 1996 Folger Shakespeare Library.</ref> | |||
== Productions at the Folger == | == Productions at the Folger == | ||
| Line 28: | Line 34: | ||
== Other media == | == Other media == | ||
== Notes == | |||
<references> | |||
Revision as of 14:46, 16 June 2014
Shakespeare’s The 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 Comedy of Errors was performed in late 1594, and Shakespeare probably wrote it between 1592 and 1594. The play was published in the 1623 First Folio.[1]
Productions at the Folger
Early editions
First Folio
- LUNA: First Folio: H1r - I2v
- Hamnet: STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68
Second Folio
- LUNA: Second Folio: H1r - I2v
- Hamnet: STC 22274 Fo.2 no.07
Modern editions
The Comedy of Errors can be read online with the Folger Digital Texts and purchased from Simon and Schuster.
- Hamnet link to Folger Edition: PR2753 .M6 copy 2 v.04
Translations
Performance materials
Other media
Notes
<references>
- ↑ Adapted from the Folger Library Shakespeare edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 1996 Folger Shakespeare Library.