The Comedy of Errors

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeares earliest plays believed to have been written in the mid-1590s. The play is a farce which means that it relies on improbable situations physical humor and mistaken identities to create comedic effects. The play is based on the ancient Roman play Menaechmi by Plautus and tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were separated at birth. The Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus where they are mistaken for their long-lost twins the Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant Dromio of Ephesus. This leads to a series of comic misunderstandings and mistaken identities as the characters try to figure out what is going on. The play also features a subplot involving the Antipholus of Ephesus wife Adriana and her sister Luciana. Adriana is convinced that her husband is having an affair and she tries to keep him from leaving the house which only adds to the confusion. Throughout the play there are many moments of physical humor such as characters getting hit falling down or being chased. There are also many puns and wordplay which were a hallmark of Shakespeares writing.