The Comedy of Errors

Rating:
Summary: accessible
Review: this is shakespeare's most accessible comedy. it's a farce about mistaken identities among identical twins. nothing complicated here. the play has it's funny moments. it's not the bard's best comedy; that's 'much ado about nothing', imho. but this is not a bad place to start.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent, comprehendable edition
Review: With copious notes that help contextualize the language, the New Folger Library edition of "The Comedy of Errors" helps ease new readers into Shakespeare while adding a new level of comprehension to those more familiar with the bard's work. The play begins with a lengthy story by Egeon, a melancholy merchant from Syracuse who is sentenced to death in the city of Ephesus. Egeon tells the lamentable tale of how his family was split in two. Years after the tragic event, Egeon's son Antipholus, now an adult, asked about his mother and twin brother. Antipholus then left home in search of them accompanied by his servant Dromio who also has a twin brother separated from him during the same tragedy. Egeon has been searching for his dear Antipholus ever since in hopes of not to losing both his sons for good. After Egeon's tale, we see Antipholus and Dromio who are also in Ephesus. Antipholus of Syracuse eventually runs into his servant's twin, also named Dromio, who is in the service of Antipholus' twin brother who is also named Antipholus. Confused? Well, things get even more jumbled around as identities are mistaken and expectations are boxed on the ears. On the surface, the play concerns the joy companionship and sorrow of separation. Yet examined deeper, the play resonates with, among other things, Platonic themes expressed in "The Symposium," notions of universal brotherhood, and the confinement of social/political roles. An excellent play at an affordable price, this edition of "The Comedy of Errors" is more than suitable for either academic or entertainment purposes.