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The Comedy of Errors

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Two sets of twins are separated at birth by a storm at sea: a pair of masters (both named Antipholus) and a pair of servants (both named Dromio). Years later, the Antipholus-and- Dromio pair raised in Syracuse happen to visit Ephesus, where the respective twins reside — providing the basis for ongoing incidents of mistaken identity, within a lively plot of quarrels, arrests, and a grand courtroom denouement.
Based on a pair of comic dramas from ancient Rome, The Comedy of Errors presents a spectacle of pure farce in the spirit of utmost fun and — as the title suggests — hilarious confusion. One of Shakespeare's earliest dramatic efforts, the play abounds in his trademark conceits, puns, and other forms of fanciful wordplay. It also foreshadows his later and greatest comedies, offering students and scholars a valuable key to the playwright's development.

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1594

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About the author

William Shakespeare

21.8k books44.3k followers
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews340 followers
August 26, 2021
The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare

Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth.

Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus.

When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز شانزدهم ماه نوامبر سال 2015میلادی

عنوان: اشتباهات مضحک؛ نویسنده: ویلیام شکسپیر؛ به روایت و اقتباس: چارلز و مری لمب؛ مترجم: علی اکبر عبداللهی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، نقش قلم، سال 1393، در 48ص، شابک 9789648008067؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، نقش قلم، انتشارات دبیر، 1396؛ در 48ص؛ چاپ دیگر، تهران، اکباتان، سال 1398، در 48ص؛ شابک: 9786229608241؛ موضوع: قصه های نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 16م

برای نگارش نمایشنامه ی «کمدی اشتباهات مضحک»؛ از «دوقلوها» اثر «پلاتوس»، که ماخذ اصلی این نمایشنامه است، استفاده شده، تشابه دو خدمتکار دوقلو و اربابان دوقلو، و همچنین پرده ی سوم نمایشنامه، احتمالاً از نمایش «آمفیترو»، که باز اثر دیگری از «پلاتوس» است، اقتباس شده‌ است؛ این نمایش در پنج پرده تدوین شده، و دارای سیزده شخصیت، و تعدادی سیاهی لشکر است؛

شخصیت‌های اصلی نمایشنامه عبارتند از: «سولینوس: دوک افه سوس، حاکمی که عدل و داد را با ترحم معتدل می‌کند»؛ «اژئون: تاجر پیری از جزیره سیراکیوس»؛ «امیلیا: راهبه‌ ای در شهر افه سوس که معلوم می‌شود زن اژئون است»؛ «آنتی فلوس افه سوس، و آنتی فلوس سیراکیوس: برادران دوقلو، فرزندان اژئون و امیلیا»؛ «درومیوی افه سوس و درومیوی سیراکیوس: برادران دوقلو و خدمتکاران آنتی فلوس‌ها»؛ «آدریانا»؛ «لوسیانا»؛ «یک رقاصه»؛ «پینچ»؛ «بالتازار»؛ «آنجلو»؛ «زندانبانان»، «افسران»، «تاجران» و «پیشخدمت‌های در خدمت دوک»؛

چکیده‌ ای از نمایشنامه: به دلیل دشمنی طولانی بین اهالی دو شهر «افه سوس» و «سیراکیوس» در «روم غربی»، «اژئون» که بازرگانی مسن و اهل «سیراکیوس» است، در سفر به شهر رقیب و دشمن، به وسیله مردان «سولینوس» دستگیر و محکوم به مرگ می‌شود؛ هنگامی که «اژئون» در حضور دوک است، با تعریف زندگی غم آلود و پردرد خود، احساس ترحم دوک را برمی‌انگیزد، و از او یک روز مهلت می‌گیرد، تا پولی را که برای فدیه، و آزادسازی او مقرر شده،‌ فراهم کند...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 27/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 03/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Henry Avila.
510 reviews3,303 followers
March 26, 2024
This play is so light it practically floats, a marvelous, silly absurdity of mistaken identity that will put a smile on your face even the cranky ...may laugh. The plot was old when Shakespeare wrote it back in the 1590's. Still not just a set of twins in this comedy but two, the writer wanted to double the amusement in the convoluted story. Antipholus born in the Greek settled city of Syracuse in Sicily, in ancient times no specific year stated but somewhere between the start of the Christian era and the fifteenth century. He the Greek baby had a brother born on the same day and nearby about the same hour another set of twins arrive to a poor family. The father of Antipholus , Egeon, a wealthy merchant has a bright idea that isn't , buying the poor twins as companions and servants ( slaves) to his boys, here it gets quite confusing...the four children have only two names. Antipholus for the rich kids , Dromio for the not. Never contented in Syracuse the merchant along with his wife Emilia and all the twins travel by ship for an opportunity to make more money in a foreign city. So to scramble and eventually spice the narrative, you'll see why later, the vessel founders, in a storm , off the coast of what will be Albania, someday, the family becomes divided, all are rescued but by different boats and for many years the relatives don't know if the others are alive or dead...The father who has one of the twins and his son's servant, continues to search for his wife , the other child and companion, unsuccessful....Until Egeon lands in the Greek city in Asia Minor of Ephesus ( in modern day Turkey) bad mistake...the two towns of Syracuse and Ephesus are big rivals and hate the other. Death is the prescribed punishment for arrivals from the Sicilian town . Poor man alone, imprisoned, his son had gone before him in their never ending quest, not enough money to pay the fine so he must perish. Yet unknown to the father his second son is a prosperous merchant here, soon Antipholus of Syracuse joins the circus, if I may call it that as people confuse the twins , servants, and the boys from Syracuse think this is a friendly but crazy metropolis, full of witches, strange people greet them by their names , treated like close friends, given money, jewelry and women they have never seen before, call them husbands...And the men from Ephesus think something is amiss, errands are not performed properly, friends called them liars and thieves...wives say the husbands are insane. Turmoil follows turmoil, until the final awakening. A fun trifle and the incomparable writer begins to show his enormous talent and the reader... gets a brief break from the world's unrest.
Profile Image for Anne.
4,377 reviews70.2k followers
July 18, 2023
The story opens with this guy, who is maybe about to be executed, telling a sad tale about the search for his missing family, in an effort to explain to the duke why he is illegally in his city. <--this shit is nuts, let me tell you.
Buckle up.

description

So way back in the day, his lovely wife gives birth to identical TWIN boys. Because everyone knows Shakespeare fucking loves twins.
They also buy a set of newborn identical twins so they can grow up and be slaves to their own twins.
And in an act of complete idiocy, they name BOTH of their identical twin boys Antipholus, and BOTH of the identical twin slave boys Dromio.

description

Unbelievably, this causes problems in the future.
I know! Who would have thought?
The happy couple then goes on a cruise with the babies.
And like most cruises, things go terribly wrong.
Except instead of bedbugs or food poisoning, their ship starts to take on water.

description

The crew jumps in the boat meant for passengers and abandons them.
That's what you fucking get for hopping on a cruise ship, Susan.

description

The couple ends up each taking one Antipholus & one Dromio apiece, and then lashing themselves to separate masts while the ship swirls around in the storm.
And just when all seems lost?

description

What ho?! Boats in the distance?!
But before their ship gets close to the boats, a big ass rock (or something) cuts the ship in half, sending Dad & his half of the twins towards the boat headed in one direction, whilst sending Mom and the other babies toward the boat headed in the opposite direction.
NEVER TO SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN.

description

Stay with me here.
Our story picks up 30 plus years later, with one set of Antipholus & Dromio showing up in the same town that the other set of Antipholus & Dromio grew up.
What are they doing there, you ask?
SEARCHING FOR THEIR LONG LOST TWINS.
Now, it's not long before the visiting Antipholus & Dromio soon become convinced that this town is populated by witches and fairies.

description

Because how else are they to explain that everyone in this town thinks they know them? I mean, it's not like they're on the lookout for a town that has their identical twin goddamn brothers in it or anything.
So, yeah. William left a few plot holes in his story. <--it's ok. Roll with it, baby.

description

Now, the other Antipholus & Dromio are plagued by all sorts of problems that these visiting doppelgangers have unknowingly caused as they bumble through their city.
An angry merchant leads to a bit of jail time, and an angrier wife leads to an exorcism. The duke gets called in to referee, which allows the original old man to see the Antipholus & Dromio who don't know him. And that causes even more confusion. But then fate ushers in an abbess who has some pertinent information that might just solve the problem.
PHEW!

description

I listened to the full-cast audio that included Alan Cox, Brendan Coyle, & David Tennant.
I've said it before, but I highly recommend these full-cast audios because they're just chock full of fun stuff like sound effects and music that make the experience even better.

description
Profile Image for Bill Kerwin.
Author 2 books83.4k followers
October 6, 2019

The Comedy of Errors is perfect, but it is perfection of a low order. In this early play, Shakespeare sets out to master the complex mechanisms and simple humor of farce, and succeeds completely.

It is enjoyable and well-crafted--like a really good episode of The Beverly Hillbillies or Three's Company--and represents an important early step on Shakespeare's journey as an absolute master of drama in all its forms.
Profile Image for Ruby Granger.
Author 3 books49.9k followers
October 6, 2020
I have always said that Much Ado is Shakespeare's funniest play -- but Comedy of Errors is just hilarious! It's pretty similar to Twelfth Night, so if you liked that I think you'll like COE.

This play is also drowning in early modern politics though. It draws on tensions surrounding empire, racism and immigration in the 1590s which, shockingly, remain just as relevant today as they did then.
Profile Image for Jamie.
324 reviews268 followers
January 20, 2024
It's amazing how I can go weeks, months even, and not read a single five-star book. And then, all of a sudden, I'm handing out five-star ratings like they're Halloween candy. So here you go, Shakespeare – you get a five! I get a five! That random person over there gets a five! Everyone gets a five!

*Ahem*

Anyway, I stand by what I said in my review of Othello about men in Shakespeare's plays – they're all super, super dense. I mean, you've been traveling around for seven years or so, looking for your long lost twin brother, when all of a sudden people start mistaking you for someone they know … and your servant (who, not so coincidentally, also has a long lost twin) too. What a weird thing to happen! Whatever could be the cause? Could it have something to do with your twin brother? Hmm … nah, definitely witchcraft. Sigh.

But, still, this is a fun one and definitely one of my favorites of Shakespeare's plays. It's silly and absurd but in the best possible way.
Profile Image for James.
Author 20 books4,114 followers
June 17, 2020
Book Review
3 out of 5 stars to The Comedy of Errors, a comedy (seriously, did you think with that title it was one of his tragedies... oh my) published in 1594 by William Shakespeare. So... who knew Shakespeare invented the humor of mistaken identity? Wow! Think of this as a cross between any daytime television soap opera, "Dumb and Dumber" and "Dude, Where's My Car?"



And if you don't know what that clip is from, you have no watched the right kinds of movies. So go figure it out and come back to chat. That said... this is definitely one of the funniest plays he's written, as you'd expect. But it's not just a single set of twins, there are two pairs. And no one knows who is who. Sometimes you might get lost too. But that's what I've learned to love when reading Shakespeare. If it's a historical play or a tragedy, make it serious. If it's a comedy, then do whatever you'd like. I'll make up my own interpretation.

And that's what I did with this one. And when finished, I talked about it with some fellow students. We all agreed... I had the most interesting interpretation. And then when we got into class, the professor talked about what he thought it was about. And what do you know... I had the closest version. Woo Hoo! I'm good for something, I remember thinking to myself. On a serious note, this is worth a read if you want to get into more Shakespeare. Don't make it your first one tho... you'll regret it.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
Profile Image for Darwin8u.
1,682 reviews8,859 followers
May 9, 2017
“If she lives till doomsday, she'll burn a week longer than the whole world.”
― William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Act III.2

description

Look. It isn't brilliant Shakespeare, but it is worth the price of admission for just the banter, puns, etc. There really isn't a major character that jumps out. Perhaps, that is due to the constraints of the premise, but anyway. It was 80 pages of drama and I rather enjoyed it. I'm just not sure how much of it will stick (Like Hamlet, Othello, etc) years from now. If you are looking for top level dialogue, but not worried about plot or uncovering the meaning of life or the essential elements of humanity, this book might just be the thing.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“He that commends me to mine own content
Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop, 200
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself.” (Act I.2)


“I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself.” (Act I.2)


"A wretched soul bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much, or more, we should ourselves complain." (Act II.1.)


"Every why hath a wherefore. (Act II.2)

“Since mine own doors refuse to entertain me,
I'll knock elsewhere, to see if they'll disdain me” (Act III.1)


“If she lives till doomsday, she'll burn a week longer than the whole world.” (Act III.2)

“Ill deeds is doubled with an evil word.” (Act III.2)

"One of these men is Genius to the other;
And so of these. Which is the natural man,
And which the spirit? who deciphers them? " (Act V.1)

Profile Image for Manny.
Author 37 books15.2k followers
Want to read
August 17, 2018
Q: Why is a Shakespeare production never stopped by technical problems?

A:
Profile Image for Paul Weiss.
1,358 reviews405 followers
October 17, 2023
My first taste of live Shakespeare at age 6!

My parents were from Stratford and many, many summers ago, during a visit to my grandparents, my father took me, at the tender age of 6, to the Festival Theater to see THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. I had absolutely no idea what they were saying or what the plot was all about, but I remember enjoying the vaudevillian style body language, the physical comedy, the classical costumes and the colour, the odd piece of music and the sound effects immensely. What a wonderful gift from my father ... a lifelong love of Shakespeare and the desire to return to the theater goodness only knows how many times over the next 65 years!

Paul Weiss
Profile Image for Carol She's So Novel ꧁꧂ .
879 reviews761 followers
April 8, 2018
I read here http://www.william-shakespeare.info/s...

This review is a work in progress, as I am going to the Pop Up Globe in Auckland to see it next month. Really looking forward to it.

As far as reading online- I had a few chuckles, but I found it confusing. I'm sure All Will Become Clear on the night.

Edit: Overall I did enjoy the show which had been given a bit of modernistation - (the Syracusean pair arrived dressed as tourists & posed for selfies!) but remained true in it's essence. Lot of interaction with the audience! In spite of a great cast I thought the story dragged on a bit long & can see why this is not considered one of Shakespeare's great plays.

The ceiling near the front of the stage


View of the stage (taken from where we were sitting
Profile Image for Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile.
2,246 reviews878 followers
February 11, 2023
While I can appreciate the humor and irony in the plot, I feel like this was considered much funnier back then, and also I’m sure much funnier performed. It comes off a bit basic in the present time.
Profile Image for Brian.
761 reviews425 followers
July 1, 2018
“Headstrong liberty is lashed with woe.”

“The Comedy of Errors” is regarded as a slight work of Shakespeare’s. As if the fact that it is a farce somehow diminishes it. That is ridiculous. Accept this play on its own terms. This early play of the Bard’s is one of Shakespeare’s shortest and quickest reads. There is not a lot of depth or subtext, and that is fine.
I gave "The Comedy of Errors” a 3 star rating compared to other Shakespeare, not to literature as a whole. The Bard is in a class of his own.
The Introduction by Frances Dolan (in this edition) is fine. It contains nothing earth shattering, but some nice points are made, especially about the use of violence in comedy.
As mentioned, this play is a farce, lots of mistaken identity, near misses, etc. Two sets of twins (unknown to the other) are in the same place at the same time. The mayhem reaches a fever pitch in the delightful Act IV. “The Comedy of Errors” when well done would be a lot of fun in performance. Although it is a bit simple, I really enjoyed the minor subplot of Dromio of Syracuse running from the amorous attentions of a large kitchen maid that we never see. The fact that Shakespeare never lets us see this woman is genius as nothing could be funnier than the version of her each reader creates in their head. The same device was used to perfection in the sitcom “Frasier” in the character of the oft mentioned and never seen Maris.
The text has a happy dénouement and conclusion, as farce must, and it is one of the swiftest in Shakespeare. Succinct, unquestioned, and done!
In “The Comedy of Errors” one sees the budding that later blooms in Shakespeare’s mature works. And this play’s influence has been felt in dramatic literature as it clearly influences most of the great farces that followed it, from Feydeau’s “A Flea in her Ear” to TV’s aforementioned “Frasier”.
The Pelican editions of Shakespeare contain some simple yet informative essays, “Theatrical World” & “The Texts of Shakespeare” that preface every play in this Pelican series. They are worth a read.
As for the Pelican Shakespeare series, they are one of my two favorite editions since the scholarly research is usually top notch and the editions themselves look good as an aesthetic unit. It looks and feels like a play and this compliments the text's contents admirably. The Pelican series was recently reedited and has the latest scholarship on Shakespeare and his time period. Well priced and well worth it.
Profile Image for Michael Finocchiaro.
Author 3 books5,946 followers
April 6, 2022
The shortest of his catalog, this is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays and a popular one during his lifetime. It is the only one, along with the Tempest, that follows the Aristotelian structure of unity (same day, same place, unified plot). It is the story of mistaken identity which is all resolved in time for dinner. It has its moments, but it was not really a belly-laugh kind of play for me.

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare
Profile Image for Théo d'Or .
533 reviews242 followers
Read
August 1, 2024
- Alright, class, let's hear your thoughts on The Comedy of Errors. Antipholus of Syracuse, begin.

- To be or not to be, that's is th...

- Antipholus of Syracuse, this quote is not yours, try to be original, for God's sake.

( Hamlet ) - It's okay. He can use my sentence, but the presence of skull is mandatory. Or, at least, a coccyx, or something..

- Thank you, Hamlet. You're very kind, but let him use his own neuron. Dromio of Ephesus , what's your take ?

- I did not understand anything, sir. But I'II like to have a horse. I'd give my kingdom for a horse.

- Sorry, Dromio, the horse was taken by Richard III. Does anyone have an opinion on The Comedy of Errors ? Juliette, maybe you ?

- Oh... I love Roméo, more than anything in the world...

- That's so nice, Juliette. Keep loving. Hey, Falstaff, take your finger out of your nose, and tell us something about The Comedy of Errors, please.

- Huh.. If to be fat be to be hated, then...banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.

- Falstaff, can you neglect your ego a little, please ? We're talking about The Comedy of Errors, here.

- Ah.. I think there are a lot of errors, in this book.

- That's a good remark, Falstaff. How did you figure it out ?

- Ah... From the title...

- Damn.... quite a nightmare..
Égéon, you're a famous merchant in this tale, you surely have something to sale , I mean, to say, isn't it ?

- Well.. as you well said, I'm a famous merchant, not a literary critic. Are you interested in my Error Correction Machine, perhaps ? I'II make a good price, it's Black Friday, after all.

- An Error Correction Machine ? That sounds interesting. What kind of errors ?

- Ah, that depends on the program requested. The Time Traveling Backup, for example, sends your files back in time to before they were accidentally deleted, complete with a parchment scroll user interface.

- What the h..

- Ah, so you want The Clippy's Cousin Feature, as I see. That one is even more performing, it introduces a helpful paperclip assistant that offers advice in Shakespearean English, whether thou wantest it or not.

- Égéon , I think you messed up the eras... Something is rotten in Denmark.

- As you like it, sir.

- Balthazar, I see you're very agitated. Surely you have a bold insight. Shoot.

- I...I... I need to pee..

- Request rejected. The bell hasn't rung yet. Besides, all you need is love.
Alright, folks. Your opinions were very interesting. It is q... Yes, Othello, you have something to say ?

- Shall I compare thee to a summer's day ?

- Othello...I'm moved to tears. Did you stick your nose in Égéon's machine ? Those are Sonnet 18's words, but I appreciate. All's well that ends well.
Good Lord... what's that smell ..Balthazar, get out, Now !
Profile Image for Hirdesh.
399 reviews95 followers
October 20, 2017
Love it.
Twins Comedy in every scene was flawless and Hilarious !!

Extravagant comic Drama by The Legend.
Words were enough to set up the drama.
Beauty of writing comprehensively has seen as well the tempo of the drama.
I've enjoyed it thoroughly.
Profile Image for Luís.
2,166 reviews973 followers
June 24, 2024
This work is a story of confusion and misunderstandings between two pairs of twins – two brothers and two servants – who move from one side to the other without bumping into each other, promoting a multitude of misunderstandings among the other characters who see them act, who are also unconscious. They are in front of a replica of two identical figures. The spectators are the only ones who know everything, and the venerable listeners guess. That's right. Everything is addressed to Shakespeare's audience so that the spectator has the actual dimension of this plot, whose protagonist is not limited to an exceptionally prominent figure but responds to the entire symphonic body that plays light and fun melodies.
Profile Image for Paul Bryant.
2,315 reviews11.1k followers
November 6, 2010
So I was having dinner with Garry Kasparov and there was a check tablecloth. It took him two hours to pass me the salt.

So I said "Do you want a game of Darts?", he said "OK then", I said "Nearest to bull starts". He said "Baa", I said "Moo", he said "You're closest".

So I went down the local supermarket, I said "I want to make a complaint, this vinegar's got lumps in it", he said "Those are pickled onions".

I saw this bloke chatting up a cheetah, I thought "he's trying to pull a fast one".

But I'm in great mood tonight because the other day I entered a competition and I won a years supply of Marmite......... one jar.

So I rang up British Telecom, I said "I want to report a nuisance caller", he said "Not you again".

So I was in Tesco's and I saw this man and woman wrapped in a barcode. I said "Are you two an item?".

Four fonts walk into a bar The barman says "Oi - get out! We don't want your type in here".

A jump-lead walks into a bar. The barman says "I'll serve you, but don't start anything".

A priest, a rabbi and a vicar walk into a bar. The barman says, "Is this some kind of joke?".

A sandwich walks into a bar. The barman says "Sorry we don't serve food in here".

A seal walks into a club...

A man walks into a bar with a roll of tarmac under his arm and says: "Pint please, and one for the road.".

I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with 'Guess' on it. I said, 'Thyroid problem?'

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised that The Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.

I was doing some decorating, so I got out my step-ladder. I don't get on with my real ladder.

I saw six men kicking and punching the mother-in-law. My neighbour said 'Are you going to help?' I said 'No, Six should be enough."

If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat?

Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.
Profile Image for فؤاد.
1,081 reviews2,043 followers
August 23, 2016
اساس "كمدى اشتباهات" مثل "رؤیای یک شب نیمه تابستان"، بر اشتباه گرفتن ها و جا به جا شدن هاست، شخصيت اول به جاى شخصيت دومى گرفته میشه و دومى به جاى سومى و اين كلاف سر در گم وضعيت مضحكى پديد میاره كه بار طنز نمايشنامه بر اونه.
به نظرم اين شيوه در "رؤيا" هنرمندانه تر و طنازانه تر به كار گرفته شده تا كمدى اشتباهات، هر چند كمدى اشتباهات هم به قدر كافى مفرّح بود.

بعد التحریر:
با دیدن فیلم اجرای نمایش در یوتیوب، متوجه شدم که کل کل های شخصیت ها قافیه دار بوده، و این خودش موجب خنده دارتر شدن میشه. ولی هم قافیه در ترجمه از دست رفته، و هم طنز ماجرا.

بعد بعد التحریر:
شاید این که همه ی دیالوگ ها مقفّا باشه، چندان هم جالب نباشه. گفتگوهای طنز بین ارباب و نوکر یا بین دو متخاصم به صورت مقفّا خنده دارتر میشن، ولی نه گفتگوهای معمولی.
Profile Image for Oguz Akturk.
286 reviews610 followers
September 11, 2022
YouTube kanalımda Shakespeare'in hayatı, mutlaka okunması gereken kitapları ve kronolojik okuma sırası hakkında bilgi edinebilirsiniz: https://youtu.be/rGxh2RVjmNU

Yanlışlıklar içinde bulunmadan doğruluklara ulaşabilir miyiz? Yaptığımız hatalar kendi amaç çemberimizden uzaklaşmamıza neden olmuyor mu? Ama o çemberden uzaklaştığımız kadar da bu çemberin varlığının farkına varmaz mıyız?

Doğumumuzdan beri yanlış ve doğru adında iki yol öğretilir bize, Mavi Sakal'ın "İki yol var demiştim. Hangisini seçeyim?" sorusu gibi biz de hayatımızda pek çok kez iki yoldan birini seçmeye odaklanmışızdır, belki de bu iki yolun sonu da aynıdır. Fakat bu seçimlerin girdabı arasında insanların esas düşüncelerine aslında ne kadar az önem veriyoruzdur ve dış görünüş oltasına takılan bir balıktan ibaret oluyoruzdur. Büyük hikayeyi görmek uğruna yaptığımız bütün atılımlar bizi konudan uzaklaştırmaktan başka bir şeye yaramıyordur...

Dış görünüşlerin insan gözündeki dansı şizofreniktir. Yanlış dış görünüşlere kanmadan doğru iç görünüşlere ulaşamayacağımız kesindir. Belki de zikzaklı ve dengesiz yaşamlarımıza aynı şekilde dengesiz dış görünüşler transpoze etmek isteriz. Fakat bunu da yine karşımızdakini dinlemeden tamamen kendimiz konuşacak şekilde yaparız. Sadece kendimizin konuştuğu ses dalgaları, akşamdan kalmış düşünce sarhoşluğunun sabahki mide bulantısından başka bir şey olmayabilir çoğu zaman.

Sonra Shakespeare gelir, 8 kitap okudun benden der, ne öğrendin peki? diye sorar. İnsan ilişkilerinde konuşmanın bir sanat oldu��u gibi dinlemenin de bir sanat olduğunu öğrenebildin mi? Dış görünüşte yılanların sık sık ve düzenli olarak değiştirdiği derinin yerine iç görünüşteki magmaya odaklanabildin mi? Sen de o magmada birileriyle yandın mı? Yanlışlıklarla karşılaşmadan bilince ve doğruya ulaşamayacağını da mı anlamadın? Proust da Kayıp Zamanın İzinde serisinde insanın verimli zaman geçirebilmesi için saçma sapan insanlarla takılıp zamanını harcaması gerektiğini söylememiş miydi? diye türlü türlü soru sorar Shakespeare.

Cevaplardan sonra değil aslında sorulardan sonra insan kişisel olarak gelişir. Bertrand Russell felsefenin tanımını yaparken; "Felsefe, onun sorularına kesin yanıtlar almak için değil,
çünkü kural olarak kesin yanıtların doğruluğu bilinemez, soruların kendileri için öğrenilmelidir"
demiş ya. Hah, evet işte! Ben de diyorum ki:

"Shakespeare, onun sorularına kesin yanıtlar almak için değil, çünkü kural olarak kesin yanıtların doğruluğu bilinemez,
Shakespeare'in oyunlarının kendileri için öğrenilmelidir."

Bir edebiyat yemeği düşünün ve bu yemeğin çok sağlıklı göründüğünün farkındasınız. İçerisinde Yunan mitolojisi çorbası, İtalyan Edebiyatı ara sıcağı, insan ilişkileri ana yemeği, kadın-erkek çıkmazları içeceği ve dönemin siyasi karışıklıkları tatlısı var. İşte... Ben de Shakespeare okurken edebi olarak bu kadar doyuyorum.
Profile Image for Pia G..
214 reviews100 followers
December 13, 2020
şimdiye kadar okuduğum en eğlenceli shakespeare kitabıydı. tek sıkıntım olayın çabucak tatlıya bağlanması. ya ben o an çok dalgındım ve neler olduğunu kaçırdım veya roman kafasıyla düşündüğüm için öyle ilerlemesini bekledim.
Profile Image for Evripidis Gousiaris.
229 reviews106 followers
May 24, 2019
Είχα καιρό να γελάσω και να διασκεδάσω τόσο πολύ με κάποιο βιβλίο.
Το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα σε όλους.
Profile Image for Piyangie.
543 reviews649 followers
February 13, 2019
What a wonderful play this was! And without doubt, this was my quickest read ever. It was hilarious and I couldn't help laughing aloud all along.

The key theme is mistaken identity and the chaos that ensues in the wake of that mistaken identity. It looks like Shakespeare was in love with the theme of mistaken identity which he used later in his comedy, Twelfth Night.

In this play, there are two sets of master and servant who are identical. In fact, the master pair and the servant pair are twins who have been estranged at birth. Neither one knows that he has a twin brother. In this light, only confusion can follow when the two set were thrown in the same city.

It was an entertaining read. And by far, this is the funniest Shakespearean play I have read. Enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Carmo.
700 reviews526 followers
January 19, 2022
Consta que foi a primeira peça escrita por Shakespeare, inspirada no teatro grego. Não se saiu mal; apesar de bastante previsível é leve, divertida e com umas alfinetadas que iria manter e aprimorar em obras futuras.
Profile Image for Tony Vacation.
423 reviews310 followers
June 23, 2014
After the brilliance of The Taming of the Shrew with its pitch-perfect comedy of cruelty, The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare’s (likely) follow-up, is a let-down that will probably appeal to uncouth readers with puritanical leanings more so than to enlightened and cultured readers, such as myself. TCoE is a slapstick farce involving a pair of twins (as in an actual pair of twins) separated at birth and the zaniness that ensues when the two sets'—each sporting a nobleman and a bawdy servant—paths cross in Ephesus. The play is one continuous “Who’s on 1st?” gag that irreverently jounces around domestic unrest and dirty puns. This is probably the most workman of the plays I’ve read by our hydrocephalic bard, but the careful reader can still manage to gleam a few tentative peeps of the inimitable mastery of the English language that indisputably defines Shakespeare as an artist wholly unto himself.
Profile Image for Alp Turgut.
422 reviews130 followers
September 30, 2018
Aslında adı "Yanılgılar Komedyası" olan; fakat dilimize "The Comedy of Errors / Yanlışlıklar Komedyası" olarak geçen William Shakespeare'in mizah dolu oyunu oldukça zekice ve titizlikle yazılmış harika bir eser. Meşhur Shakespeare tesadüflerinin bulunduğu kitapta karakterlerin birbirleriyle karşıtırılmasıyla gelişen olayları okurken gülmekten yarılıyorsunuz. Gerçekten yazarın ne kadar yetenekli olduğu her bir satırda tekrar tekrar tanıklık ettiğiniz eserin Shakespeare'e başlamak için en ideal eserler arasında olduğunu söyleyebilirim.

03.06.2013
Binghamton, NY

Alp Turgut

http://www.filmdoktoru.com/kitap-labo...
Author 2 books450 followers
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January 19, 2022
Bugün ikinci defa okudum ve bir defa daha çok eğlenerek; keyif alarak okudum. Bazı sahnelerde kahkaha atmamak için kendimi zor tuttum. Hiç izlemedim ama okurken bu kadar keyif alınıyorsa izlemesine doyum olmamalı.
Esinlendiği tiyatro olan Plautus'un eserini de okumuştum fakat kesinlikle Shakespeare kendine özgü bir dokunuş katmış.
102 reviews307 followers
December 30, 2009
This play relies on a good deal of violence for its humor, which upon reflection kind of makes me uncomfortable. Particularly because Shakespeare's timing coupled with the absurdity of the scenario--twin brothers separated at birth with the same name each have a twin slave separated at birth with the same name--is actually pretty funny. At least I think it is, but I also grew up laughing every time Bud Abbot slapped Lou Costello, so I'm probably conditioned to enjoy this stuff. That is, provided I don't think too much about it. I guess that's maybe the point with these comedies--not to think too much and just enjoy the silly spectacle. Or is it?

Maybe Shakespeare really was trying to get the audience to laugh and then go home, think it over, and feel guilty later. Maybe. He definitely brings up serious husband-wife issues in The Comedy of Errors. And he gives voice to some rather modern thoughts regarding gender relations, although these are easy to miss or minimize amidst the countering sexism--especially because the characters sometimes flip-flop. For example, see the Adriana of Act 2, Scene 1:

Adriana: Why should their liberty than ours be more?

Luciana: Because their business still lies out o' door.

Adriana: Look, when I serve him so, he takes it ill.

Luciana: O, know he is the bridle of your will.

Adriana: There's none but asses will be bridled so.


But later on, Adriana willingly takes the blame for her husband's madness for supposedly being too jealous and strict with him...which, of course, she had every reason to be considering he was off with a courtesan--something she forgives and forgets rather willingly in the end. Moral of the story? Wives: don't be too demanding and jealous, even if you have good cause. Yikes. Or are we to dismiss this conclusion along with everything else that's misunderstood once the play's absurd premise is resolved (i.e. when everyone finds out that these two men are not, in fact, the same man)? Maybe. If you're feeling generous.

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