Questions on
Shakespeare’s Comedies
Shakespeare, William. The Comedy of Errors. (The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies, 3rd ed. 278-321.)
ACT 1
1. The Norton Shakespeare editors suggest that this farcical play, The Comedy of Errors, deals with the serious theme of human identity—what constitutes it and keeps it constant or changes it, how others partly determine who we are, etc. How does the Syracusan merchant Egeon’s dire situation in Act 1, Scene 1 help introduce this theme? In replying, consider how Egeon got into the predicament in which he now stands: on the verge of execution in Ephesus. What brought him there, and in what ways does his journey, as he relates it, stem from something very different from any criminal intent?
2. In Act 1, Scene 1, how does the condemned Syracusan merchant Egeon benefit from his inclination to tell the Duke and the assembled Ephesian crowd the “sad stories” (120) he has accumulated in recent times? Why is the Duke so interested in hearing those stories, instead of getting on with the execution? If you have read some or all of the medieval classic 1001 Arabian Nights, how does the first scene of the present play at least indirectly evoke the significant role of storytelling in that compilation of tales?
3. In Act 1, Scene 2, Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus kick off the confusion that will continue through much of the play. What’s the source and type of that confusion? How does Antipholus of Syracuse react to it? In responding, consider in part his musings about the quest he has been on, which has brought him to Ephesus. In particular, what does his simile “I to the world am like a drop of water / That in the ocean seeks another drop” (35-36) suggest about his sense of self, or identity, and about his general state of mind?
ACT 2
4. In Act 2, Scene 1, we meet Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, and her sister Luciana. What is the unmarried Luciana’s view of relations between men and women? What does she suggest about female “liberty” and obedience? How does her view align with what you understand to be the more or less standard European view of gender relations before the modern era?
5. In Act 2, Scene 1, what is Adriana’s counter-argument against Luciana’s traditionalist notions about male-female relations and marriage, and what is the apparent ground of Adriana’s anxiety about her current relationship with her husband? What is it about Dromio of Ephesus’s remarks to Adriana that bring this anxiety to the fore?
6. In Act 2, Scene 2, Antipholus of Syracuse interacts with Dromio of Syracuse, who really is his servant. What confusion unfolds as they speak? Later in the scene, what thoughts cross Antipholus’ mind about his strange situation? Consider how he muses about sleeping and waking, transformation, and madness. Also, how does the pace and mix-up-prone quality of the plot affect your own perspective as an onlooker—does it cause noticeable disorientation as you try to follow along? Explain.
7. In Act 2, Scene 2, how does Adriana deal with the shock of her confrontation with Antipholus of Syracuse (rather than of Ephesus—the man who is really her husband)? What thoughtful philosophy does she set forth regarding identity in marriage? How does her use of the same figure—a drop of water in the ocean (126-30)—as Antipholus of Syracuse used in Act 1, Scene 2 compare to that earlier usage?
ACT 3
8. In Act 3, Scene 1, the featured characters are Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio of Ephesus, Angelo the goldsmith and Balthasar the merchant. How do Antipholus of Ephesus and his rightful servant handle being refused entrance to their own house? What does Balthasar suggest while this ruckus is going on, and how does Antipholus of Ephesus justify accepting that advice?
9. In Act 3, Scene 2, what complication arises for Antipholus of Syracuse when he speaks with Luciana, the sister of Antipholus of Ephesus? What does Luciana suspect has been going on with him, and how does she take his current declarations to her? in replying, consider the philosophy about relations between men and women that she has set forth here and earlier.
10. In Act 3, Scene 2, in what difficulties does Dromio of Syracuse find himself not only with his master Antipholus of Syracuse but also with Nell (Adriana’s cooking-maid)? How does his predicament compare to that of his master? Moreover, what seems to be the point of the silly references made by Dromio of Syracuse to geographical locations here, with the body of a fellow-servant named Nell being referenced as a globe containing Ireland, Scotland, America, the Indies, and so forth? How does he respond to Nell’s advances, made in the belief, of course, that he is Dromio of Ephesus?
ACT 4
11. At the previous scene’s end, Angelo the goldsmith gave Antipholus of Syracuse (whom he took to be Antipholus of Ephesus) an expensive piece of jewelry, a chain. This jewelry piece turns out to be an important plot device. What can you say about the way Shakespeare has introduced it? What complications arise in Act 4, Scene 1, and what are the potential symbolic implications of the gold chain, considering the play’s emphasis on how identity is formed and maintained?
12. In Act 4, Scene 1, what problem is Antipholus of Ephesus having with Angelo the goldsmith? What happens to Antipholus of Ephesus as a result? Also, Dromio of Syracuse returns and infuriates Antipholus of Ephesus with talk of escaping by sea. How do these two developments, taken together, lend an air of consequentiality to the play’s action at this point and sharply delineate the quandary in which this particular Antipholus (of Ephesus, that is) now finds himself?
13. In Act 4, Scene 2, what more do we learn from Adriana’s talk with Luciana about the former’s true regard for her husband Antipholus of Ephesus? How does she articulate her feelings for him and her sense of the basis of their relationship? How does she respond to news of his arrest?
14. In Act 4, Scene 3, it isn’t hard to see the basic problem between Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse—it’s the usual mix-up of identities—but what linguistic development adds to the confusion now? In replying, consider Dromio of Syracuse’s circumlocution about “Adam”—why might Shakespeare be making Dromio speak this way now, aside from simple tact about the arrest?
15. In Act 4, Scene 3, consider what Antipholus of Syracuse says to his servant Dromio of Syracuse while the two go about their confused wrangling—how does Antipholus refine his expression of the predicament he’s in? And what seems to be his present plan, such as it is, for getting out of it?
16. In Act 4, Scene 3, what is the Courtesan’s analysis of the strange conversation she’s just had with Antipholus of Syracuse about the chain that keeps turning up as a plot device? How is this “comedy of errors” affecting her—what is she driven to do at present, and why?
17. In Act 4, Scene 4, describe the situation in which both pairs of Antipholuses and Dromios now find themselves. Why might this portion of the play be described as the point where the comic “knot” is about to be tied most tightly? In your response, consider in part Adriana’s faith that the metaphysical shifts of Doctor Pinch will cure her husband of what she supposes to be his madness. How does the concentrated introduction of “madness” as a cause change the play’s course?
ACT 5
18. In Act 5, Scene 1, we have arrived at the place where the comic knot is indeed tied as tightly as can be: describe this “knot” or welter of confusions. What’s the situation now? Mainly, where are Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, and, respectively, what to Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus? What is happening to these pairs of men? Explain the mix-ups and misunderstandings that beset the main characters at this point.
19. In Act 5, Scene 1, what role do Egeon, the Abbess and the Duke now play in setting matters straight — in cutting or untying the comic knot? With regard to the Abbess, how does her own story prove central to the satisfactory conclusion of this comic play? And how is Egeon released from his perilous situation, as he had, of course, been condemned to die for his trespass into Ephesus?
20. Act 5, Scene 1 ends with a brief conversation between the two Dromios. These servants resemble the sort one finds in the ancient comedies of the Roman playwrights Plautus and Terence, from whom Shakespeare has surely borrowed. What significance would you say the two Dromios have held for The Comedy of Errors, for its action and in relation to the predicament of the two masters, Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus? How does the play’s conclusion briefly focus on the two servants themselves—what do we learn about their quality as men from this focus?
21. General question. The Comedy of Errors is an early effort by Shakespeare. Do you read it as mainly a farce or do you (like the Norton Shakespeare editor) see it as more complex and worth considering in conjunction with Shakespeare’s later comedies? Does The Comedy of Errors compare favorably to any of the later comedies? If so, which one or ones, and why, or why not?
22. General question. Much has been made of the notion of probability in drama—Aristotle wrote that a play’s action ought to follow what we today would call the dictates of probability and necessity. We know that the Ephesian and Syracusan Antipholuses and Dromios look almost alike, but how likely or plausible is it that anyone who really knew twin brothers (or even one of them) would mistake one for the other? Does it matter? Why or why not? Why do audiences make allowances for such conventions as we see in The Comedy of Errors?
Edition. Greenblatt, Stephen et al., editors. The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies + Digital Edition. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-93861-6.
Copyright © 2012, revised 2025 Alfred J. Drake
Document Timestamp: 11/1/2025 6:35 PM