The Comedy of Errors (Annotated by Henry N. Hudson with an Introduction by Charles Harold Herford) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William; Hudson, Henry N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420955551 ISBN 13: 9781420955552

Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

One of William Shakespeare’s most farcical comedies, “The Comedy of Errors” is notable for its use of mistaken identity to achieve a slapstick comedic effect. Ripe with the bard’s characteristic word play, the comedy concerns the lives of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated shortly after their birth. The play begins by the elderly Syracusian trader Egeon relating the back story of his family. When Egeon was young he married Emilia who gave birth to two twin boys, known in the play as Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse. On the same day a poor woman also gave birth to two twin boys who were subsequently purchased as slaves by Egeon for his sons. During a sea voyage the family is besieged by a tempest and the two halves of the family, the mother with one son and slave, and the father with the other son and slave, are separated when they are rescued by two different boats. When Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus with his slave Dromio, the two sets of twins have a series of chance encounters which results in a hilarious case of mistaken identity. One of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, “The Comedy of Errors” exhibits the bard at his comedic best. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper, includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, and an introduction by Charles Harold Herford.

About this title

Review:

Generally believed to be Shakespeare's first comedy, The Comedy of Errors was first performed at the London Inns of Court in 1594, and has been unfairly dismissed as a piece of knockabout farce from Shakespeare's apprentice years. The play's action is very funny, especially in performance. Shipwrecked many years before the start of the play, Egeon of Syracuse searches vainly for his lost wife, one of his twin sons and one of their twin servants. Landing in Ephesus he falls foul of an obscure law condemning him to death unless he pays an enormous fine within 24 hours. The clock starts ticking and the action of the play begins to unfold. Egeon is not aware that his son Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio have also landed in Ephesus, but even worse, it soon becomes clear to the audience that Ephesus is also the home of the lost twin and servant, Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus.

So begins the comedy of errors, as the pairs of twins are repeatedly and hilariously mistaken for each other, much to the consternation of their friends, creditors and lovers. Yet the play is also shot through with more serious issues. The sentence of death hangs over the father from the very beginning of the play, strange things happen to time as the play progresses, and the space of trade and the marketplace are never far away. The laughter of mistaken identity also gives way to more profound questions of identity, as when Antipholus of Syracuse says of himself that "I to the world am like a drop of water/That in the ocean seeks another drop." The Comedy of Errors is a much neglected play which is only now achieving the critical and theatrical attention it deserves. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

Praise for "William Shakespeare: Complete Works"
Remarkable . . .makes Shakespeare s extraordinary accomplishment more vivid than ever. James Shapiro, professor, Columbia University, bestselling author of "A Year in the Life of Shakespeare: 1599"
A feast of literary and historical information. "The Wall Street Journal
""

Praise for William Shakespeare: Complete Works

"Remarkable . . . makes Shakespeare's extraordinary accomplishment more vivid than ever."--James Shapiro, professor, Columbia University, bestselling author of A Year in the Life of Shakespeare: 1599

"A feast of literary and historical information."--The Wall Street Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1420955551
• ISBN 13: 9781420955552
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 68