The comedy of errors: reading response assignment

The significant theme of Comedy of Errors is the figuring out of identity, articulacy with Antiphonal of Syracuse in search of finding his second half. The plot Of the play is only able to develop and continue if the characters opposite of the Antiphonal and/or Dross believe that the person they are responding to is their corresponding Antiphonal or Dorado. Ant. S. Stop in your wind, sir; tell me this, pray: Where have you left the money that gave you? Door. E. O, – sixpence, that I had o’ Wednesday last To pay the saddler for my mistress’ crupper? L. Ii. 53-56) In those lines, we see that instead of Dorado of Ephesus questioning his master, he rolls with it by creating a truth behind what is said. And instead of Antiphonal thinking him not his Dorado, he thinks that he is just playing around by saying: Come, Dorado, come, these jests are out of season; (I. Ii. 68) The social structure in Elizabethan England at the time, as was in Ancient Greece, was not as widely varied as the modern-day class system is now.

In their time, there was the upper class and lower class; middle class was nearly on-existent. Antiphonal fell under the upper class and Dorado, his lowly servant. We understand their social status through the way they communicate with each other or, in Antiphonal’ case, the way he beats Dorado. The relationship between man and servant can be summarized by Antiphonal words to Dorado for not responding in a comprehensible way. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face, Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave. Beats Dorado) (91-92) Shakespeare doesn’t stay in one timeline in the play. The setting is supposedly in Ancient Greek time, but he alludes back to his present-day Elizabethan England. The ideas and lines Of some of his characters are very much forward-thinking as opposed to what might have been the ideal in Ancient Greece. In this particular line, Now, as I am a Christian, answer me In what safe place you have bestows my money, (77-78) if the play were to be set in Ancient Greece, the era would be in B. C. Before Christianity was ever created.