The Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare
The main part of the literature is its title. Because the content of that literature is hidden in the title. An accurate title inspires any reader about the content of that literature. So the title always needs to be accurate to attract the mind of the reader. If the title does not match with the content, it can create confusion in the mind of the reader and can also lose attention to that particular content. Therefore, to maintain the beauty of the content of the literature and to attract the readers, a beautiful, simple and universally understandable title of that particular content essential.
Today we will explain the significance of the title of the Shakespeare’s famous comedy-drama, “The Comedy of Error”.
Question: Explain the significance of the title of the story, “The Comedy of Errors”.
Answer: ‘The Comedy of Errors’ is a fine amusing story. It’s title is an invitation to the world of comedy announcing the play’s genre and errors that characterise the action. There are lots of confusion in the lives of its characters. Eventually, all are sorted out. Confusion get dissolved. All feel happy.
So, the story is indeed the ‘story of errors’. Let us briefly go through the story to understand how ultimately they came out of the intriguing situation.
The plot line revolves around two sets of identical twins. The two brothers named Antipholus and their twin slaves named Dromio, incidentally meet at the same place, Ephesus. The Younger Antipholus was looked upon as the elder Antipholus and the same confusion arose with the twin slaves named Dromio.
Elder Antipholus was the husband of Adriana and Adriana’s cook-maid was the wife of Elder Dromio. Mistakenly, Adriana claimed the Younger Antipholus as her husband and Younger Dromio was claimed by the cook-maid to be her husband.
Adriana brought them home for dinner. Here, they were extremely surprised and confused. Adriana chided Younger Antipholus for his refusing to acknowledge her as his wife. She nagged him constantly about having an affair with another woman. Sometimes after, Elder Antipholus did come to his own house to have his dinner. The servants of the house denied to open the gate as ordered and let the real husband of Adriana enter into his own house.
We see the same confusion in the gold-chain case. The goldsmith gave the gold chain to the Younger Antipholus against his will. And later he demanded money from Elder Antipholus. But the Younger Antipholus denied paying the money. So, he was sent to jail. Then a young lady with whom the Elder Antipholus dined demanded her gold chain from the Younger Antipholus who practically knew nothing of her.
The Elder and Younger Dromio had to face many awkward situations as they were confused by even their masters. Finally, the revelation took place at the end of the story. Aegeon got back all the members of the family. The family was all happy.
The audience is therefore made to witness limitless errors throughout the play through dialogues and situations. Thus the title of the story ‘The Comedy of Errors’ is apt in every sense.
★Some important short questions:
Q. 1: What made Aegeon land at Ephesus?
Ans: Having received no news of Younger Antipholus for seven, years, Aegeon went out for him and thus landed at Ephesus.
Q. 2: What sort of woman was Adriana?
Ans: Adriana was a woman of jealous temper and suspicious nature.
Q. 3: Who claimed Dromio as her husband?
Ans: The cook-maid of Adriana claimed Dromio as her husband.
Q. 4: Why Elder Antipholus go away from his own house?
Ans: Elder Antipholus went away from his own house in anger because he came to know that his wife was dining with another man.
Q. 5: Who first understood the problems of mistaken identity?
Ans: The Duke of Ephesus first understood the problems of mistaken identity.
Q. 6: Why did Adriana’s husband come to the Duke?
Ans: Adriana’s husband came to Duke to complain against his wife Adriana as she confined him on a false charge of lunacy.
Q. 7: Why did Adriana come to meet the Duke?
Ans: Adriana came to the Duke asking for justice as the Abbess refused to hand over her lunatic husband to her.
Q. 8: Why did Younger Antipholus leave the house of Adriana?
Ans: The Younger Antipholus left the house of Adriana as she treated him as her husband.
Q. 9: Who offered Antipholus a gold chain?
Ans: A goldsmith offered the Younger Antipholus a gold chain.
Q. 10: Who was the real owner of the gold chain?
Ans: The real owner of the gold chain was Antipholus of Ephesus or the Elder Antipholus.
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