An Analysis Of Shakespeare's The Comedy Of Errors

Critic Roland Barthes has said “Literature is the question minus the answer”, this theory is evident within Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors. In The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare tells the story of a family that is divided and after many years one on the twins begins a journey to search for his long lost brother. Shakespeare proposes a question near the beginning of the novel then, follows up with implicit answers throughout the text. From the interpretation of this question and the implicit answers, the meaning of the literature as a whole is revealed. The question Shakespeare proposes is: To what extent are characters willing to go to in order to satisfy their need to belong and feelings of longing? Through Shakespeare’s implicit answers

The significance behind the story was the shipwreck that tore the family apart, a brutal misfortunate disaster that would seemingly separate the family forever.. Antipholus of Syracuse was separated from his mother and brother Antipholus of Ephesus by the ever so powerful sea and force of the current. Antipholus of Syracuse, now much older and accompanied by Dromio of Syracuse was going to begin a search for his long lost twin brother in the city of Ephesus. This action was finally taken up after years of longing, which were eventually overbearing, summoning hope and determination. In act one, scene 2, Antipholus said “I to the world am like a drop of water/ That in the ocean seeks another drop,/ Who, failing 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.” (Pg 99) This significant quote portrays Antipholus of Syracuse’s love for hsi lost brother and the desperation for his company that has consumed him. Antipholus of Syracuse would begin his search by sailing from Syracuse to the far away city of Ephesus; where his brother Antipholus of Ephesus was brought with Dromio of Ephesus following the shipwreck. At this point the reader was able to establish the water and sea as an answer to the central question- “To what extent do the characters go to in order to satisfy their

Ephesus was a land with a reputable association with forces of magic and sorcery, and had a long lasting conflict with Syracuse. This meant that Antipholus of Syracuse could not disclose his identity, making his attempts to find his lost twin more difficult. At Antipholus of Syracuse’s arrival he begins to be mistaken for his brother early on without knowing. Many errors are made as the result of the general misconception that Antipholus of Syracuse was Antipholus of Ephesus. Errors then began to stem off of one another, creating lots of confusion among characters, making Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse believe that they were due to forces of magic and Sorcery in their presence. The Syracusan pair developed an irrational fear due to the absurd amount of errors that had been occurring. “There’s none but witches do inhabit here,/ And therefore ‘tis high time that i were hence.” (Pg 135) Antipholus of Syracuse had never met one another, but had unknowingly met one another’s slave. As Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse began to grow extremely skeptical about Ephesus, they even went to the extent of preparing a ship for their departure. This dramatic irony had a large impact on the reader- due to Antipholus of Syracuse being so close to finding his twin, but his contemplation of hence.” (Pg 149). These thoughts portrayed Antipholus of Syracuse’s true