Audiences of Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors are quickly thrown into the city of Ephesus and introduced to Syracusan citizen Egeon who will soon face the punishment of execution. The despairing nature of Egeon’s possible death is quickly forgotten as the play carries on and shifts its attention towards a young and energetic man, Antipholus of Syracuse. Both Egeon’s hopelessness and Antipholus’ youthful and optimistic attitude are relevant to the plot of the play and demonstrate the range of emotions contained within the play. The comparison between Egeon’s depressed presence in the opening scene and the presence of the young and inexperienced Antipholus demonstrates the vast knowledge gained through one’s time on earth and one’s loss, which is further reinforced at the end of the play with the introduction of Egeon’s wife, Emilia. The frame narrative created …show more content…
Egeon specifically mentions aspects of his wealth while explaining the unfortunate events of his life to the Duke of Ephesus. By introducing the themes of wealth early on in the play through Egeon, the audience is given the opportunity to note these themes and focus on the similar role that wealth plays in the lives of Egeon and his son Antipholus of Ephesus. Egeon’s introductory speech helps frame wealth as a precursor to the separations that occur within the play, including the separations of Egeus and Emilia and of Antipholus of Ephesus and his wife Adriana. Egeon explains to the Duke of Ephesus that after marrying Emilia, they “lived in joy” and their “wealth increased by prosperous voyages” (1.1.39-40).