All the bloody Shakespeare: A Comedy of Errors

Different personalities, it's this easy.

A Comedy of Errors seems like an odd play to open the Complete Works of Shakespeare with.  First of all, it's not very funny.  Second of all, it's a bit of a mess.

The basic idea is a lot like Van Damme's Double Impact, identical twins (separated at birth) show up in the same area and their easily mistaken identity causes a sequence of needless conflicts.  That said, it is a lot less structured than Double Impact and has a much less gratifying conclusion.  The twins in Double Impact defeat a crime syndicate, all the two Antipholus brothers manage is figuring out they're brothers.  And they don't even figure that out, their dad tells them.

Shakespeare wastes some good opportunities for comedy and depth by having one Antipholus attracted to the other's sister in law rather than his shrew of a wife. And, disappointingly, nothing comes of that either. 

Additionally, the two Antipholus brothers are pretty much carbon copies and lack the dynamically differing personalities that the twins in Double Impact have. This seemed like a huge missed opportunity to me.

Instead, most of the plot is tied up in whether or not Antipholus bought a gold chain. Which, of course, one did and one didn't. Haha!

The brothers Antipholus have twin servants called Dromio. Also separated at birth, also carbon copies. They are only in the play to further exposition and get hilariously beaten through no fault of their own.

Shakespeare has some nice turns of phrase, and one very clever anaphora filled speech, but overall you're better off with Double Impact.

2/5 - Read a synopsis and pretend you've read it.

Comments

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