The Comedy of Errors

The opening scene of Act I draws on two literary and theatrical techniques that are not normally found together: It uses both an in medias res opening and a long monologue by Egeon that plays the same role as a prologue. Shakespeare uses the in medias res technique by opening in the middle of Egeon’s trial. Egeon reveals in his first line that he is being sentenced to death, creating tension by revealing the stakes at play: His desire to reunite his family is balanced against a high risk of death. Egeon’s example also allows Shakespeare to infuse the rest of the play with similarly high stakes. In Scene 2, the First Merchant positions Antipholus as equally at risk, establishing the setting of a hostile environment for his adventures.

Egeon’s tale serves as a backstory for the main events of the play, setting up the context for the plot the way a prologue usually does. His backstory is particularly important because the plot is built on specific and coincidental circumstances that can’t be understood without his explanation, but none of the other main characters are privy to it, so they cannot serve as mouthpieces for the exposition. Egeon’s speech creates dramatic irony throughout the rest of the play: The audience understands situations that are incomprehensible to the characters, forming a core aspect of the play’s humor.

Egeon’s backstory is also suffused with Egeon’s emotional responses to events, adding an element of pathos to his recollections and the family’s current disunited state. Phrases such as “alas, too soon / We came aboard” (I.1.60-61) build tension by foreshadowing the fate of the family. However, Shakespeare shifts the atmosphere from the seriousness of the opening to establish a more comedic tone incorporating farcical elements, setting up the rest of the play.

The Merchant and Antipholus both treat his material goods as the main commodity at risk, rather than his life, introducing The Importance of Commerce and Wealth in the play. Antipholus’s prioritizing of his money is also a source of humor, as he seemingly forgets about the danger of execution and remains hyper-focused on his gold even when his servant behaves very oddly. Egeon’s condemnation to death is also tied to commerce, as the rivalry between the two cities is the result of a trade war. His backstory centers this theme, as every misfortune stems from Egeon’s decision to prioritize business even when his wife was heavily pregnant.

Egeon’s identity as a father is incompatible with his identity as a merchant at this point in the story. His business results in the loss of his family, while his attempt to restore his family is jeopardized by the primacy of his identity as an Ephesian merchant—this is how Solinus addresses him in his opening line, rather than using a name or any other title. Egeon’s fate is therefore determined by the way others define his identity and the importance of his commercial ties to a foreign city. Thus, before the main plot even begins, commerce and wealth have shaped all the characters’ lives and attitudes.

The Problem of Rifts in Interpersonal Relationships is another key theme introduced in this Act. Egeon’s unresolved tale in Scene 1 introduces the rift of physical separation his family has endured; Antipholus of Syracuse is determined to mend this rift by reuniting with his long-lost twin brother. He discusses his sense of incompletion as he searches for his brother and mother, showing the importance of these relationships to him and the impact of this physical rift: He is risking a lot to restore his family. He feels he “confounds himself”—loses himself—through his search, revealing how this sense of a rift pervades and fractures his sense of identity.

Antipholus’s dilemma establishes The Nature of Identity as another key theme that is central to the characters’ quests. Act I introduces mistaken identity as an important plot point on which the rest of the play builds: Identity is less reliable or fixed than the characters realize, and therefore a source of comedy through the confusion that results about who is really who. The confusion between Dromio and Antipholus in Scene 2 establishes the comedic template used through the play, with Antipholus wondering why his servant is seemingly pretending not to know about the money errand and trying to coax him to going home to a wife he doesn’t actually have.