The Comedy of Errors

Act III builds on the context established in the first two acts to bring the remaining major character into the action: Antipholus of Ephesus. While it is unusual to introduce a protagonist so late in a five-act play, The Comedy of Errors doesn’t follow one or two main characters, but a collection of characters. In its exploration of The Nature of Identity, it is less concerned with them as individual psyches and more interested in portraying how these people exist in relation to each other. 

Antipholus of Ephesus literally and figuratively mirrors his twin, so his first physical appearance onstage in this Act is not really his introduction, as the play has already painted a picture of his life through everyone’s interactions with his twin, including Dromio of Ephesus and Adriana. Shakespeare opens this Act with lines that affirm the image already created: Antipholus talks about his difficult relationship with his wife, his commercial activities, and his fury with Dromio. Act III uses this shortcut to allow his character to enter the action immediately.

The major action in this Act is one of the best-known comedic set pieces of the play: Antipholus and his group are locked outside his own door, while the two Dromios banter on from either side. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony, as the situation is visually clear to the audience but baffling to the characters, who can’t see each other. He builds up the irony beforehand and imbues it with anticipation: Antipholus exchanges pleasantries with Balthasar about the warm welcome he will give him in his house; the audience knows that Antipholus of Syracuse is already inside, and they won’t be admitted. Antipholus’s insistence on how warmly Balthasar will be received also creates higher stakes for Antipholus, adding to his embarrassment and surprise when they aren’t admitted.

The scene is an example of farce, deriving humor from the escalation of the revelations, which become increasingly bizarre for everyone. Dromio of Ephesus first believes that someone is impersonating him on the other side of the door, but then hears people he knows well corroborate that the person in question is in fact him. Antipholus and Adriana are first faced with unusual situations—the door locked, and a ruckus outside, respectively. The situation then escalates into greater absurdity: Antipholus thinks his wife is pretending not to know him, while she thinks someone is trying to impersonate her husband.

Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse are both claimed as husbands, and they both feel that they have been transformed in some way. Dromio checks with Antipholus whether he is still himself, requiring outside confirmation, as he is no longer sure of his identity. Shakespeare suggests that external corroboration is important for a person’s sense of themselves. Dromio expresses a fear that his apparent wife might change not only his marital status but also his physical form, turning him into a dog: He feels fragile in his understanding of who and what he is. They recognize each other but still struggle to feel secure in their identity as the world still treats them bizarrely: This foreshadows the revelation of their twins’ presence in Act V, illustrating that appearance alone does not reveal who a person really is.

Antipholus has a more ambivalent response: He tells Luciana he is happy to be transformed by her, suggesting that he likes feeling changed by his attraction to her. However, like Dromio, he also thinks witchcraft and supernatural forces must be at play, and feels they are at risk. Their decision to flee shows that they believe that remaining in Ephesus is fundamentally incompatible with their sense of self, suggesting the importance of being in surroundings that allow a person to be who they truly are.

The Act’s farcical humor also explores The Problem of Rifts in Interpersonal Relationships. The spouses talk at cross-purposes, holding an absurdist mirror up to their real relationship. The door creates a literal and symbolic barrier between them, preventing them from seeing each other and understanding what is going on: This reflects their inability to see things from the other’s perspective. They are stuck in their separate and seemingly irreconcilable viewpoints. Antipholus of Ephesus, in neglecting his wife, has alienated himself from his marital life and is now shut out, literally and figuratively. His anger at being locked out creates a vicious cycle, deepening the rift between them: Out of spite, he decides to dine with another woman and give her the chain necklace he’s had made for Adriana. He thus moves closer to Adriana’s view of him, abandoning any pretense of being a loyal family man and actively choosing to play the role of a straying reprobate she has cast him in.

Due to The Importance of Commerce and Wealth in Ephesus, characters’ identities are also tied to ideas of status and wealth. Antipholus of Ephesus’s status as a businessman is intertwined with his social and personal selves: The friends he welcomes for dinner are business associates; his reputation in the city is of the utmost importance to him; and he uses a gold chain to express where his personal loyalties lie. Shakespeare adds to this societal picture through Dromio of Syracuse’s misogynistic and xenophobic description of the kitchen maid. He compares her body parts to different countries, describing their material status and relationships. Everything is valued according to its place in global commerce. Act III therefore continues to build an image of a society built around commerce and wealth, showing how this impacts the characters’ priorities, values, and choices.