Rather than opening with a main character, Act V opens with Angelo and the Second Merchant discussing their perspective of the events. Their discussion functions as a plot device—the greater distance of these secondary characters is used to summarize an important plot point from the previous Act and place it into the context of Antipholus’s overall life in the city. Their conversation also creates comedy, as Angelo’s reassurances of Antipholus’s good reputation in the city are undermined by the reveal that Antipholus is now wearing the very chain he apparently denied having. These bystander characters are therefore used to highlight the absurdity of the situation.

Their conversation also emphasizes The Importance of Commerce and Wealth and the role these forces play in the plot as priorities for the characters. Shakespeare frames events through the lens of two businessmen discussing Antipholus’s reputation: The high stakes of the current mishaps come from their commercial ramifications. The characters’ social role in society revolves around commerce, including the connection between honor and balanced books: They are prepared to duel over the commercial disagreement.

The introduction of Emilia represents an unexpected plot twist, adding another dimension to The Nature of Identity. Though the mother figure of Egeon’s story is planted in the opening Act of the play, she is not heavily foreshadowed; her presence in the scene is thus abrupt and initially unexplained as she emerges from the abbey. Her status as an abbess casts her as a mystical figure who seems to be in control, governing admittance to her abbey and promising that she can cure the apparent “madness.” 

Her appearance as an abbess is also an initial misdirection that disguises her true identity, as her religious vocation suggests that she has taken a vow of virginity instead of once having been a wife and mother in the wider world. Her air of control and cognizance juxtaposes with the chaos of the rest of the play. The abbey itself is a refuge from the disorder, but also represents the unknown, as this location is separate from the main plot: It has never been mentioned before and the inside is never seen onstage. The abbey’s presence creates an atmosphere of magic that mirrors the characters’ reaction at the seemingly supernatural arrival of the Ephesian twins.

Emilia’s air of knowledge and religious clout give her automatic authority in her debate with Adriana over marriage, enabling her to help with The Problem of Rifts in Interpersonal Relationships. She paints a vivid picture of Adriana’s culpability for the deterioration of the relationship and Antipholus’s mental health. Like Luciana, she espouses early modern ideas about appropriate femininity: Adriana’s behavior is linked to the chaotic and stressful events Antipholus has faced, creating unbearable circumstances that drive him “mad.” Adriana accepts Emilia’s reasoning to a degree, but also has her own ideas of wifely duty, objecting that it is her role to be with and support her husband. Thus, while they have different ideas on how best to heal the marital rift, with Emilia insisting that she first cure Antipholus’s “madness” and Adriana insisting he should be immediately released into her care, Adriana’s determination to nurse her husband reveals that she still desires to reconcile with him. 

Emilia also heals the physical rift in her own family: She orchestrates the play’s resolution by bringing the Syracusian twins onstage at the same time as the Ephesian ones, revealing her own true identity as the lost mother. These revelations enable the characters to understand how they exist in relation to each other, which in turn helps them make sense of themselves. Since the problems of mistaken identity have now been cleared up and the family rift has been healed, the characters find a restored sense of personal and social harmony. 

The play’s nature as a comedy is reinforced in the happy endings offered to the characters. The financial accounts are all settled, and everyone understands what is going on: No one is “mad.” Emilia’s joyous speech creates an air of whole-hearted celebration, and she leads everyone into the abbey for a celebratory feast and further recounting. Nonetheless, Shakespeare tempers the happy ending with nuance: Adriana and Antipholus do not yet exchange any direct words suggesting a reconciliation, and though Antipholus of Syracuse propositions Luciana again, she does not reply. The two Antipholus brothers don’t say anything to each other. 

Thus, there is still a sense that the characters still have further work to do before rifts are fully healed and new beginnings embraced. The abbey everyone enters represents a new, unknown space, separate from the world they have all been living in, which suggests that they will all have to adapt to a new reality. Only the Dromios have a moment of direct connection at the end of the play: The two most put-upon characters have now found a companion, ending the play on a note of positivity.