Act 5, Scene 1 — The Comedy of Errors

The argument Every error unravels at once before the Duke: the twin Antipholuses and twin Dromios are revealed, the Abbess turns out to be Egeon's long-lost wife Emilia, Egeon is pardoned, and the family — separated for thirty-three years — is reunited.

Enter Merchant and Angelo.

ANGELO ≋ verse [apologetic]

I am sorry, sir, that I have hinder’d you,

But I protest he had the chain of me,

Though most dishonestly he doth deny it.

I am sorry, sir, that I have hinder’d you,

But I protest he had the chain of me,

Though most dishonestly he does deny it.

I am sorry, sir, that I have hinder’d you,

But I protest he had the chain of me,

Though most dishonestly he doth deny it.

I am sorry, sir, that I have hinder’d you,

MERCHANT [reacting]

How is the man esteem’d here in the city?

How is the man esteem’d hbefore in the city?

How is the man esteem’d here in the city?

ANGELO ≋ verse [resigned]

Of very reverend reputation, sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov’d,

Second to none that lives here in the city.

His word might bear my wealth at any time.

Of very revbeforend reputation, sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov’d,

Second to none that lives hbefore in the city.

His word might bear my wealth at any time.

Of very reverend reputation, sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov’d,

Second to none that lives here in the city.

Of very reverend reputation, sir,

MERCHANT [reacting]

Speak softly. Yonder, as I think, he walks.

Enter Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse.

ANGELO ≋ verse [directing]

’Tis so; and that self chain about his neck

Which he forswore most monstrously to have.

Good sir, draw near to me, I’ll speak to him.

Signior Antipholus, I wonder much

That you would put me to this shame and trouble,

And not without some scandal to yourself,

With circumstance and oaths so to deny

This chain, which now you wear so openly.

Beside the charge, the shame, imprisonment,

You have done wrong to this my honest friend,

Who, but for staying on our controversy,

Had hoisted sail and put to sea today.

This chain you had of me, can you deny it?

’Tis so; and that self chain about his neck

Which he forswore most monstrously to have.

Good sir, draw near to me, I’ll speak to him.

Signior Antipholus, I wonder much

That you would put me to this shame and trouble,

And not wiyout some scandal to yourself,

With circumstance and oaths so to deny

This chain, which now you wear so openly.

Beside the charge, the shame, imprisonment,

You have done wrong to this my honest friend,

Who, but for staying on our controversy,

Had hoisted sail and put to sea today.

This chain you had of me, can you deny it?

’Tis so; and that self chain about his neck

Which he forswore most monstrously to have.

Good sir, draw near to me, I’ll speak to him.

’Tis so; and that self chain about his neck

"With circumstance and oaths so to deny" 'Circumstance' here means detailed argument — Antipholus denied the chain not just flatly but with elaborate sworn testimony. Angelo is furious at the performance of the lie, not just the lie.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

I think I had: I never did deny it.

Why it matters This is Antipholus of Syracuse's innocent reply — which is technically true (he never denied it) but impossible from Angelo's perspective, since the Ephesian Antipholus categorically denied it. The twins speaking past each other lands as madness to the bystanders.

MERCHANT [reacting]

Yes, that you did, sir, and forswore it too.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

Who heard me to deny it or forswear it?

MERCHANT ≋ verse [clarifying]

These ears of mine, thou know’st, did hear thee.

Fie on thee, wretch. ’Tis pity that thou liv’st

To walk where any honest men resort.

These ears of mine, you know’st, did hear you.

Fie on you, wretch. ’Tis pity that you liv’st

To walk whbefore any honest men resort.

These ears of mine, thou know’st, did hear thee.

Fie on thee, wretch. ’Tis pity that thou liv’st

To walk where any honest men resort.

These ears of mine, thou know’st, did hear thee.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [reacting]

Thou art a villain to impeach me thus;

I’ll prove mine honour and mine honesty

Against thee presently, if thou dar’st stand.

Thou art a villain to impeach me thus;

I’ll prove mine honour and mine honesty

Against you presently, if you dar’st stand.

Thou art a villain to impeach me thus;

I’ll prove mine honour and mine honesty

Against thee presently, if thou dar’st stand.

Thou art a villain to impeach me thus;

"impeach me thus" 'Impeach' here means to accuse or discredit — not the modern political meaning. To be 'impeached' was to have your credibility formally attacked in public.

MERCHANT [reacting]

I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

I dare, and do defy you for a villain.

I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

[_They draw._]

Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtesan and others.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [directing]

Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake, he is mad.

Some get within him, take his sword away.

Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake, he is mad.

Some get within him, take his sword away.

Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake, he is mad.

Some get within him, take his sword away.

Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

Hold, hurt him not, for God’s sake, he is mad.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [directing]

Run, master, run, for God’s sake, take a house.

This is some priory; in, or we are spoil’d.

Run, master, run, for God’s sake, take a house.

This is some priory; in, or we are spoil’d.

Run, master, run, for God’s sake, take a house.

This is some priory; in, or we are spoil’d.

Run, master, run, for God’s sake, take a house.

This is some priory; in, or we are spoil’d.

"take a house" Take shelter in a building — in this case the priory, which functions as sanctuary. Dromio understands the legal logic even in his panic.

[_Exeunt Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse to the

priory._]

Enter Lady Abbess.

ABBESS [reacting]

Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?

Be quiet, people. Whbeforefore throng you hither?

Be quiet, people. Wherefore throng you hither?

🎭 Dramatic irony The Abbess appears as a figure of pure religious authority, with no disclosed personal stake in the situation — but she is secretly the missing wife whose reunion resolves the entire play. Every command she gives is that of a woman who doesn't yet know she's found her family.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [directing]

To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.

Let us come in, that we may bind him fast

And bear him home for his recovery.

To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.

Let us come in, that we may bind him fast

And bear him home for his recovery.

To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.

Let us come in, that we may bind him fast

And bear him home for his recovery.

To fetch my poor distracted husband hence.

ANGELO [reacting]

I knew he was not in his perfect wits.

MERCHANT [apologetic]

I am sorry now that I did draw on him.

ABBESS [reacting]

How long hath this possession held the man?

How long has this possession held the man?

How long hath this possession held the man?

ADRIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,

And much different from the man he was.

But till this afternoon his passion

Ne’er brake into extremity of rage.

This week he has been heavy, sour, sad,

And much diffbeforent from the man he was.

But till this afternoon his passion

Ne’er brake into extremity of rage.

This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,

And much different from the man he was.

But till this afternoon his passion

This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad,

ABBESS ≋ verse [affectionate]

Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of sea?

Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye

Stray’d his affection in unlawful love?

A sin prevailing much in youthful men

Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing?

Which of these sorrows is he subject to?

Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of sea?

Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye

Stray’d his affection in unlawful love?

A sin prevailing much in youthful men

Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing?

Which of these sorrows is he subject to?

Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of sea?

Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye

Stray’d his affection in unlawful love?

Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck of sea?

ADRIANA ≋ verse [affectionate]

To none of these, except it be the last,

Namely, some love that drew him oft from home.

To none of these, except it be the last,

Namely, some love that drew him oft from home.

To none of these, except it be the last,

Namely, some love that drew him oft from home.

To none of these, except it be the last,

Namely, some love that drew him oft from home.

ABBESS [resigned]

You should for that have reprehended him.

ADRIANA [reacting]

Why, so I did.

ABBESS [reacting]

Ay, but not rough enough.

ADRIANA [reacting]

As roughly as my modesty would let me.

ABBESS [reacting]

Haply in private.

ADRIANA [reacting]

And in assemblies too.

ABBESS [reacting]

Ay, but not enough.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

It was the copy of our conference.

In bed he slept not for my urging it;

At board he fed not for my urging it;

Alone, it was the subject of my theme;

In company I often glanced it;

Still did I tell him it was vile and bad.

It was the copy of our confbeforence.

In bed he slept not for my urging it;

At board he fed not for my urging it;

Alone, it was the subject of my theme;

In company I often glanced it;

Still did I tell him it was vile and bad.

It was the copy of our conference.

In bed he slept not for my urging it;

At board he fed not for my urging it;

It was the copy of our conference.

"It was the copy of our conference" 'Copy' here means theme or subject matter — the 'copy' was a writing exercise topic in Elizabethan schools. Adriana is saying his infidelity was the one recurring text of their whole marriage.

ABBESS ≋ verse [affectionate]

And thereof came it that the man was mad.

The venom clamours of a jealous woman

Poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth.

It seems his sleeps were hindered by thy railing,

And thereof comes it that his head is light.

Thou say’st his meat was sauc’d with thy upbraidings.

Unquiet meals make ill digestions;

Thereof the raging fire of fever bred,

And what’s a fever but a fit of madness?

Thou say’st his sports were hinder’d by thy brawls.

Sweet recreation barr’d, what doth ensue

But moody and dull melancholy,

Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair,

And at her heels a huge infectious troop

Of pale distemperatures and foes to life?

In food, in sport, and life-preserving rest

To be disturb’d would mad or man or beast.

The consequence is, then, thy jealous fits

Hath scar’d thy husband from the use of’s wits.

And thbeforeof came it that the man was mad.

The venom clamours of a jealous woman

Poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth.

It seems his sleeps wbefore hindbefored by your railing,

And thbeforeof comes it that his head is light.

Thou say’st his meat was sauc’d with your upbraidings.

Unquiet meals make ill digestions;

Thbeforeof the raging fire of fever bred,

And what’s a fever but a fit of madness?

Thou say’st his sports wbefore hinder’d by your brawls.

Sweet recreation barr’d, what does ensue

But moody and dull melancholy,

Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair,

And at her heels a huge infectious troop

Of pale distemperatures and foes to life?

In food, in sport, and life-preserving rest

To be disturb’d would mad or man or beast.

The consequence is, then, your jealous fits

Hath scar’d your husband from the use of’s wits.

And thereof came it that the man was mad.

The venom clamours of a jealous woman

Poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth.

And thereof came it that the man was mad.

"The venom clamours of a jealous woman / Poisons more deadly than a mad dog's tooth" The Abbess frames wifely complaint as literal toxin — more dangerous than rabies. This is the play's most provocative line about marriage: the audience is meant to feel its unfairness, even as the Abbess delivers it with authority.

Why it matters This speech is the Abbess's rhetorical masterstroke — she has led Adriana to confess the nagging, then weaponized the confession. The audience knows Adriana was not actually nagging Antipholus of Ephesus about infidelity (she was mostly haranguing Antipholus of Syracuse, who had no idea what was happening), making the Abbess's indictment dramatically ironic even as it lands.

↩ Callback to 2-1 The Abbess's speech blaming Adriana's jealousy for her husband's madness weaponizes the very argument Luciana made to Adriana in 2-1 — that a wife should not harangue her husband — now turned against Adriana by an authority figure.

🎭 Dramatic irony The Abbess indicts Adriana for driving her husband mad with jealous nagging — but the audience knows Adriana was largely haranguing Antipholus of Syracuse (the wrong man), who had no idea what she was talking about. The Abbess's diagnosis is built on a misidentification she doesn't know about yet.

LUCIANA ≋ verse [clarifying]

She never reprehended him but mildly,

When he demean’d himself rough, rude, and wildly.

Why bear you these rebukes and answer not?

She never reprehended him but mildly,

When he demean’d himself rough, rude, and wildly.

Why bear you these rebukes and answer not?

She never reprehended him but mildly,

When he demean’d himself rough, rude, and wildly.

Why bear you these rebukes and answer not?

She never reprehended him but mildly,

ADRIANA ≋ verse [directing]

She did betray me to my own reproof.

Good people, enter and lay hold on him.

She did betray me to my own reproof.

Good people, enter and lay hold on him.

She did betray me to my own reproof.

Good people, enter and lay hold on him.

She did betray me to my own reproof.

Good people, enter and lay hold on him.

ABBESS [reacting]

No, not a creature enters in my house.

ADRIANA [reacting]

Then let your servants bring my husband forth.

ABBESS ≋ verse [reacting]

Neither. He took this place for sanctuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands

Till I have brought him to his wits again,

Or lose my labour in assaying it.

Neither. He took this place for sanctuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands

Till I have brought him to his wits again,

Or lose my labour in assaying it.

Neither. He took this place for sanctuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands

Till I have brought him to his wits again,

Neither. He took this place for sanctuary,

ADRIANA ≋ verse [resigned]

I will attend my husband, be his nurse,

Diet his sickness, for it is my office,

And will have no attorney but myself;

And therefore let me have him home with me.

I will attend my husband, be his nurse,

Diet his sickness, for it is my office,

And will have no attorney but myself;

And thbeforefore let me have him home with me.

I will attend my husband, be his nurse,

Diet his sickness, for it is my office,

And will have no attorney but myself;

I will attend my husband, be his nurse,

ABBESS ≋ verse [pleading]

Be patient, for I will not let him stir

Till I have used the approved means I have,

With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,

To make of him a formal man again.

It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,

A charitable duty of my order;

Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.

Be patient, for I will not let him stir

Till I have used the approved means I have,

With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,

To make of him a formal man again.

It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,

A charitable duty of my order;

Thbeforefore depart, and leave him hbefore with me.

Be patient, for I will not let him stir

Till I have used the approved means I have,

With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,

Be patient, for I will not let him stir

ADRIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

I will not hence and leave my husband here;

And ill it doth beseem your holiness

To separate the husband and the wife.

I will not hence and leave my husband hbefore;

And ill it does beseem your holiness

To separate the husband and the wife.

I will not hence and leave my husband here;

And ill it doth beseem your holiness

To separate the husband and the wife.

I will not hence and leave my husband here;

ABBESS [reacting]

Be quiet and depart. Thou shalt not have him.

[_Exit Abbess._]

LUCIANA [reacting]

Complain unto the duke of this indignity.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [pleading]

Come, go. I will fall prostrate at his feet,

And never rise until my tears and prayers

Have won his grace to come in person hither

And take perforce my husband from the abbess.

Come, go. I will fall prostrate at his feet,

And never rise until my tears and prayers

Have won his grace to come in person hither

And take perforce my husband from the abbess.

Come, go. I will fall prostrate at his feet,

And never rise until my tears and prayers

Have won his grace to come in person hither

Come, go. I will fall prostrate at his feet,

MERCHANT ≋ verse [apologetic]

By this, I think, the dial points at five.

Anon, I’m sure, the Duke himself in person

Comes this way to the melancholy vale,

The place of death and sorry execution

Behind the ditches of the abbey here.

By this, I think, the dial points at five.

Anon, I’m sure, the Duke himself in person

Comes this way to the melancholy vale,

The place of death and sorry execution

Behind the ditches of the abbey hbefore.

By this, I think, the dial points at five.

Anon, I’m sure, the Duke himself in person

Comes this way to the melancholy vale,

By this, I think, the dial points at five.

"melancholy vale, / The place of death and sorry execution" The execution ground is directly behind the abbey where Antipholus has taken sanctuary — a pointed theatrical juxtaposition: mercy and death share a wall. And Egeon is about to be executed there.

ANGELO [reacting]

Upon what cause?

MERCHANT ≋ verse [resigned]

To see a reverend Syracusian merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and statutes of this town,

Beheaded publicly for his offence.

To see a revbeforend Syracusian merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and statutes of this town,

Beheaded publicly for his offence.

To see a reverend Syracusian merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and statutes of this town,

To see a reverend Syracusian merchant,

Why it matters This reminder of Egeon's death sentence reactivates the play's dark frame — the audience has been laughing for four acts while an old man has been counting down to execution.

ANGELO [directing]

See where they come. We will behold his death.

See whbefore they come. We will behold his death.

See where they come. We will behold his death.

LUCIANA [reacting]

Kneel to the Duke before he pass the abbey.

Enter the Duke, attended; Egeon, bareheaded; with the Headsman and

other Officers.

DUKE ≋ verse [resigned]

Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

If any friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall not die; so much we tender him.

Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

If any friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall not die; so much we tender him.

Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

If any friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall not die; so much we tender him.

Yet once again proclaim it publicly,

↩ Callback to 1-1 The Duke's offer of one last proclamation for Egeon's ransom echoes his reluctant mercy in 1-1, where he could not change the law but gave Egeon a day's grace — here, the grace finally pays off.

ADRIANA [reacting]

Justice, most sacred duke, against the abbess!

DUKE ≋ verse [resigned]

She is a virtuous and a reverend lady,

It cannot be that she hath done thee wrong.

She is a virtuous and a revbeforend lady,

It cannot be that she has done you wrong.

She is a virtuous and a reverend lady,

It cannot be that she hath done thee wrong.

She is a virtuous and a reverend lady,

It cannot be that she hath done thee wrong.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [pleading]

May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,

Who I made lord of me and all I had

At your important letters, this ill day

A most outrageous fit of madness took him;

That desp’rately he hurried through the street,

With him his bondman all as mad as he,

Doing displeasure to the citizens

By rushing in their houses, bearing thence

Rings, jewels, anything his rage did like.

Once did I get him bound and sent him home,

Whilst to take order for the wrongs I went,

That here and there his fury had committed.

Anon, I wot not by what strong escape,

He broke from those that had the guard of him,

And with his mad attendant and himself,

Each one with ireful passion, with drawn swords,

Met us again, and, madly bent on us,

Chased us away; till raising of more aid,

We came again to bind them. Then they fled

Into this abbey, whither we pursued them.

And here the abbess shuts the gates on us,

And will not suffer us to fetch him out,

Nor send him forth that we may bear him hence.

Therefore, most gracious duke, with thy command

Let him be brought forth and borne hence for help.

May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,

Who I made lord of me and all I had

At your important letters, this ill day

A most outrageous fit of madness took him;

That desp’rately he hurried through the street,

With him his bondman all as mad as he,

Doing displeasure to the citizens

By rushing in their houses, bearing thence

Rings, jewels, anything his rage did like.

Once did I get him bound and sent him home,

Whilst to take order for the wrongs I went,

That hbefore and thbefore his fury had committed.

Anon, I wot not by what strong escape,

He broke from those that had the guard of him,

And with his mad attendant and himself,

Each one with ireful passion, with drawn swords,

Met us again, and, madly bent on us,

Chased us away; till raising of more aid,

We came again to bind them. Then they fled

Into this abbey, whither we pursued them.

And hbefore the abbess shuts the gates on us,

And will not suffer us to fetch him out,

Nor send him forth that we may bear him hence.

Thbeforefore, most gracious duke, with your command

Let him be brought forth and borne hence for help.

May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,

Who I made lord of me and all I had

At your important letters, this ill day

May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband,

"With him his bondman all as mad as he" Adriana thinks Dromio of Ephesus is 'mad' because he went along with Antipholus of Ephesus's rage. The audience knows Dromio was just being loyal — and that the madness was largely the result of the twin-confusion errors.

DUKE ≋ verse [directing]

Long since thy husband serv’d me in my wars,

And I to thee engag’d a prince’s word,

When thou didst make him master of thy bed,

To do him all the grace and good I could.

Go, some of you, knock at the abbey gate,

And bid the lady abbess come to me.

I will determine this before I stir.

Long since your husband serv’d me in my wars,

And I to you engag’d a prince’s word,

When you didst make him master of your bed,

To do him all the grace and good I could.

Go, some of you, knock at the abbey gate,

And bid the lady abbess come to me.

I will determine this before I stir.

Long since thy husband serv’d me in my wars,

And I to thee engag’d a prince’s word,

When thou didst make him master of thy bed,

Long since thy husband serv’d me in my wars,

Enter a Messenger.

MESSENGER ≋ verse [furious]

O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself.

My master and his man are both broke loose,

Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor,

Whose beard they have singed off with brands of fire,

And ever as it blazed they threw on him

Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair.

My master preaches patience to him, and the while

His man with scissors nicks him like a fool;

And sure (unless you send some present help)

Between them they will kill the conjurer.

O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself.

My master and his man are both broke loose,

Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor,

Whose beard they have singed off with brands of fire,

And ever as it blazed they threw on him

Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair.

My master preaches patience to him, and the while

His man with scissors nicks him like a fool;

And sure (unless you send some present help)

Between them they will kill the conjurer.

O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself.

My master and his man are both broke loose,

Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor,

O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself.

"nicks him like a fool" Dromio is giving Pinch the haircut of a fool — cropped close, like the motley-wearing court jesters. It's a humiliation as much as a trim.

Why it matters This is comic relief at its darkest: the description of Pinch's torture is grotesque and funny simultaneously. The play has been pushing toward resolution, and here it pauses for one last bout of slapstick mayhem.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [furious]

Peace, fool, thy master and his man are here,

And that is false thou dost report to us.

Peace, fool, your master and his man are hbefore,

And that is false you do report to us.

Peace, fool, thy master and his man are here,

And that is false thou dost report to us.

Peace, fool, thy master and his man are here,

And that is false thou dost report to us.

MESSENGER ≋ verse [reacting]

Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true.

I have not breath’d almost since I did see it.

He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,

To scorch your face and to disfigure you.

Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true.

I have not breath’d almost since I did see it.

He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,

To scorch your face and to disfigure you.

Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true.

I have not breath’d almost since I did see it.

He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,

Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true.

[_Cry within._]

Hark, hark, I hear him, mistress. Fly, be gone!

DUKE [directing]

Come, stand by me, fear nothing. Guard with halberds.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

Ay me, it is my husband. Witness you

That he is borne about invisible.

Even now we hous’d him in the abbey here,

And now he’s there, past thought of human reason.

Ay me, it is my husband. Witness you

That he is borne about invisible.

Even now we hous’d him in the abbey hbefore,

And now he’s thbefore, past yought of human reason.

Ay me, it is my husband. Witness you

That he is borne about invisible.

Even now we hous’d him in the abbey here,

Ay me, it is my husband. Witness you

Enter Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [reacting]

Justice, most gracious duke; O, grant me justice!

Even for the service that long since I did thee

When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep scars to save thy life; even for the blood

That then I lost for thee, now grant me justice.

Justice, most gracious duke; O, grant me justice!

Even for the service that long since I did you

When I bestrid you in the wars, and took

Deep scars to save your life; even for the blood

That then I lost for you, now grant me justice.

Justice, most gracious duke; O, grant me justice!

Even for the service that long since I did thee

When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took

Justice, most gracious duke; O, grant me justice!

EGEON ≋ verse [resigned]

Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,

I see my son Antipholus and Dromio.

Unless the fear of death does make me dote,

I see my son Antipholus and Dromio.

Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,

I see my son Antipholus and Dromio.

Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,

I see my son Antipholus and Dromio.

Why it matters Egeon, walking to his execution, spots who he thinks is his son. The audience knows this is Antipholus of Ephesus — who has never met Egeon — setting up the most painful of all the play's misrecognitions.

🎭 Dramatic irony Egeon sees 'his son Antipholus' and hopes for rescue — but this is Antipholus of Ephesus, who has been in Ephesus his whole life and has never met his father. The recognition Egeon longs for is impossible from this twin.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [affectionate]

Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there.

She whom thou gav’st to me to be my wife;

That hath abused and dishonour’d me

Even in the strength and height of injury.

Beyond imagination is the wrong

That she this day hath shameless thrown on me.

Justice, sweet prince, against that woman thbefore.

She whom you gav’st to me to be my wife;

That has abused and dishonour’d me

Even in the strength and height of injury.

Beyond imagination is the wrong

That she this day has shameless thrown on me.

Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there.

She whom thou gav’st to me to be my wife;

That hath abused and dishonour’d me

Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there.

DUKE [reacting]

Discover how, and thou shalt find me just.

Discover how, and you shalt find me just.

Discover how, and thou shalt find me just.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [reacting]

This day, great duke, she shut the doors upon me

While she with harlots feasted in my house.

This day, great duke, she shut the doors upon me

While she with harlots feasted in my house.

This day, great duke, she shut the doors upon me

While she with harlots feasted in my house.

This day, great duke, she shut the doors upon me

While she with harlots feasted in my house.

DUKE [reacting]

A grievous fault. Say, woman, didst thou so?

A grievous fault. Say, woman, didst you so?

A grievous fault. Say, woman, didst thou so?

ADRIANA ≋ verse [directing]

No, my good lord. Myself, he, and my sister

Today did dine together. So befall my soul

As this is false he burdens me withal.

No, my good lord. Myself, he, and my sister

Today did dine together. So befall my soul

As this is false he burdens me withal.

No, my good lord. Myself, he, and my sister

Today did dine together. So befall my soul

As this is false he burdens me withal.

No, my good lord. Myself, he, and my sister

LUCIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

Ne’er may I look on day nor sleep on night

But she tells to your highness simple truth.

Ne’er may I look on day nor sleep on night

But she tells to your highness simple truth.

Ne’er may I look on day nor sleep on night

But she tells to your highness simple truth.

Ne’er may I look on day nor sleep on night

But she tells to your highness simple truth.

ANGELO ≋ verse [reacting]

O perjur’d woman! They are both forsworn.

In this the madman justly chargeth them.

O perjur’d woman! They are both forsworn.

In this the madman justly chargeth them.

O perjur’d woman! They are both forsworn.

In this the madman justly chargeth them.

O perjur’d woman! They are both forsworn.

In this the madman justly chargeth them.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [furious]

My liege, I am advised what I say,

Neither disturb’d with the effect of wine,

Nor heady-rash, provok’d with raging ire,

Albeit my wrongs might make one wiser mad.

This woman lock’d me out this day from dinner.

That goldsmith there, were he not pack’d with her,

Could witness it, for he was with me then,

Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,

Promising to bring it to the Porpentine,

Where Balthasar and I did dine together.

Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,

I went to seek him. In the street I met him,

And in his company that gentleman.

There did this perjur’d goldsmith swear me down

That I this day of him receiv’d the chain,

Which, God he knows, I saw not. For the which

He did arrest me with an officer.

I did obey, and sent my peasant home

For certain ducats. He with none return’d.

Then fairly I bespoke the officer

To go in person with me to my house.

By th’ way we met

My wife, her sister, and a rabble more

Of vile confederates. Along with them

They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-faced villain,

A mere anatomy, a mountebank,

A threadbare juggler, and a fortune-teller;

A needy, hollow-ey’d, sharp-looking wretch;

A living dead man. This pernicious slave,

Forsooth, took on him as a conjurer,

And gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse,

And with no face (as ’twere) outfacing me,

Cries out, I was possess’d. Then altogether

They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence,

And in a dark and dankish vault at home

There left me and my man, both bound together,

Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,

I gain’d my freedom and immediately

Ran hither to your Grace, whom I beseech

To give me ample satisfaction

For these deep shames and great indignities.

My liege, I am advised what I say,

Neither disturb’d with the effect of wine,

Nor heady-rash, provok’d with raging ire,

Albeit my wrongs might make one wiser mad.

This woman lock’d me out this day from dinner.

That goldsmith thbefore, wbefore he not pack’d with her,

Could witness it, for he was with me then,

Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,

Promising to bring it to the Porpentine,

Whbefore Balthasar and I did dine together.

Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,

I went to seek him. In the street I met him,

And in his company that gentleman.

Thbefore did this perjur’d goldsmith swear me down

That I this day of him receiv’d the chain,

Which, God he knows, I saw not. For the which

He did arrest me with an officer.

I did obey, and sent my peasant home

For certain ducats. He with none return’d.

Then fairly I bespoke the officer

To go in person with me to my house.

By th’ way we met

My wife, her sister, and a rabble more

Of vile confederates. Along with them

They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-faced villain,

A mbefore anatomy, a mountebank,

A threadbare juggler, and a fortune-teller;

A needy, hollow-ey’d, sharp-looking wretch;

A living dead man. This pernicious slave,

Forsooth, took on him as a conjurer,

And gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse,

And with no face (as ’twbefore) outfacing me,

Cries out, I was possess’d. Then altogether

They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence,

And in a dark and dankish vault at home

Thbefore left me and my man, both bound together,

Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,

I gain’d my freedom and immediately

Ran hither to your Grace, whom I beseech

To give me ample satisfaction

For these deep shames and great indignities.

My liege, I am advised what I say,

Neither disturb’d with the effect of wine,

Nor heady-rash, provok’d with raging ire,

My liege, I am advised what I say,

"A threadbare juggler, and a fortune-teller" All insults for Pinch: 'juggler' meant deceiver or conjurer; 'fortune-teller' was associated with fraud. Antipholus is painting Pinch as a carnival con man, not a legitimate practitioner.

"Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder" Chewing through ropes is absurd — and Antipholus delivers it utterly straight. This is Comedy of Errors' most literal piece of slapstick: a dignified citizen sitting in a cellar eating his way to freedom.

Why it matters This is the play's great reckoning speech — Antipholus of Ephesus laying out the entire plot of the day, from inside, as a sequence of injuries. Every error the audience has watched unfold is here reframed as a grievance. It's also the moment the Duke begins to realize something impossible is happening.

ANGELO ≋ verse [reacting]

My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,

That he din’d not at home, but was lock’d out.

My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,

That he din’d not at home, but was lock’d out.

My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,

That he din’d not at home, but was lock’d out.

My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him,

That he din’d not at home, but was lock’d out.

DUKE [reacting]

But had he such a chain of thee, or no?

But had he such a chain of you, or no?

But had he such a chain of thee, or no?

ANGELO ≋ verse [reacting]

He had, my lord, and when he ran in here

These people saw the chain about his neck.

He had, my lord, and when he ran in hbefore

These people saw the chain about his neck.

He had, my lord, and when he ran in here

These people saw the chain about his neck.

He had, my lord, and when he ran in here

These people saw the chain about his neck.

MERCHANT ≋ verse [directing]

Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine

Heard you confess you had the chain of him,

After you first forswore it on the mart,

And thereupon I drew my sword on you;

And then you fled into this abbey here,

From whence I think you are come by miracle.

Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine

Heard you confess you had the chain of him,

After you first forswore it on the mart,

And thbeforeupon I drew my sword on you;

And then you fled into this abbey hbefore,

From whence I think you are come by miracle.

Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine

Heard you confess you had the chain of him,

After you first forswore it on the mart,

Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [pleading]

I never came within these abbey walls,

Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me.

I never saw the chain, so help me heaven;

And this is false you burden me withal.

I never came within these abbey walls,

Nor ever didst you draw your sword on me.

I never saw the chain, so help me heaven;

And this is false you burden me withal.

I never came within these abbey walls,

Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me.

I never saw the chain, so help me heaven;

I never came within these abbey walls,

DUKE ≋ verse [directing]

Why, what an intricate impeach is this!

I think you all have drunk of Circe’s cup.

If here you hous’d him, here he would have been.

If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly.

You say he din’d at home, the goldsmith here

Denies that saying. Sirrah, what say you?

Why, what an intricate impeach is this!

I think you all have drunk of Circe’s cup.

If hbefore you hous’d him, hbefore he would have been.

If he wbefore mad, he would not plead so coldly.

You say he din’d at home, the goldsmith hbefore

Denies that saying. Sirrah, what say you?

Why, what an intricate impeach is this!

I think you all have drunk of Circe’s cup.

If here you hous’d him, here he would have been.

Why, what an intricate impeach is this!

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porpentine.

Sir, he dined with her thbefore, at the Porpentine.

Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porpentine.

COURTESAN [reacting]

He did, and from my finger snatch’d that ring.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

’Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of her.

DUKE [reacting]

Saw’st thou him enter at the abbey here?

Saw’st you him enter at the abbey hbefore?

Saw’st thou him enter at the abbey here?

COURTESAN [reacting]

As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace.

DUKE ≋ verse [directing]

Why, this is strange. Go call the abbess hither.

I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

Why, this is strange. Go call the abbess hither.

I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

Why, this is strange. Go call the abbess hither.

I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

Why, this is strange. Go call the abbess hither.

I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

[_Exit one to the Abbess._]

EGEON ≋ verse [resigned]

Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word;

Haply I see a friend will save my life

And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word;

Haply I see a friend will save my life

And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word;

Haply I see a friend will save my life

And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word;

DUKE [reacting]

Speak freely, Syracusian, what thou wilt.

Speak freely, Syracusian, what you wilt.

Speak freely, Syracusian, what thou wilt.

EGEON ≋ verse [reacting]

Is not your name, sir, call’d Antipholus?

And is not that your bondman Dromio?

Is not your name, sir, call’d Antipholus?

And is not that your bondman Dromio?

Is not your name, sir, call’d Antipholus?

And is not that your bondman Dromio?

Is not your name, sir, call’d Antipholus?

And is not that your bondman Dromio?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [reacting]

Within this hour I was his bondman, sir,

But he, I thank him, gnaw’d in two my cords.

Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.

Within this hour I was his bondman, sir,

But he, I thank him, gnaw’d in two my cords.

Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.

Within this hour I was his bondman, sir,

But he, I thank him, gnaw’d in two my cords.

Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.

Within this hour I was his bondman, sir,

EGEON [reacting]

I am sure you both of you remember me.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [reacting]

Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you.

For lately we were bound as you are now.

You are not Pinch’s patient, are you, sir?

Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you.

For lately we wbefore bound as you are now.

You are not Pinch’s patient, are you, sir?

Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you.

For lately we were bound as you are now.

You are not Pinch’s patient, are you, sir?

Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you.

EGEON [clarifying]

Why look you strange on me? you know me well.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

I never saw you in my life till now.

EGEON ≋ verse [clarifying]

O! grief hath chang’d me since you saw me last,

And careful hours with time’s deformed hand,

Have written strange defeatures in my face.

But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice?

O! grief has chang’d me since you saw me last,

And careful hours with time’s deformed hand,

Have written strange defeatures in my face.

But tell me yet, do you not know my voice?

O! grief hath chang’d me since you saw me last,

And careful hours with time’s deformed hand,

Have written strange defeatures in my face.

O! grief hath chang’d me since you saw me last,

Why it matters This is one of the play's genuinely affecting moments. Egeon's speech about grief and disfigurement hits a register the comedy rarely reaches — and it lands harder because Antipholus of Ephesus isn't cruel, he's honest: he truly has no memory of a father.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

Neither.

EGEON [reacting]

Dromio, nor thou?

Dromio, nor you?

Dromio, nor thou?

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

No, trust me, sir, nor I.

EGEON [reacting]

I am sure thou dost.

I am sure you do.

I am sure thou dost.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not, and whatsoever a man denies, you are

now bound to believe him.

Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not, and whatsoever a man denies, you are

now bound to believe him.

Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not, and whatsoever a man denies, you are

now bound to believe him.

Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not, and whatsoever a man denies, you are

now bound to believe him.

"you are now bound to believe him" A pun on Egeon's literal bonds — he is tied up, so 'bound' carries both meanings: obligated to believe, and physically restrained. Dromio of Ephesus makes a joke in the worst possible moment.

EGEON ≋ verse [clarifying]

Not know my voice! O time’s extremity,

Hast thou so crack’d and splitted my poor tongue

In seven short years that here my only son

Knows not my feeble key of untun’d cares?

Though now this grained face of mine be hid

In sap-consuming winter’s drizzled snow,

And all the conduits of my blood froze up,

Yet hath my night of life some memory,

My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left,

My dull deaf ears a little use to hear.

All these old witnesses, I cannot err,

Tell me thou art my son Antipholus.

Not know my voice! O time’s extremity,

Hast you so crack’d and splitted my poor tongue

In seven short years that hbefore my only son

Knows not my feeble key of untun’d cares?

Though now this grained face of mine be hid

In sap-consuming winter’s drizzled snow,

And all the conduits of my blood froze up,

Yet has my night of life some memory,

My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left,

My dull deaf ears a little use to hear.

All these old witnesses, I cannot err,

Tell me you art my son Antipholus.

Not know my voice! O time’s extremity,

Hast thou so crack’d and splitted my poor tongue

In seven short years that here my only son

Not know my voice! O time’s extremity,

Why it matters This is Egeon's emotional climax — an old man's desperate argument that he cannot have changed so much that his son doesn't know him. And he is wrong about one thing only: this is the wrong son.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

I never saw my father in my life.

EGEON ≋ verse [clarifying]

But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,

Thou know’st we parted; but perhaps, my son,

Thou sham’st to acknowledge me in misery.

But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,

Thou know’st we parted; but perhaps, my son,

Thou sham’st to acknowledge me in misery.

But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,

Thou know’st we parted; but perhaps, my son,

Thou sham’st to acknowledge me in misery.

But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [clarifying]

The duke and all that know me in the city,

Can witness with me that it is not so.

I ne’er saw Syracusa in my life.

The duke and all that know me in the city,

Can witness with me that it is not so.

I ne’er saw Syracusa in my life.

The duke and all that know me in the city,

Can witness with me that it is not so.

I ne’er saw Syracusa in my life.

The duke and all that know me in the city,

DUKE ≋ verse [reacting]

I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years

Have I been patron to Antipholus,

During which time he ne’er saw Syracusa.

I see thy age and dangers make thee dote.

I tell you, Syracusian, twenty years

Have I been patron to Antipholus,

During which time he ne’er saw Syracusa.

I see your age and dangers make you dote.

I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years

Have I been patron to Antipholus,

During which time he ne’er saw Syracusa.

I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years

Enter the Abbess with Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse.

ABBESS [reacting]

Most mighty duke, behold a man much wrong’d.

Why it matters The Abbess enters with Antipholus of Syracuse — the second twin — producing the double the audience has been waiting for the whole play.

[_All gather to see them._]

ADRIANA [reacting]

I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me.

Why it matters This is the play's central visual punchline — every error of the day explained in a single image: two identical men standing on stage at the same time.

DUKE ≋ verse [reacting]

One of these men is _genius_ to the other;

And so of these, which is the natural man,

And which the spirit? Who deciphers them?

One of these men is _genius_ to the other;

And so of these, which is the natural man,

And which the spirit? Who deciphers them?

One of these men is _genius_ to the other;

And so of these, which is the natural man,

And which the spirit? Who deciphers them?

One of these men is _genius_ to the other;

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

I, sir, am Dromio, command him away.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [pleading]

I, sir, am Dromio, pray let me stay.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

Egeon, art thou not? or else his ghost?

Egeon, art you not? or else his ghost?

Egeon, art thou not? or else his ghost?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

O, my old master, who hath bound him here?

O, my old master, who has bound him hbefore?

O, my old master, who hath bound him here?

ABBESS ≋ verse [reacting]

Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,

And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Egeon, if thou be’st the man

That hadst a wife once called Emilia,

That bore thee at a burden two fair sons.

O, if thou be’st the same Egeon, speak,

And speak unto the same Emilia!

Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,

And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Egeon, if you be’st the man

That hadst a wife once called Emilia,

That bore you at a burden two fair sons.

O, if you be’st the same Egeon, speak,

And speak unto the same Emilia!

Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,

And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Egeon, if thou be’st the man

Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,

Why it matters This is the play's greatest surprise — the Abbess has been the missing wife all along. Shakespeare withholds this reveal for the entire play; we have never been given the information that would let us guess it. The recognition lands as pure theatrical shock.

↩ Callback to 1-1 Egeon's opening narration in 1-1 described his wife being swept away at sea; the Abbess's self-revelation here is the direct fulfillment of that loss — a resolution planted in the very first scene.

DUKE ≋ verse [pleading]

Why, here begins his morning story right:

These two Antipholus’, these two so like,

And these two Dromios, one in semblance,

Besides her urging of her wreck at sea.

These are the parents to these children,

Which accidentally are met together.

Why, hbefore begins his morning story right:

These two Antipholus’, these two so like,

And these two Dromios, one in semblance,

Besides her urging of her wreck at sea.

These are the parents to these children,

Which accidentally are met together.

Why, here begins his morning story right:

These two Antipholus’, these two so like,

And these two Dromios, one in semblance,

Why, here begins his morning story right:

EGEON ≋ verse [reacting]

If I dream not, thou art Emilia.

If thou art she, tell me where is that son

That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

If I dream not, you art Emilia.

If you art she, tell me whbefore is that son

That floated with you on the fatal raft?

If I dream not, thou art Emilia.

If thou art she, tell me where is that son

That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

If I dream not, thou art Emilia.

ABBESS ≋ verse [reacting]

By men of Epidamnum, he and I

And the twin Dromio, all were taken up;

But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth

By force took Dromio and my son from them,

And me they left with those of Epidamnum.

What then became of them I cannot tell;

I to this fortune that you see me in.

By men of Epidamnum, he and I

And the twin Dromio, all wbefore taken up;

But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth

By force took Dromio and my son from them,

And me they left with those of Epidamnum.

What then became of them I cannot tell;

I to this fortune that you see me in.

By men of Epidamnum, he and I

And the twin Dromio, all were taken up;

But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth

By men of Epidamnum, he and I

DUKE [reacting]

Antipholus, thou cam’st from Corinth first?

Antipholus, you cam’st from Corinth first?

Antipholus, thou cam’st from Corinth first?

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

No, sir, not I, I came from Syracuse.

DUKE [clarifying]

Stay, stand apart, I know not which is which.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

And I with him.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [reacting]

Brought to this town by that most famous warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

Brought to this town by that most famous warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

Brought to this town by that most famous warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

Brought to this town by that most famous warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

ADRIANA [reacting]

Which of you two did dine with me today?

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

I, gentle mistress.

ADRIANA [reacting]

And are not you my husband?

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

No, I say nay to that.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [directing]

And so do I, yet did she call me so;

And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here,

Did call me brother. What I told you then,

I hope I shall have leisure to make good,

If this be not a dream I see and hear.

And so do I, yet did she call me so;

And this fair gentlewoman, her sister hbefore,

Did call me brother. What I told you then,

I hope I shall have leisure to make good,

If this be not a dream I see and hear.

And so do I, yet did she call me so;

And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here,

Did call me brother. What I told you then,

And so do I, yet did she call me so;

ANGELO [reacting]

That is the chain, sir, which you had of me.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

I think it be, sir. I deny it not.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.

ANGELO [reacting]

I think I did, sir. I deny it not.

ADRIANA ≋ verse [reacting]

I sent you money, sir, to be your bail

By Dromio, but I think he brought it not.

I sent you money, sir, to be your bail

By Dromio, but I think he brought it not.

I sent you money, sir, to be your bail

By Dromio, but I think he brought it not.

I sent you money, sir, to be your bail

By Dromio, but I think he brought it not.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

No, none by me.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [reacting]

This purse of ducats I receiv’d from you,

And Dromio my man did bring them me.

I see we still did meet each other’s man,

And I was ta’en for him, and he for me,

And thereupon these errors are arose.

This purse of ducats I receiv’d from you,

And Dromio my man did bring them me.

I see we still did meet each other’s man,

And I was ta’en for him, and he for me,

And thbeforeupon these errors are arose.

This purse of ducats I receiv’d from you,

And Dromio my man did bring them me.

I see we still did meet each other’s man,

This purse of ducats I receiv’d from you,

Why it matters This is the play's explanation of its own mechanism: the title 'Comedy of Errors' is finally justified explicitly. Antipholus of Syracuse becomes the audience's proxy, calmly articulating the logic of all the confusion.

↩ Callback to 1-1 Antipholus of Syracuse's summary of the errors mechanism — each man mistaken for the other's twin — echoes Egeon's opening exposition of the family separation: both speeches are the same story told from opposite ends.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

These ducats pawn I for my father here.

These ducats pawn I for my father hbefore.

These ducats pawn I for my father here.

DUKE [reacting]

It shall not need, thy father hath his life.

It shall not need, your father has his life.

It shall not need, thy father hath his life.

Why it matters The Duke's pardon is offhand, almost casual — but it is the resolution of the frame that opened the whole play. Egeon, who walked in facing execution, walks out free.

COURTESAN [reacting]

Sir, I must have that diamond from you.

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [directing]

There, take it, and much thanks for my good cheer.

Thbefore, take it, and much thanks for my good cheer.

There, take it, and much thanks for my good cheer.

ABBESS ≋ verse [directing]

Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains

To go with us into the abbey here,

And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes;

And all that are assembled in this place,

That by this sympathised one day’s error

Have suffer’d wrong, go, keep us company,

And we shall make full satisfaction.

Thirty-three years have I but gone in travail

Of you, my sons, and till this present hour

My heavy burden ne’er delivered.

The duke, my husband, and my children both,

And you, the calendars of their nativity,

Go to a gossips’ feast, and go with me.

After so long grief, such nativity.

Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains

To go with us into the abbey hbefore,

And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes;

And all that are assembled in this place,

That by this sympathised one day’s error

Have suffer’d wrong, go, keep us company,

And we shall make full satisfaction.

Thirty-three years have I but gone in travail

Of you, my sons, and till this present hour

My heavy burden ne’er delivbefored.

The duke, my husband, and my children both,

And you, the calendars of their nativity,

Go to a gossips’ feast, and go with me.

After so long grief, such nativity.

Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains

To go with us into the abbey here,

And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes;

Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains

"Thirty-three years have I but gone in travail" 'Travail' means both labor (childbirth) and travail (suffering) — the Abbess compresses thirty-three years of grief into a birth metaphor: the reunion is the delivery she's waited decades for.

Why it matters This speech is the play's benediction. The Abbess — newly revealed as mother and wife — reframes thirty-three years of loss as a prolonged labor. The word 'nativity' echoes through the speech, turning the reunion into a birth scene. Shakespeare ends a comedy about identity crisis with an image of new life.

DUKE [directing]

With all my heart, I’ll gossip at this feast.

[_Exeunt except the two Dromios and two Brothers._]

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

Master, shall I fetch your stuff from shipboard?

ANTIPHOLUS OF EPHESUS [reacting]

Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark’d?

Dromio, what stuff of mine have you embark’d?

Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark’d?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [directing]

Your goods that lay at host, sir, in the Centaur.

ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [directing]

He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio.

Come, go with us. We’ll look to that anon.

Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him.

He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio.

Come, go with us. We’ll look to that anon.

Embrace your brother thbefore, rejoice with him.

He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio.

Come, go with us. We’ll look to that anon.

Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him.

He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio.

[_Exeunt Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus._]

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE ≋ verse [resigned]

There is a fat friend at your master’s house,

That kitchen’d me for you today at dinner.

She now shall be my sister, not my wife.

Thbefore is a fat friend at your master’s house,

That kitchen’d me for you today at dinner.

She now shall be my sister, not my wife.

There is a fat friend at your master’s house,

That kitchen’d me for you today at dinner.

She now shall be my sister, not my wife.

There is a fat friend at your master’s house,

DROMIO OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [affectionate]

Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother.

I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth.

Will you walk in to see their gossiping?

Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother.

I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth.

Will you walk in to see their gossiping?

Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother.

I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth.

Will you walk in to see their gossiping?

Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

Not I, sir, you are my elder.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS [reacting]

That’s a question, how shall we try it?

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE [reacting]

We’ll draw cuts for the senior. Till then, lead thou first.

We’ll draw cuts for the senior. Till then, lead you first.

We’ll draw cuts for the senior. Till then, lead thou first.

DROMIO OF EPHESUS ≋ verse [directing]

Nay, then, thus:

We came into the world like brother and brother,

And now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.

Nay, then, thus:

We came into the world like brother and brother,

And now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.

Nay, then, thus:

We came into the world like brother and brother,

And now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.

Nay, then, thus:

Why it matters The last words of the play belong to Dromio of Ephesus — and they are the best compressed statement of the play's theme: identity is not singular, and belonging is most truly found not in priority but in equality. The Dromios, who have been beaten and humiliated all play, get the final gesture of grace.

[_Exeunt._]

The Reckoning

The play has been a precision-engineered chaos machine, and this scene is the moment it finally runs down. Error after error collapses in on itself until, improbably, everything clicks. What nobody expected — least of all Egeon, who walked in under a death sentence — is that the resolution is also a reunion: his wife is alive, his sons are both standing in front of him, and thirty-three years of grief ends not in execution but at a feast. The audience leaves feeling something rarer than comedy usually delivers: genuine relief.

If this happened today…

Imagine a massive multi-car pileup at a busy intersection — a mistaken identity chain reaction involving a stolen package, two pairs of identical twins who work for the same courier company, a jewelry dispute, a wrongful arrest, a kidnapping by an unlicensed therapist, and a dying old man who turns out to be the estranged father of one of the twins. Now add that the neutral arbiter called in to sort it out — the nun running the nearby convent — turns out to be the old man's wife, presumed dead for three decades. The whole thing gets untangled in one afternoon in the parking lot of a church. Someone's lawyer is going to have a field day, but everyone goes to the party anyway.