Comedy of Errors

1.Drayton Hall is a 400 seat proscenium theater. It’s a fairly small theater but I liked it. The stage has a removable orchestra pit as well. The surface is Masonite painted with flat black latex. There are also two trap doors located on the stage. The set of Comedy of Errors was very colorful. The story takes place in an ancient Greek city called Ephesus. The entire set is of the town. At the beginning of the play there is a large puppet booth set up in the middle of the stage, but after the main introduction, the puppet booth is taken away. The set also consists of a café on the left side, a gypsy house, the house of Antipholus and his wife, and the doctor’s house. Also, in the very middle back of the stage is the church. The set was very believable and colorful. The costumes were amazing. They really contributed to the story. I really liked how everyone had their own hair color. The two sets of twins had the same costume, yet they were different in very small ways. Dromio of Ephesus’s costume was a bit disheveled, while Dromio of Syracuse’s costume was very put together. The gypsy’s costumes were also very believable. They were again, colorful. The main gypsy’s costume consisted of a funny swinging tassel bra. The doctor’s hair was crazy and out there and his dirty look was authentic.

2.This play takes place any time in between 1589 to 1595. Wars in France are referenced, but the exact date is never mentioned. The author was William Shakespeare. It was one of his earliest plays. William Shakespeare lived in both the Golden Age and Jacobean Age. This age is also known as the Renaissance. William Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616, meaning all but the last 13 years of his life were lived during the Elizabethan period of English history.

3.The plot of Comedy of Errors was very interesting. The pre-cursor to the play shows a young family with twins. They acquire another set of twins but are separated at sea. The husband (Egeon) ends up with 2 sons, one from each set of twins, while the wife (Emilia) gets abducted by pirates. The 2 sons who grow up with Egeon are determined to find their long lost brothers and set out on a journey. Their father follows them to Ephesus and is captured by the Duke. He is required to pay a fine and tells the Duke his sad story. Moved by the story, the Duke grants him one more day to pay the fine. Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus looking for their brothers. Antipholus sends Dromio to deposit money into the bank. He then sees Dromio of Ephesus and beats him because this Dromio has no knowledge of this money. He also tells Antipholus that his wife is waiting for him at home. Adriana, Antipholus of Ephesus’s wife gets this news and is worried that her husband is cheating. She confronts the Antipholus who is not her husband along with the Dromio of Syracuse. They both play along and decide to eat dinner with Adriana and her sister. Antipholus of Ephesus returns home for dinner and is enraged to find that he is rudely refused entry to his own house by Dromio of Syracuse, who is keeping the gate. He is ready to break down the door, but his friends persuade him not to make a scene. He decides, instead, to dine with a Courtesan. Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse discovers that he is very attracted to his "wife"'s sister, Luciana. She is flattered but leaves. Dromio then tells Antipholus that he has discovered his wife, the ugly, fat housemaid. The Syracusans decide to leave as soon as possible, and Dromio runs off to make travel plans. Antipholus is apprehended by Angelo, a goldsmith, who claims that he ordered a chain from him. Antipholus is forced to accept the chain, and Angelo says that he will return for payment. Antipholus of Ephesus dispatches Dromio of Ephesus to purchase a rope so that he can beat his wife Adriana for locking him out, then is accosted by Angelo who asks for his payment for the chain. He denies ever seeing it, and is promptly arrested. As he is being led away, Dromio of Syracuse arrives, whereupon Antipholus dispatches him back to Adriana's house to get money for his bail. After completing this errand, Dromio of Syracuse mistakenly delivers the money to Antipholus of Syracuse. The Courtesan spies Antipholus wearing the gold chain, and says he promised it to her. The Syracusans deny this, and flee. The Courtesan resolves to tell Adriana that her husband is insane. Dromio of Ephesus returns to the arrested Antipholus of Ephesus, with the rope. Antipholus is infuriated. Adriana, Luciana and the Courtesan enter with a conjurer named Pinch, who tries to exorcise the Ephesians, who are bound and taken to Adriana's house. The Syracusans enter, carrying swords, and everybody runs off for fear: believing that they are the Ephesians, out for vengeance after somehow escaping their bonds. Adriana reappears with henchmen, who attempt to bind the Syracusans. They take sanctuary in a nearby priory, where the Abbess resolutely protects them. The Duke and Egeon enter, on their way to Egeon's execution. Adriana begs the Duke to force the Abbess to release her husband. Then, a messenger from Adriana's house runs in and announces that the Ephesians have broken loose from their bonds and tortured Doctor Pinch. The Ephesians enter and ask the Duke for justice against Adriana. Egeon believes he has found his own son, Antipholus, who will be able to bail him, but both Ephesians deny having ever seen him before. Suddenly, the Abbess enters with the Syracusan twins, and everyone begins to understand the confused events of the day. Not only are the two sets of twins reunited, but the Abbess reveals that she is Egeon's wife, Emilia. The Duke pardons Egeon. All exit into the abbey to celebrate the reunification of the family.