The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies. During the life of the writer was not published and was first printed in a posthumous folio . It is known that comedy went on stage already before 1594. The text of the play allows researchers of the writer's work to suggest that it was written around 1591.
| Comedy of mistakes | |
|---|---|
| The comedy of errors | |
 | |
| Genre | comedy |
| Author | William Shakespeare |
| Original language | English |
| Date of writing | 1592-1594 |
“The Comedy of Errors” is one of the shortest plays of the writer (1777 lines) and the only one (with the exception of “The Tempest ”) relating to the “ classical ”. It respects the unity of time - all events occur on the same day - and, in a generalized sense, the unity of place - all events occur in one city.
Content
Story
The Syracuse merchant Egeon was forced to leave on business at Epidamn . Six months later, his pregnant wife Emilia unexpectedly followed him and gave birth to two twin sons upon arrival. At the same time, twin children also appeared in one of the poor women in the same house. Egeon bought them from his parents to raise servants for his sons. Soon the family decided to return home, but the ship fell into a storm. Then Egeon and Emilia each took one of their sons and infant servants and became attached to the spare masts. After the storm, the sailors picked them up: Egeon was saved by a ship from Epidaurus , and Emilia was saved by a Corinthian ship.
Eighteen years later, Antifolus of Syracuse, raised by his father, set off all over the world to look for his brother, taking with him only a servant. Five years later, fate brought him to Ephesus , where his brother lives just the same.
The whole plot of the play is built on a farcical basis. Due to the external similarity, the characters of the play always confuse the twins with each other: in the end, the wife of Antifol of Ephesus takes her husband for a madman, and he falls in love with her meek sister Lucian. In the end, all the characters gather together at the monastery, where Antifol of Ephesus took refuge, escaping from the doctor Pinch, called up by his wife. At this time, the duke and Egeon pass by, who arrived in Ephesus, looking for sons, but because of the discord between Ephesus and Syracuse, they should have executed him. Egeon recognizes his sons and Emilia, who turned out to be an abbess of the very monastery where they gathered. The duke had mercy on Aegeon and called everyone to a feast, which ends the comedy.
Actors
Among the names of the characters, Latin (Antifol, Egeon) and Italian (Angelo, Balthazar) forms are mixed. The only meaningful name is Pinch: English. pinch - “infringement, constrained position”.
- Solin [1] , Duke of Ephesus.
- Egeon , a Syracuse merchant.
- Antifol of Ephesus , Antifol of Syracuse , twin brothers, sons of Egeon and Emilia.
- Dromio of Ephesus , Dromio of Syracuse , twin brothers, servants of two Antifols.
- Balthazar , a merchant.
- Angelo , jeweler.
- The first merchant , a friend of Antifol of Syracuse.
- Second merchant , creditor Angelo.
- Pinch , a school teacher.
- Emilia or Mother Superior is the wife of Egeon, abbess of the monastery in Ephesus.
- Adriana , wife of Antifolus of Ephesus.
- Luciana , her sister.
- Lucia , a servant of Hadrian.
- Courtesan
Jailer, bailiffs, retinue, servants
Comedy Prototypes
The plot of the comedy was based on the work of the Roman writer Plaut “ Menehma ”, but Shakespeare also added elements from other comedies of the author: for example, from the “ Amphitrion ” was taken the second pair of twins - servants.
Story History
The first known performances of this Shakespeare comedy took place in 1594 at a private play in the London Lawyer's Assembly Hall. In 1604 - at the Palace Theater of Jacob I. There is no information confirming that this play was on the stages of public theaters.
- December 15, 1852 - Moscow Imperial Theaters, translation from English. N. X. Ketcher , in the benefit of actor I.V. Samarin .
- 1949 - Moscow Academic Theater of Satire , staged by V.E. Krasnyansky .
Adaptations
Musicals and Cinema
Based on the plot of this Shakespearean play, several films were shot - in particular, the silent American film of 1908, the East German film Komödie der Irrungen (1960), the Soviet "Comedy of Errors" and the Indian " Angur ". In 2008, a new film was made, directed by Carey Collins .
This comedy also formed the basis of the Broadway musical Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart, The Boys from Syracuse, 1938, which was filmed in 1940 (The , directed by . starred in identical twins.
Television productions
- 1949 - Comedy of Errors , USA, director Stanley Quinn (episode from the TV series Kraft Television Theater )
- 1954 - Comedy of Errors , UK (episode of the television series ), directed by Lionel Harris
- 1956 - Comedy of Errors , UK (episode of the television series )
- 1964 - Comedy of Errors , Great Britain, directors Peter Dagid, (episode of the television series
- 1965 - Comedy of Errors / Komödie der Irrungen, Germany (TV), directed by
- 1966 - Comedy of Errors / Phir Milengey Hum Dono, Bangladesh, directed by Syed Shamsul Haque
- 1968 - Comedy of Errors / Komödie der Irrungen, GDR (TV), directed by
- 1970 - Comedy of Errors / Komödie der Irrungen, Belgium (TV), directors Georg Madeja, Herbert Wochinz
Notes
- ↑ Names given by A. Nekora