The Comedy of Errors, Act 1, Scene 2

Note: I should have posted this last week, but I didn't, so what the hey. If anyone else wants to post a synopsis, then be my guest. The point is that we read the plays. Also, I should have pointed out that Solinus giving Egeon until sunset to raise his ransom makes this story a "race against the clock." How exciting, eh?

The scene is still in Ephesus. Antipholus of Syracuse (the twin that Egeon raised; we’ll call him Antipholus S.) is talking with a merchant who is also his friend. The merchant tells Antipholus that on that very day another Syracusian merchant has been arrested and sentenced to die at sunset, in accordance with the law of the land. The merchant advises Antipholus to say that he is from Epidamnum, and he gives Antipholus some money (a thousand gold marks, oddly enough). Antipholus gives the money to his servant, Dromio of Syracuse (henceforth Dromio S.) and tells him to take it and their luggage to the Centaur Inn and to wait for him their, while he tours the city. When Dromio leaves, Antipholus praises him, and invites the merchant join him on his tour and to have dinner with him. The merchant declines the tour, but tells Antipholus that he’ll join him for dinner, and takes his leave saying, “Sir, I commend you to thy content.” The valedictory causes Dromio to meditate upon and bemoan his unhappiness at being unable to find his mother and brother:

“He that commends me to me to mine own content
Commends me to the thing I cannot get. . .
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself.”
(1.2.33-34, 39-40)

While he meditates, Dromio of Ephesus (Dromio E.) appears. Of course, Antipholus thinks him to be his own servant, and he marvels and exclaims that Dromio has so quickly – and so carelessly – returned from the Centaur Inn, leaving unattended their belongings and the thousand gold marks. Dromio explains that he is there to fetch Antipholus home for supper, as his mistress is angry over his rudeness. Antipholus wants to know where the money is. Dromio thinks he is talking about sixpence that Antipholus gave him some days earlier to pay for repairs to his mistress’s saddle. Antipholus becomes angry, and soon begins to wail away on poor Dromio, who flees to avoid any other wrath to come. With Dromio gone, Antipholus is reminded that Ephesus is a known haven for “dark-working sorcerers that change the mind” and “soul-killing witches that deform the body”, and one of them must have hexed Dromio. (1.2.99-100). “If it be so, I will be gone the sooner.” (1.2.103)

With that, he hurries to the Centaur Inn to check on his possessions, and to confront Dromio.

1.2.33 gives us a bit of a language lesson. The phrase “mine own” might seem archaic, but it is a correct construction. Language theory says that spoken language should flow smoothly. Today, we use the phrase “my own,” which has a slight break between the words. That break is called a “hiatus,” or a rest. “Mine own” prevents hiatus and allows the speech to flow smoothly. A more common example of hiatus and the prevention thereof is the phrase “an historical event”: Most people, including “professional” communicators such broadcast news reporters, will mistakenly say “a historical event.” (Look in your writer’s guide or style guide for “articles and determiners.” It’ll explain how to avoid hiatus.)

There is a wonderful paradox in 1.2.39-40. Antipholus has implied that he will lose himself - in his search for his mother and brother - in order to find himself. Paradox is a prominent Shakespearean element, and we’ll see it again in The Comedy of Errors.

The BBC production of The Comedy of Errors casts Roger Daltry of The Who in the role of Dromio. He did a superb job, much better than he did in the title role of Tommy. If you have the means to lay hold of the BBC’s Shakespeare collection, then I recommend them to you. They’re very good.