Shakespeare's dextrous comedy of two twin masters and two twin servants continually mistaken for one another is both farce and more than farce. The Comedy of Errors examines the interplay between personal and commercial relationships, and the breakdown of social order that follows the disruption of identity. As well as detailed on-page commentary notes, this new edition has a long, illustrated introduction exploring the play's performance and crtitical history, as well as its place in the comic tradition from Classical to modern times.
List of Illustrations
General editors' preface
Preface
Introduction
Laughter, Empathy and Memorability
Error and Identity
The Cultural World
Poetic Geography, Travel, Dark Ephesus
Genre
Style: Verse and Prose
Sources and Influences
Staging
Early Performances
Afterlife: Image, Stage and Screen
Editorial Procedures
The Comedy of Errors
Longer Notes
Notes on Verse and Prose
Appendix A: Casting and Doubling
Appendix B: Date of Composition
Appendix C: The Text
Abbreviations and References
