“Comedy of mistakes. A comedy of mistakes, plot, characters, comedy prototypes, production history, adaptations, cinematography

Comedy of Errors (disambiguation)

« A comedy of mistakes"(The Comedy of Errors) - one of the early comedies of William Shakespeare. During the life of the writer, it was not published and was first published in a posthumous folio. It is known that the comedy was already on stage until 1594. The text of the play allows researchers of the writer's work to assume that it was written around 1591.

"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") related to the "classic". It observes the unity of time - all events occur on the same day - and, in a generalized sense, the unity of the place - all events take place in one city.

Plot

The Syracuse merchant Aegeon was forced to leave on business to Epidamnes. His pregnant wife Emilia unexpectedly followed him six months later and gave birth to two twin sons upon arrival. At the same time, in the same house, one of the poor women also had twin children. Aegeon bought them from his parents to raise servants for his sons. The family soon decided to return home, but the ship was caught in a storm. Then Aegeon and Emilia each took one of their sons and infant servants and tied themselves to spare masts. After the storm they were picked up by sailors: Aegeon was saved by a ship from Epidaurus, and Emilia 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.

The entire plot of the play is built on a farcical basis. Due to the external similarity, the characters in the play constantly confuse the twins with each other: in the end, the wife of Antifolus Efesky takes her husband for a madman, and he falls in love with her meek sister Luciana. In the end, all the characters gather together at the monastery, where Antifolus of Ephesus took refuge, fleeing from the doctor Pinch, summoned by his wife. At this time, the duke and Aegeon pass by, who arrived in Ephesus looking for sons, but because of the discord between Ephesus and Syracuse, he was to be executed. Aegeon recognizes the sons and Emilia, who turned out to be the abbess of the very monastery where they gathered. The duke pardoned Aegeon and summoned everyone to a feast, which ends the comedy.

Characters

Among the names of the characters, Latin (Antifolus, Aegeon) and Italian (Angelo, Balthazar) forms are mixed. The only thing meaningful name- Pinch: pinch - "infringement, constrained position".

Solin, Duke of Ephesus.
Aegeon, a Syracuse merchant.
Antipholus of Ephesus, Antifolus of Syracuse, twin brothers, sons of Aegeon and Emilia.
Dromio of Ephesus, Dromio of Syracuse, twin brothers, servants of the two Antifols.
Balthazar, merchant.
Angelo, jeweler.
First merchant, friend of Antifolus of Syracuse.
Second merchant, creditor Angelo.
Pinch, school teacher.
Emilia or Abbess- the wife of Aegeon, abbess of the monastery in Ephesus.
Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus.
Luciana, her sister.
Lucius, Adriana's maid.
Courtesan

Jailer, bailiffs, retinue, servants

Comedy prototypes

The plot of the comedy was based on the work of the Roman writer Plautus "Menechma", but Shakespeare also added elements from other comedies of the author: for example, the second pair of twins - servants - was taken from "Amphitryon".

Production history

The first known performances of this Shakespearean comedy took place in 1594 in a private performance in the meeting room of London lawyers. In 1604 - in the palace theater of Jacob I. There is no information confirming that this play was performed on the stages of public theaters.

1949 - Moscow Academic Theater of Satire, staged by E. Krasnyansky.

Adaptations

Cinema

Several films have been shot based on the plot of this Shakespearean play - in particular, the Soviet Comedy of Errors and the Indian Angur. In 2008, a new film was shot, directed by Keri Collins.

Aegeon, a merchant from Syracuse, goes on business to Epidamnes, leaving his wife Amelia, awaiting the imminent birth of a child. She, after half a year, is nominated after her husband. Upon reaching Epidamnos, the woman gives birth to twin sons. In the same building where the couple stayed, and Emilia gives birth, twins are born into a family of beggars. The merchant buys these children in order to educate them as servants for his offspring.

Some time later, the family boarded a ship and departed for their homeland, but he got into a serious storm. They decide that each one takes one baby servant and one child, and is tied to the mast. When the storm has died down, rescue ships arrive. Aegeon is picked up by sailors from Epidaurus, and his wife is rescued and taken away by a Corinthian ship. Such a case separated them for many years.

Years fly by and, eighteen later, Antifolus, the son who remained on the ship with his father, together with his servant Dromio, sets out in search of his brother. For a very long time he travels around the world and, finally, five years later, he reaches Ephesus, the city where his brother was taken, and where he and his mother have been living happily all these years.

The wife of the Corinthian twin believes that her husband has gone mad and calls him a doctor, who falls in love with her sister Luciana. Antifol is hiding from the doctor Pinch in the monastery building. Aegeon arrives in Ephesus in search of his wife and sons. Because of the discord between Ephesus and Syracuse, he is sentenced to death. Duke Solin leads him to the monastery, where the merchant recognizes his wife and two sons. By that time, Emilia is the abbess of that very monastery. Thanks to this factor, the duke keeps Aegeon alive and summons everyone to a feast. This concludes the play.

Picture or drawing Comedy of mistakes

Other retellings for the reader's diary

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You couldn't do anything
So depress me like a command
Tell you about my troubles,
Inexpressible by the word. But so that people
Could know that I was dying
Not as a result of a shameful offense,
And by the will of fate, I'll tell you
All my sorrow will allow.
I was born in Syracuse, and there
I married a woman who
I would bring happiness just like that
As me - she, when would an evil star
We were not caught. I lived
With her in joy; our wealth grew
Thanks to my repeated
And profitable trips to Epidamnes.
But my attorney died; care
About abandoned without any supervision
The property plucked me out
From a sweet conjugal embrace.
I've been away for six months,
When my wife, exhausted
Under the sweet punishment that they bear
All women, got ready to go and soon,
And I arrived there happily
Where I lived. After a little more,
She was the happiest mother
Two lovely boys, on top of each other
Similar so that - strange! - making a difference
By their name it was only possible.
At the same hour and in the same house
From the burden of the same was
Another mother is rescued: born
And she has two twin sons
Striking similarities. Very poor
Their parents were, and they bought
I have these two babies to do
In time, my servants
Two sons. My wife, a lot
Proud of children like this, every day
I was admonished to return
Home. I reluctantly gave
Consent, and - ah! - hurried
At a wrong time. We boarded the ship.
We're a mile from Epidamnes
We drove off when in the waves of the sea,
Always obedient to the wind, they saw
We are the terrible harbinger of trouble.
The further, the less remained
Hope for us, and soon darkness
Covering the whole sky, into our souls,
Filled with horror, brought
The certainty of immediate demise.
As for me, I would meet her
With a calm soul; but sobs
My wife, in advance already
Wept for what was inevitable
It seemed to her; but plaintive cries
My adorable children - this cry,
Deprived of danger consciousness,
Made me look for them
And for ourselves, postponements of our death.
And this is what I came up with without finding
More reliable than means: our sailors in the boat
Everyone rushed, leaving our ship,
Already quite ready to dive.
My wife, taking care of the least
Twins, tied the baby
With one of the bought children to one
From the little spare masts they carry
In case of storms, sailors with them.
I did the same with another couple
And placing them in that order,
My wife and I grabbed the mast,
I am from one end, she is from the other
And, fixing his eyes on those about whom
Cared, sailed, obeying
By the flow of waves that, like us
Seemingly, they rushed us to Corinth.
But then the light of the sun flashed over the earth:
He dispersed the destructive clouds
And the grace he desired
Has subdued the waves of the sea. At that time
We saw from afar that
Two ships are sailing: one is Corinthian,
The other is from Epidamnes. But also
They did not have time to get close to us
How ... Oh, let me finish my story here!
Guess the end from what I said ...

Courtesan

Will you return my diamond, sir?

Antipholus of Ephesus

Take him; thanks for lunch.

Abbess

Please be pleased, glorious duke,

Come to me at the abbey: there

I will tell you about our adventures. -

I ask you too, gathered here

And also affected by mistakes,

What happened on this day alone

Come to me: you will be satisfied. -

Oh children, thirty-three difficult years

I languished without you; and one hour

He freed his heart from a heavy burden, -

You, Duke, my husband and sons,

And you, my children's calendars,

I invite you to a holiday of friendly conversation.

What joy after sorrowful years!

Duke

I accept the invitation with all my heart.

Go away all except both Antifol and both Dromio.

Dromio of Syracuse

Take my things from the ship, sir?

Antipholus of Ephesus

What things have you decided to immerse?

Dromio of Syracuse

Your belongings that were in the "Centaur".

Antifolus of Syracuse

Those are mine. I, Dromio, your master.

Do not rush! We will decide everything together.

Rejoice and hug your brother.

Antifolus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus leave.

Dromio of Syracuse

And that fat woman in your kitchen

I was fed today, not my wife,

And only a sister-daughter-in-law I have to!

Dromio of Ephesus

You are not a brother, but my mirror.

In him I see that I am not bad at myself.

Well, shall we go to a general revelry?

Dromio of Syracuse

Okay; only you go ahead: you are the elder.

Dromio of Ephesus

This is another question. How to solve it?

Dromio of Syracuse

Come on, let's cast lots; while you go ahead.

Dromio of Ephesus

No, here's what:

Once together we, like two hands, appeared in the world together,

So now we will stand in a row and go hand in hand.

Leave.

"COMEDY OF ERRORS"

This play - one of the earliest works of Shakespeare - was never published during his life and was printed only in the posthumous folio of 1623. It is known that she went on stage until 1594. But one hint contained in its text helps to establish even more precisely the time of its occurrence.

In Act III, Scene 2, Dromio of Syracuse, likening the individual parts of the body of the burly cook different countries, to the question of his master: "Where is France located in her?" - replies: "On the forehead, armed and raised against her hair (against her hair)." These words contain a pun based on the consonance of the words hair - "hair" and heir - "heir". Namely, besides direct meaning- that the cook is going bald - here you can also find hidden - that France is at war with her heir. And this is a hint of civil war, which began in August 1589, after the death of Henry III of Valois, between the new king, the Protestant Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty, and the Catholic League. This war ended in 1593, when Henry IV, who converted to Catholicism, finally established himself on the French throne. From this we can conclude that the play was written before 1593, most likely in 1591, when Queen Elizabeth sent a detachment of troops under the command of Essex to help Henry IV: it was in this year that the allusion to French affairs should have been especially topical.

There is, however, another interpretation based on the fact that the word France can mean not only "France", but also "French king", and on the fact that at the time of Henry III's death other "kings" in France, except Henry IV , did not have. Meanwhile, Henry III, although he appointed this latter as his heir, was with him in hostile relations, reaching military clashes. In this case, one would have to admit that the play arose not after, but before August 1589.

Such an interpretation, however, is not at all necessary, and indeed it is very unlikely that Shakespeare would write and stage his plays already before 1589, that is, two years after his arrival in London. But in practice, this disagreement is of no significance, for in either case the play is the first comedy written by Shakespeare. 3 and this is evidenced by many of its stylistic features, characteristic of Shakespeare's “first manner”, such as the abundance of rhymed verses, puns, the symmetrical arrangement of the characters, etc. playfulness on the development of characters and any socio-moral issues.

"The Comedy of Errors" is nothing more than a remake of the comedy of the Roman writer of the III-II century BC. NS. Plavtus "Menekhma" (the personal name of both her heroes), where a similar story of two twins unfolds with all the misunderstandings arising from their similarity. To the plot of this main source, Shakespeare added a few more features taken from other comedies of Plautus, especially from "Amphitryon", from which the second, additional pair of doubles - the servants - was drawn. This choice of material and the manner in which it is handled sheds light on the true character of the Shakespearean play.

Interest in antique comedy arose in England - as in other European countries - at the end of the 15th century. First, the original plays of Plautus - on Latin or translated into English - and then free imitations of them appear on the English scene since 1520. But each time these performances take place either in university colleges - as a practice for students in Latin or for a deeper acquaintance with ancient literature - either in the court theater, or, finally, on closed stages in the houses of some noblemen. For example, Plautus' Menechmas were performed in 1527 in the presence of Cardinal Wolsey, the first minister Henry VIII and The Comedy of Errors, staged in 1594 in private in the meeting room of the London lawyers, was then resumed in 1604 at the palace theater of James I, while there is no trace of it ever being performed on the stages of public theaters. But within the narrow circle of the intelligentsia - predominantly aristocratic - interest in this classicizing drama never emerged either in the pre-Shakespearean or Shakespearean era.

"The Comedy of Errors" is definitely a "classic" play, and the only one of all Shakespeare's plays belonging to this type. The fact that the play was intended for a closed stage is also indicated by its extraordinary brevity (only 1777 lines). It is also characteristic, prompted by antiquity, to observe in it not only the unity of time (one day), but also - in a slightly expanded sense - the unity of the place (in one city).

All this is in full agreement with the fact that in the first years upon arrival in London, striving in his chronicles, staged on the stage of a public theater, to communicate with the widest, popular audience, Shakespeare at the same time eagerly tried to master knowledge, artistic skill , the whole culture of the Renaissance, and this is best he could acquire among educated young lawyers or in circles of enlightened aristocrats, like Southampton and his friend Essex, Walter Raleigh, Philip Sidney and others. Some of these noblemen held very advanced views and were prone to free-thinking, for which the ancient as well as the Italian Renaissance culture was a breeding ground. In this atmosphere, very far from any feudal and reactionary traditions, the "Comedy of Errors" arose; familiarity with this environment is also felt in the sonnets and both of Shakespeare's poems, in Love's Labour's Lost, in A Midsummer Night's Dream and in some of the phrases in the introduction to The Taming of the Shrew. In all these works, Shakespeare does not depart from the folk and national principle, but approaches it, but in a complex way that develops and enriches his art. He takes from this culture not the aestheticized and petrified, but the most lively and advanced features that perfectly combine with his folk and humanistic outlook.