The Comedy of Errors The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.]

"The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare is a comedic play written in the early 16th century. It revolves around the themes of mistaken identity, family relationships, and the chaos that ensues from misunderstandings, featuring two sets of identical twins who are separated at birth. The narrative focuses particularly on Ægeon, a merchant of Syracuse, who finds himself in dire circumstances as he searches for his lost family in the city of Ephesus. The opening of the play sets the stage with a tense courtroom scene in Ephesus, where Ægeon is sentenced to death for violating the city's laws due to his Syracusian heritage. He recounts his tragic backstory involving a shipwreck that led to the separation from his wife and twin sons. Simultaneously, Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus, unaware that his twin brother, Antipholus of Ephesus, and their similarly named servants are also in the city. As misunderstandings and mistaken identities begin to unravel, the groundwork is laid for a comedic tale filled with confusion and chaos as the characters navigate their intertwined destinies. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.