The Twins in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors

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Just because two people have similar appearances, it does not mean that they act similarly or behave similarly. A prime example of this is the play The Comedy of Errors. Throughout the play, the two sets of twins are being mistaken for their twin, and even though they look similar, the characters that the two sets of twins come into contact with seem to notice that the twins do not act in their usual manner. That is due to the fact that they are not the people that the other characters think they are. Twins may be identical in appearance, but not in behavior, attitude, or personality; and the two Antipholus’ and Dromios both convey different messages to the audience. Examples of this are, how the twins handle stress and difficult situations; how one Antipholus has soliloquies and is often alone, while the other is usually with a crowd of people; and how one Antipholus usually initiates the confusion then the other Antipholus has to deal with the resulting stressful situation.

Everyone deals with stress in a different way, and that even applies to twins. Throughout The Comedy of Errors, it is obvious that Antipholus of Syracuse deals with difficult situations differently than Antipholus of Ephesus. One such example is when Antipholus of Syracuse starts beating Dromio of Syracuse, but then goes into a long debate with Dromio about wether there is no time for all things, and Antipholus ends the debate with a joke. Antipholus of Syracuse: “You would all this time have proved there is no time for all things.” Dromio of Syracuse: “Marry, and did sir: namely, e’en no time to recover hair lost by nature.” Antipholus of Syracuse: “But your reason was not substantial why there is no time to recover.” Dromio of Syracuse: “Thus I mend i...

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...lo) And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.” Angelo: “I think i did, sir. I deny it not” (5.1.390-393) This situation shows just how bad it was for Antipholus of Syracuse to be mistaken for Antipholus of Ephesus. He got his brother arrested because of the confusion he caused. Due to these facts, it shows that the twins were different because Antipholus of Syracuse always got his brother into trouble.

In conclusion, even identical twins can have major differences. Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus are identical in appearance, but not in behavior, attitude, or personality. They both convey a different message to the audience, with how they cope with stressful situations; what kind of insight they add to the story; and who causes the trouble, while the other has to deal with the consequences.

Works Cited

Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

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