Recap of Tuesday's class: The Comedy of Errors, Acts 1-2

 

COMEDY BEGINS WITH TRAGEDY...

• Bevis, Page 50: The essence of humor is surprise: how does scene 1 set up this sense of surprise?
• Page 15: Also tension: Egeon has a day to raise the money, and his son is also out there looking…
• Page 19: Pathos—Antipholus' speech: to find them, I lose myself (the theme of identity!)

AND THEN TRAGEDY BECOMES FUNNY...

• One of the oldest comic plots: mistaken identities! Two pairs of twins (Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse and Ephesus); imagine how many comic misunderstandings can ensue from the 'wrong' twin being in the 'right' place
• Page 19: The play takes an abrupt turn from tragedy to comedy the second the 'wrong' Dromio appears; that's the surprise that shocks the audience--and Shakespear never looks back
• Page 21-23: Dromios puns--most of the verbal humor of the servants are based in puns, since these were roles by the comedians in his theater; the audience loved to hear quick wit and verbal shenanigans (even though it's a little tiresome to us)
• Page 33: A funny moment using PROSE: note how Dromio tells the story of his encounter with Antipholus. It's not at all accurate and he makes his master sound foolish and insane. Is this how servants view their masters?

 THE COMEDY OF LANGUAGE 

• Note the THREE types of language: Blank Verse (non-rhyming verse); Rhyming Verse; and Prose. Characters switch from one to another without warning. Always ask yourself "why did they change?" The answer will help you understand the characters and/or how Shakespeare wants them played by the actors. 
• Page 29: The sisters almost always speak to each other in rhymes, but not at first...when do they switch and why?
• They start rhyming when they start bickering: it's a verbal tennis match, back and forth, each one trying to outdo the other. 
• Page 39: Note that Dromio speaks prose to Antipholus, and he soon answers in prose. He said before that Dromio is taking advantage of their friendly relationship. Maybe this shows their true intimacy, that he'll let his guard down and speak 'normally' to him? 
• Page 45-47: When Adriana addresses Antipholus for the first time, it's in Blank Verse! Why? Note her echoes of Antipholus, page 19 (similar metaphors
• BLANK VERSE is serious or formal--usually means we're being told something important, or the characters are being eloquent (as in Adriana's speeches). RHYMING VERSE is more playful and musical--not as important, but more about the sound and the way the characters 'sing' together. PROSE is never important, meaning it's almost never part of the plot...just jokes, puns, and nonsense.