The Comedy of Errors
In many of Shakespeare's works there is a common theme that
I have noticed, is the theme of love
conquers all. This theme is not only about love, it is about what people
overcome to have their love, mainly religion. Love and religion is actually a
big part of some of Shakespeare's works. Romeo
and Juliet, Othello, and The Taming
of the Shrew just to name a few. The
one play that I see this theme in the most is one of Shakespeare's earliest
pieces, The Comedy of Errors.
In Act One, Scene One the show starts with Egeon, who is
a citizen of Syracuse, in jail and sentenced to death. Egeon had traveled to
Ephesus looking for his son and had been arrested for being from town of Syracuse.
The Duke tells Egeon that he can't change the rules of the law and explains why
he must be put to death,
"DUKE: Merchant of Syracuse,
plead no more. I am not partial to infringe our laws; the enmity and discord
which of late sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke to merchants, our
well-dealing countrymen, who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives, have
seal'd his rigorous statutes with their bloods, excludes all pity from our
threat'ning looks" (The Comedy of
Errors, 3-4).
He is saying that
merchants of Ephesus were also arrested in Syracuse and put to death for not
having the money to post their bail. The Duke finally understands that Egeon
doesn't care what happens to him because all that matters to him right now is
love. The Duke is touched by this and wants to help, but because he is the Duke
he doesn't want his people to think that he is just picking and choosing who he
feels is guilty or not. His hands are tied.
During the time period that The
Comedy of Errors takes place, there was a war going on between Ephesus and
Syracuse. While it is not clearly mentioned why the two countries are fighting,
we can tell that it is over religious disputes. Islamic people and Christians
have been at odds since around 632 A.D. after the death of the Islam's beloved
Mohammed (1,400 Years of Christian/Islamic Struggle).
Throughout the play, Shakespeare hints at that the people of Ephesus are
Islamic. Fasting is mentioned quite a bit in the first act. Dromio of Ephesus
mentions that he thinks Antipholus of Syracuse, who he thinks is Syracuse of
Ephesus, has broken his fast and that is why he is late for dinner. Dromio of
Ephesus says,
"The capon burns, the pig
falls from the spit; the clock hath strucken twelve upon the bell; my mistress
made it one upon my cheek; she is so hot because the meat is cold; the meat is
cold because you come not home; you come not home because you have no stomach;
you have no stomach having broke your fast; but we that know what 'tis to fast
and pray, are penitent for your default to-day," (The Comedy of Errors, 15).
Dromio of Ephesus is
explaining why he has come to get Antipholus and why he should come to dinner
quickly. Islamic people are known to fast during the day to be closer to their
god. It is also common knowledge that the people of Syracuse believe in
Christianity. Islam and Christianity are so close to each other that people
want to say that their religious is right and that the other is wrong. When
believing this, wars start to break out.
Islam was founded by Mohammed who couldn't stand
Christians because he didn't like that they put Jesus on such a high pedestal. Daniel
Pipes, an author of a Middle Eastern forum explains why he thinks Muslims hate
Christians. "Mohammed knew his biggest threat were the followers of Jesus-
Christians. Mohammed couldn't just disregard Jesus, however, for he was too
important. So he cleverly managed to make only the followers of Jesus evil
while elevating Jesus to the rank of a prophet" (Why Islam Hates Christianity
and Christians). This is one of the major reasons that Islamic people hate
Christians, it is because Mohammed told them that Christians were bad people
because they worshiped Jesus, and vise versa. This reads over into The Comedy of Errors and is why the two
countries are at war at the beginning of the play.
The Duke asks Egeon why he came to Ephesus in the first
place if he knew that he would get arrested and possibly killed. Egeon then
explains how he had two twin sons and was sold another pair of twin boys. He
explained how he and his wife and sons were on a ship and how a violent storm
came and tore the ship in half taking his wife and two of his sons away to
Ephesus. He was stuck in Syracuse with his other two sons. He tells the Duke
that he came in search of his family.
Egeon didn't care what happened to himself, he only cared
about finding his family. In the book Shakespeare,
Love and Service, David Schalkwyk, the author, talks about Egeon's motives
for going to Ephesus and how he wasn't just an angry merchant going to Ephesus.
Schalkwyk says, "Egeon's motive for landing on shores that are bound to
his own through ties of enmity and hatred is not profit, as one would expect
from a merchant, but love. He is seeking , like so many of the characters in
Shakespeare's late plays, to re-establish familial bonds with his son"
(David Schalkwyk, 83). What Schalkwyk is saying is that unlike other merchants
from Syracuse, Egeon is not there because of hatred of Ephesus, but he is there
for love.
The Duke is touched my Egeon's story and said that he
wishes that could do something but can't. Egeon must get a thousand marks
before he is put to death. We as audience members must wait to see if Egeon
will be released or if he will be put to death, even though most of the
audience already knows that Egeon will be released because the play is about
families finding each other.
In the end of the play, we see that Egeon was reunited
with his wife, Amelia, and his four sons: both Antipholus of Ephesus and Syracuse
and both Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse. Again, here is another Shakespeare
play that shows that no matter what, love will always conquer. Shakespeare
eloquently shows that Egeon came to Ephesus to find his family knowing that he
could possibly die, but he didn't care because he loved his family more than
his fear of dying. Therefore showing that no matter what, love will always
conquer.
Work's
Cited
Csaplar, Richard C., Jr. "The Christian
Broadcasting Network." 1,400 Years of Islamic Aggression: An Analysis. The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.,
n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Pipes, David. "Why Islam Hates
Christianity and Christians." Middle East Forum. David Pipes, 29 July 2007. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Schalkwyk, David. "Estranged Familiars." Shakespeare, Love and Service. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge UP, 2008. 83.
Print.
Shakespeare, William, and R. A. Foakes.
"Act One." The Comedy of Errors. London: Methuen, 1962. 3-15. Print.
Stay tuned for next week's blog!! Week 9: The International Slavery Museum!
