The Comedy of Errors Identity

This is a little foreshadowing – the boys are different only in name (which is tricky, because if they can’t tell you their true names, how are you supposed to tell them apart?). Anyway, much of the play’s misunderstanding will come about because the two pairs of twins share names. This contributes to the notion that their senses of identity are incomplete without their counterparts.

Egeon’s life is worthless without his family – he’d be happy to greet death if it meant his children lived. It seems that his family’s happiness and survival are central to his own identity and self-worth. Without knowing they’re OK, he might as well not live.

S. Antipholus talks about losing himself in the city – it’s taken lightly as a figurative phrase, but it is literally what will and does happen. His identity will be lost from him as soon as he enters into the world of his brother.

Identity doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s tied up in what we think of others, what others think of us, and is only partly satisfied by what we think of ourselves. It’s clear that rather than trying to assert an identity, S. Antipholus is seeking an identity outside of himself.

Adriana’s identity is tied to E. Antipholus’s perception of her. Her worth as a wife and as a person is directly affected by how much he values her. If he no longer loves her, it’s a tragic blow to her sense of self. Her deep worry seems to suggest that in Adriana’s own eyes, her only worth is as a wife to E. Antipholus (not as an individual with value independent of her relationships to others).

It’s interesting that Adriana calls Dromio a "slave." S. Antipholus has done it before, but Adriana’s upset that S. Antipholus seems to be conspiring with his "slave" against her. She seems to be rankling at the fact that Antipholus’s duty to her doesn’t trump what she sees as goofing off with their servant. Essentially, her identity is cast by the terms of her relationship to E. Antipholus.

Adriana seems so sure of the identities of both S. Dromio and S. Antipholus that they have decided to go along with her. This strange woman seems to know them better than they know themselves, and a false identity seems to be better than no identity at all.

It’s funny that E. Dromio accuses S. Dromio of stealing his identity, as actually they both share the same identity (as bondsmen to one of the two Antipholi). More importantly, they both suffer from the same ailments under the Antipholi – neither receives much credit, and both get much blame and beating. While the Antipholi are mistaken for each other (and are treated very differently as a result), the Dromios receive basically the same treatment whether they are seen as an S. or an E. Dromio.

S. Antipholus, for the first time, speaks joyously of his lack of identity, perhaps because he sees in Luciana some way to remedy it. He’s willing to give himself over and ask this woman to redefine him. Apparently, she may be able to accomplish this with her divine power, or more realistically, her love. Moreover, it’s interesting that S. Antipholus does assert that he knows himself enough to be sure that he’s not Adriana’s husband. There are different levels of self-knowledge, and while S. Antipholus has some cursory knowledge of himself, what he lacks is deep understanding, and he looks to Luciana to accord that to him.

It seems S. Dromio would happily "go native," even if it means forgetting himself. S. Antipholus, by contrast, would rather not be one of these crazy enchanted people, even if it means passing up the opportunity to have a definite identity (as a crazy enchanted person).

The Dromios seem to set the stage for what will happen after the play; having identified their other halves, they have a lot to learn about each other. It seems that though the confusion isn’t over, the fun and discoveries have only just begun.