Comedy of Errors

Shakespeare's shortest comedy, The Comedy of Errors is full of slapstick comedy and mistaken identity. The story of a pair of identical twins both named Dromio, the play becomes a laughing riot of confusion as the twins both serve men named Antipholus, who are also twin brothers with the same name. Complete with witty puns and word play, The Comedy of Errors is a favorite among the playwright's comedies for film, opera and other theatrical adaptations. The play is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays (along with The Tempest) that adheres to Aristotle's theory of classical unities which states that plays, in their neoclassical form, follow three rules: (1) Unity of Action: One main plot, no subplots; (2) Unity of Place: Having one geographical location (in this case, Ephesus) and (3) Unity of Time: Taking place over no more than 24 hours.