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The Comedy of Errors
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Photo by Keith Pattison
The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Plot
The play opens with Egeon, a Syracusian merchant, who has been sentenced to death for entering
Ephesus. Egeon tells Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, the story of how he came to be there. The story
he tells is:
In his youth, he married a woman called Emelia and had twin sons; on the same day a poor woman
also gave birth to twin sons, and, as she could not afford to keep them, Egeon purchased the twin
boys to become slaves to his own sons. Egeon’s twin sons are both called Antipholus, the twin
servants are both called Dromio. On a sea voyage, Egeon, an Antipholus and a Dromio were
separated from Emilia, the other Antipholus and the other Dromio. They ended up in different cities
and have never seen each other again.
Solinus agrees that this is a sad story and states that Egeon can have a day to find someone who will
pay a fine for him and he will have the death sentence repealed.
On the same day, Antipholus of Syracuse arrived in Ephesus, having travelled with Dromio of
Syracuse for five years in search of their missing brothers. He sends Dromio (S) to the Inn with some
money to keep safe. He is confused when the identical Dromio of Ephesus appears, denying any
knowledge of the money and the errand. He asks Antipholus (S) to come home to his wife, Adriana,
and dinner.
Dromio (E) returns home and tells Adriana that her “husband” refuses to return home for dinner.
Dromio (S) returns to his master and denies having made a joke about him having a wife. Antipholus
(S) thinks Dromio (S) is being cheeky and begins beating him - suddenly Adriana rushes up to him
and begs him to come home to dinner. Antipholus (S) and Dromio (S) then go with this apparent
stranger, one to have dinner and one to guard the door.
Antipholus (E) then returns home with Dromio (E) and 2 guests; Balthazar and Angelo, to find that he
is refused entry to his own home by Dromio (S). Angry, he decides he will have dinner with a
Courtesan instead, he says that he will give her the gold chain that he has ordered from Angelo for
his wife. Antipholus (E) then instructs Angelo to fetch the chain to the Courtesan’s house.
Antipholus (S) finds himself attracted to his “wife’s” sister, Luciana, who is appalled and tells him to
think only of his “wife”. When Luciana leaves, Dromio (S) announces that he’s found that he too
already has a wife, and he and Antipholus (S) decide to leave Ephesus as quickly as possible.
On leaving the house Antipholus (S) is given a gold chain by Angelo, who refuses to take payment for
it, saying he will collect it later.
Antipholus (E) sends Dromio (E) to purchase some rope so he can beat his wife for locking him out of
the house, and is then confronted by Angelo who asks for the money for the chain that he gave him.
Antipholus (E) denies having received the chain and Angelo has him arrested. Dromio (S) arrives and
Antipholus (E) sends him back to his house to get money for his bail.
After collecting the money that Antipholus (E) sent him for Dromio (S) delivers the money Antipholus
(S). The Courtesan then sees Antipholus (S) wearing the chain that Antipholus (E) had promised her Antipholus (S) denies this and he and Dromio (S) run off.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Dromio (E) then returns with the rope to the arrested Antipholus (E) who is furious when Dromio (E)
denies having been sent for money.
Adriana, Luciana enter, bringing with them Dr. Pinch to exorcise Antipholus (E). Antipholus (E) and
Dromio (E) are both tied up and taken to Adriana’s house.
Antipholus (S) and Dromio (S) enter with swords and everybody runs in fear believing that they are
Antipholus (E) and Dromio (E) have somehow escaped their bonds.
Adriana returns with some henchmen and attempts to tie up the Antipholus (S) and Dromio (S) who
then seek refuge in the Abbey, where the Abbess protects them.
The Duke then enters with Egeon who asks Antipholus (E) if he recognises him as his father. He is
devastated when Antipholus (E) says that he’s never met his father and asks the Duke to back up his
story.
The Abbess enters with the Antipholus (S) and Dromio (S) and everybody begins to understand what
has been happening- she also reveals herself to be Egeon’s wife, Emilia of Babylon.
Solinus, greatly entertained by the confusion, pardons Egeon and the family is reunited.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Characters
Antipholus of Syracuse:
Twin to Antipholus of
Ephesus. A wealthy and
well respected merchant,
he is searching for his
brother and mother.
Antipholus of Ephesus:
Twin to Antipholus of
Syracuse. Son of Egeon,
he is married to Adriana.
Dromio of Syracuse:
Servant to Antipholus of
Syracuse.
Dromio of Ephesus:
Servant to Antipholus
of Ephesus.
Egeon: A Syracusian
merchant and husband to
the abbess. The father to
the Antipholus brothers.
He is seeking his family.
Abbess (Emilia): The
mother of the two
Antipholus twins and the
long lost wife of Egeon.
Adriana: A fierce and
jealous woman, Adriana is
the wife to Antipholus
Ephesus and lives with her
sister Luciana.
Luciana: Adriana’s
unmarried sister, who
becomes the object of
Antipholus of
Syracuse’s affections.
The Duke Solinus of
Ephesus: Noble and
compassionate man but
firmly believes the law
must be followed.
Angelo: A goldsmith of
Ephesus. He makes a
gold chain for Antipholus
of Ephesus to give to his
wife Adriana.
Balthasar: A merchant of
Ephesus.
Courtesan: Prostitute
friend of Antipholus of
Ephesus.
Doctor Pinch: A
schoolmaster and
conjurer, Adriana
requests him to exorcise
the demons from
Antipholus of Ephesus.
Luce / Nell: Kitchen maid
and Dromio of Ephesus’
wife. Does not appear on
stage.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
The Playwright - William Shakespeare
Because there is very little concrete information about the life of William Shakespeare, there is very
little that we know about him for certain. We do know however, that he was baptised on the 26th of
April, 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon. His birthday is usually marked three days before then, on the
23rd of April, which is also St. George’s Day; at the time, three days was the usual interval between
birth and baptism. Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare was a glove maker and his mother, was
the daughter of a wealthy farmer.
At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and a year later she gave birth to their first
daughter, Susanna. Another two years later, Anne gave birth to twins, their son Hamnet and
daughter Judith. Sadly, Hamnet died aged 11 of unknown causes, though some people suspect he
died of bubonic plague.
It is unclear when Shakespeare’s theatrical career began, but we do know that he was a member of
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later renamed The King’s Company, when James succeeded the
throne). Not only was he in their pool of both actors and playwrights, but he was also one of the
managing partners of the company. The company acquired two interests in the area, the Globe and
the Blackfriars. As a playwright, records of his plays appear as early as 1594, producing on average
two plays a year until 1611. Over his lifetime he wrote 38 plays, 16 of which were comedies; 10
histories and 12 tragedies. Some of his best known plays are Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Romeo and
Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some of his less well known plays include Cymbeline, Timon
of Athens and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. The Comedy Of Errors is believed to have been written
sometime between 1589 and 1594, and is thought to be one of his earliest plays. The Tempest is
believed to be his last play, speculated to have been written in 1610 or 1611.
Shakespeare spent the last few years of his life in Stratford with his family. He died at the age of 52
on the 23rd April, 1616. He left the majority of his estate to his eldest daughter Susanna and her male
heirs.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
A Discussion with the Director, Ian Forrest, and Designer, Martin Johns
Why did you choose to do a Shakespeare play as part of the summer season this year?
Ian:
We hadn’t done a production of Shakespeare play since Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2009
and, as it’s the 400 anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, we felt that it was an appropriate
year to do another one.
Why did you choose The Comedy of Errors?
Ian:
It’s quite tricky to choose the right Shakespeare play. For this time of the year you have to go
for one of the comedies as they lend themselves more to the summer season, and there are
a limited number of those.
Martin: I’d mentioned it earlier as I’d done a production some years ago and I knew that it was an
easy play for an audience to follow.
Ian:
Initially, I’d slightly dismissed it as a one joke play – but when I looked at it more closely the
more I realised that it fit in with studio programme for this year. And it’s Shakespeare’s
shortest play which is quite a selling point, really.
Essentially we chose it because it’s a comedy and a funny play. It’s got a lot of physical action
and, whilst it’s not purely a farce, it certainly has farcical elements in it. It’s a great play for
families to come to if they want to introduce young people to Shakespeare. The action is
easy to follow once you get the idea and there’s a lot of physical action and fun and running
about. And the language isn’t too difficult – bits of it are tricky but on the whole it’s really
accessible.
Since I’ve looked at it this year, I have really changed my views on it. I respect the structure
of it and how clever and well-constructed it is from start to finish. It’s also really fast moving
too, it really doesn’t hang around.
There are a number of themes in The Comedy of Errors what themes did you want to draw out in
your production?
Ian:
Marriage and Fidelity. I don’t know whether this happened before I started to work or as we
were working on it, but I found that I was intrigued by the relationship between Antipholus
of Ephesus and Adriana.
Early in rehearsals we had to answer the question “Was he or was he not being unfaithful?”
We decided that he was. And we had to address how Adriana would feel in this situation. I
think Adriana is an interesting character, I really like her and I’m intrigued by the marriage. I
think it’s a volatile relationship as they both have fairly short fuses.
There’s also Identity. I also like the idea of looking for a kind of missing part of yourself,
really. Which lots of the characters are doing; Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse are
searching as is Egeon, however, this search comes accidentally on Antipholus and Dromio of
Ephesus and on the Abbess, who finds her entire lost family at the end of the play.
I’m drawn to how it must feel to have a sense of a missing part of yourself; a part that you
feel incomplete without.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
And as we were developing the production I got more and more intrigued about how
different the characters of the Antipholus twins and the Dromio twins are. The Antipholuses
are two very different masters and have very different relationships with their servants. It’s
apparent that, although they are twins, their characters are not the same at all.
The Supernatural. I think the whole thing of the Syracusians finding Ephesus spooky is quite
a lot of fun. So, we wanted to point that up and to have some fun with it.
And Reputation. Reputation in Ephesus is an important thing; Balthazar points out to
Antipholus of Ephesus that he must consider what people will say when he says to
Antipholus of Ephesus to “Think of your wife’s reputation too”.
What was the biggest challenge in staging The Comedy of Errors
Ian:
I think that there was a big challenge in trying to make the beginning and end of the play feel
unified with the rest of the play. You’ve got this kind of romance framework (adventures,
sea and shipwrecks) at the beginning, but the events that take place in Ephesus have a very
different feel to opening and closing scenes.
And Peter’s performance had to engage the audience in the plight of Egeon, as it’s from his
story that we understand the rest of the play and the action emerges from it. Egeon’s plight
is quite moving and the way Peter performs it is quite touching.
How did you explore the comedy within your directing?
Ian:
Really, the play is so well written that the comedy presents itself.
The most fun was the physical humour because we had a lot of actors who enjoy that style
of performance. So, obviously, when Peter McQueen came in to do the fights they’d already
worked the scenes into a rough shape for him to develop. There are real strengths in the
cast, with Henry being a wrestler, and also having the opportunity to work with Chris who is
an enormously inventive physical actor.
We also wanted to highlight the comedy in Act 2 Scene 2 in the way Adriana acts when she
thinks she’s talking to her husband about being late home for dinner, and Bryn’s reactions,
as Antipholus of Syracuse, to that are wonderful, they really invite the audience in.
But, we even get quite a lot of laughs in the scene between the Abbess and Adriana, there’s
a lot of quite subtle humour in that scene. The abbess sticks to her guns.
Martin: No, she won’t let him out, she’s not going to deny him sanctuary and she’s not handing him
over lightly at all.
Ian:
The humour of misunderstanding is also ever present. It’s so funny when you see characters
talking at complete cross purposes. All of the actors enjoyed playing with that. However, at
first, they were slightly rushing it and when I was giving them notes I said “you had to give
space to do that and the audience need space to understand that, too.”
It was great fun working on all of those misunderstandings and every time there is one, out
comes more jokes.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Shakespeare’s play on words is sometimes a bit difficult and doesn’t always translate today – how
did you deal with this? How do you get the cast to breathe new life into 400 year old jokes?
Ian:
I’m blessed this year with actors like James and Chris who express themselves in physical
ways. I think we tried to physicalise as much as possible so, for example in Act 3 Scene 2
when Dromio of Syracuse is describing Nell, James had the idea of doing a different accent
for each place on the globe to emphasise the humour and – we tried to find physicalisations
which could be easily read by the audience for those countries too.
Bryn, as Antipholus of Syracuse, has most contact with the audience and is having lots of fun
playing with the audience and taking them into his confidence. For a Shakespeare play there
are not that many asides in it and mainly, in this play, the character who addresses the
audience is Antipholus of Syracuse.
The other really important thing about physicalising the text is that we can then make
what’s happening absolutely crystal clear. The actors need to know exactly what each line
means, because if you don’t know what you’re saying no-one else will.
Martin: We knew we’d got it right when we had a Spanish family visit the production who said, that
even though the text was difficult, they could absolutely follow what was going on because
of the physicality of the production.
What did you do to ensure that the play wasn’t all slapstick and no substance?
Ian:
I think that it probably helped the audience when we brought on the rest of the company as
silent listeners in Act 1 Scene 1. They were able to support the audience to focus on Egeon
retelling the story. It’s probably the first time in his life (Egeon) that he’s had the opportunity
to churn out that saga and the retelling of it is quite emotional for him.
We identified that there are bits where he’s trying to scamper through because he finds
them too painful to tell slowly. Actually the story of the shipwreck and tying of the children
to the mast is done in detail and it is an emotional recall thing that. We played up Peter’s
emotional investment in his task; why Egeon had turned up in Ephesus, been arrested and
his task in life.
Even though you then abandon him for 3 Acts his plight is always present and the last scene
in Act 5 is really well constructed because you have all of that prior information to draw
from.
When the Duke is so confused that he says “you’re all mad” that’s when Egeon comes in and
we’re back into the original story that was set up. Egeon believes absolutely that Antipholus
of Ephesus is his son and yet he and Dromio deny him, because Antipholus of Ephesus has
never seen any of his family.
We talked quite a bit with Henry about that and realised that it’s probably quite a raw point
with Antipholus of Ephesus that he hasn’t had a father and that he’s concerned about the
lack of that. The final scene is more difficult for this character as he never knew he had a
brother, so all of this information being revealed at this point is very weird. For Antipholus of
Syracuse who grew up with this information it’s less of a shock.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Why do you think the play is still successful?
Ian:
Because it is fun. The premise does work and Shakespeare’s
exploited every possible combination of confusion that
arises - and there are lots.
It’s based Plautus’ Manaechmi (Twins) in which a character
arrives in Ephesus and is mistaken for his twin by his
brother’s wife, and a courtesan, amongst others. There are
also mix-ups involving a chain and a cloak. But there’s only
one brother. Shakespeare has really developed that idea
with two sets of twins which has enabled him to do other
cross purposes.
It’s basic stuff, but structurally – the action builds very
beautifully. You also get fond of the people - you like
Adriana, as mad as she is.
I have to say that the sister, Luciana, is the most
underwritten part – she comes in with odd lines, however,
she’s well placed there to give Adriana a contrasting
opinion. Shakespeare’s not really kind to Luciana, she has
the worst opinions and then he lumbers her with someone
she’s only just met.
Angelo Design – Martin Johns
Act 6 might be very interesting – I’d like to see what happens to these people. Do they live
happily ever after?
The Comedy of Errors productions have a range of ways of dealing with the issue of 2 sets of twins.
Why did you deal with the twins in the way that you did?
Ian:
I do think you have to have 2 actors because if you only have one, then it’s genuinely
confusing for the audience
You might have a very talented actor who can do it but they are genuinely different
characters and it’s interesting for the audience to understand that twins can be very
different and have different personalities.
I think there may be a novelty and a challenge for an actor if you have one actor playing both
of a set of twins, however, I believe that it works better if you have two sets of twins.
What was your approach to directing the actors as 2 sets of twins?
Ian:

Physicality

Mannerisms

Vocal Qualities (accent / tone / pitch)
It came really from the characters of those characters. Antipholus of Ephesus has been
brought up in a trading town and is a respected business man he’s a man’s man. And he
thinks he can get away with anything. He is a much harsher master; Dromio of Ephesus has a
much worse time than Dromio of Syracuse.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
The relationship between the Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse is a much kinder one. He’s
a much more cerebral and philosophical thinker. I think the relationship between the
Syracusian pair is a much nicer relationship, so, it’s more of a shock to James’ servant when
he gets beatings.
What impact did the design decisions have on your staging of the play?
Martin: We wanted the whole thing to be quite colourful and busy.
Ian:
The original Greek play was done with 3 doors and we wanted to make it work in one place
over the course of one day.
Martin: We talked briefly about changing locations and thought about making the central element of
the set rotate, but we thought there’s so much going on that it’s better if it stays still. There
was also a huge practical element in that the budget was extremely tight for this production.
So, we decided to set it in a market, and that was great because we could use so much stock
stuff really and, because it’s a central space in a town.
Ian:
And, because of this decision, the actors who were at risk of being very underused got lots
more to do, for example, Peter and Laura now have much more to do in the café area,
eavesdropping and observing, and this leads to more of an understanding about how
reputations can be damaged - if people observe too much.
Also, it meant that we were able to make the place strange for Antipholus of Syracuse when there are people around who are dressed in foreign garments and he doesn’t know
what they’re likely to get up to.
The set is stunning and really invites the audience into the production. What were your early
conversations in the design process?
Martin: The decisions we made early on were that we wanted it to be exotic and colourful.
We talked about the period that it should be set in. 60s were mentioned and I resisted that
and then we talked around whether 20s or 30s and then Ian did some research which was
really interesting and directed our thinking and we decided on 30’s.
Ian:
Yes, after World War One Turkey was occupied by England, France and Italy. Turkish
nationalism was fuelled and led to the war for independence occurred in 1923 leading to a
Republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He was a strong leader but an admirer of
European lifestyle and culture and he envisioned a modern secular state and was
modernising Turkey throughout the 1930s. He died in 1938.
Martin: So, in the 30’s Turkey still had a slightly eastern mystique an exoticness being in the near
east. It wasn’t a tourist destination and it was in a process of change with lots of new
influences being introduced.
Ian:
We thought that Antipholus of Ephesus may have travelled abroad and come back with a
trophy wife - and her sister is staying here with her over the summer.
Martin: This gave us the opportunity to mix Eastern and Western styles of dress.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Are there any disadvantages of setting it in the 1930’s?
Martin: Not really, we felt that we couldn’t bring it up to date,
because, if anyone had mobile phones then it would throw
the plot off completely, it just wouldn’t work.
What interested you about Comedy of Errors as a designer?
Martin: The opportunity to fill the stage with as much colour as we
could lay our hands on. I wanted it to look exotic and to
transfer us to another place.
I did a lot of research on Turkish architecture and there’s
one picture I kept coming back to shows such busy-ness
and colour and light, with the sense of shade and light
coming through split bamboo. I found that really
appealing.
And, when you look at the architecture it’s the colour that
Courtesan Design – Martin Johns
you keep coming back to. The real joy was going into the
workshop to create and then standing looking at the main
house stage being transformed in this way. I’m so used to seeing something Edwardian or
Victorian up there that seeing it look so different, well, it was huge fun really.
Everyone says they love it and the colour and they can’t believe it’s sitting on that stage
which is rewarding. The brilliant thing was TK Maxx in York and Carlisle had such a range of
items that were perfect for the production, I think I bought most of the lanterns and rugs
from both stores.
Ian:
In the end I think we wanted to make people feel like they’d been away on holiday
Martin: And we wanted to see how many entrances we could make, how many alley ways that we
could create to make it look like a real town.
What posed the most interesting challenges?
Martin: There was no challenge really; the only thing that people found challenging was stopping me
from adding more and more. When we were getting it in, the auditorium was full of
dressing. I think I only stopped because I ran out of things to add; otherwise I’d have been
still up there doing it. One of the good things about the set was that it wasn’t too expensive,
either. Our entire carpet store is up there and all of our bamboo blinds. We’ve used candles
candlesticks.
There’s a whole town on stage. The height and depth interesting and provides for the possibility of
the comedy run-arounds – who / when / how was all of that decided?
Martin: To some degree it’s dictated by the masking and what we’re hiding behind each part. It’s an
immensely practical set in that sense.
Ian:
We wanted to ensure that actors knew about the town and the directions to the places that
are referred to in the text e.g. the Market, the prison, the port, the palace and the Centaur
where they lodge.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
So it was great making these decisions and, by the time we went into rehearsal, we had a
map for people to understand where they were going off to each time. I tried to vary
entrances and exits and then we had the lovely run-around that we could use too.
It looks really busy yet there’s still lots of room for the performers - what presented the biggest
challenges?
Martin: The only thing we had to modify slightly was we were using the upstairs balcony for Katie
Norris to get up and down in good time. She has 9 changes in the show (and they’re not the
most straightforward costumes) so, we had to give her a really good staircase that she could
hurtle up and down it safely.
There’s an interesting mixture of Eastern and Western styles of
dress – can you explain why?
Martin: As a uniform, really, and to show that in this place there is a
real mixture of cultures. Both of the Antipholus characters
have just taken on the Western dress that had been
introduced and the Dromios have just adapted to whichever
country they were passing through, they need to look more
like the locals in order to be able to mix with them.
Then we have the cosmopolitan Balthazar dressed the way
he is which feels more like a suit than a kaftan; quite
business-like.
I think for those central characters there was a distinct
difference. And also we then had fun with things like
American merchants and an Arab. Because it’s an
intersection where East meets West there could be all sorts
of people visiting and adding colour and exotic elements.
Antipholus Design – Martin Johns
How did other members of the creative team contribute to the production?
Music
Ian:
It was great having a Greek director in the building. I went to Mary for musical inspiration
and I think a lot of what she’s gone for is kind of Crete which is midway between where
Syracuse and Ephesus would be on the map.
She wanted to get away from traditional basuki music so we’ve used a range of different
instruments and all of the linking music is stuff that Mary has brought for us. And gave us
themes that recur e.g. the ‘spooky Ephesus’ musical theme. All of the other is standard
music that would be around and which gives a real atmosphere and authentic feel to the
town.
Also, we wanted to end on an uplifting moment and the music and dancing really provides a
celebration to end on.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
Lighting
Ian:
We wanted to honour the idea that the play adheres to Aristotle’s classical unities, so we
wanted to give the idea that we start the action just before dawn and then proceed through
to the end of a single day.
So, the half-light of dawn at the beginning of the day allowed us to show a busy town but to
keep the actors disguised, so they’re all backlit.
Most of the action takes place on a sunny day in Ephesus, however, as things get more
frantic – we move to sunset red which changes the atmosphere and then, at twilight we
have lamps and blue light, which gives quite a magical state.
Finally, we can bring the energy back up and wham the festoons on at the end of the play for
the party.
Martin: It was the play that we were both really looking forward to working on and I think that
shows, as everyone; cast, production crew and audience are all enjoying it immensely now.
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The Comedy of Errors – Resource Pack
The Performers
Cate Cammack (Adriana)
Cate is excited to be returning to Theatre by the Lake, and her family are excited too about this
excuse for taking breaks in such a beautiful spot! Cate made her professional
debut here in last year’s production of Rogue Herries after graduating from Bristol
Old Vic Theatre School. Since then she has played a 1940s WAAF in Amanda
Whittington’s The Dug Out at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol, a put-upon
teacher in the feature film Boom Town, a shifty spy in 1960s Berlin in feature film
Gentlemen, and a grieving young woman in the emotional short film Beneath the
Tides. Cate also writes, and has co-written and produced a short film that will go into production
next year. Her main aims for this season are to remember to play the right part in the right play, to
reach the top of Scafell Pike, and to successfully consume an entire cow pie at The George. Training
for the last has already begun…
Laura Cox (An Abbess/A Merchant)
Having been rained upon daily during The Firework- Maker’s Daughter, Laura is
looking forward to a bit of sun, pretty please! Theatre credits include: My Family
and Other Animals (York Theatre Royal); The Canterbury Tales (Northern
Broadsides); Oliver Twist (Bolton Octagon); Major Barbara (Royal Exchange,
Manchester); Ghost Sonata (People Show); The Turn of the Screw (Ipswich); Blood
Wedding (Colchester); Ballad of Wolves, Dimetos, The Crimson Island (Gate
Theatre); (Uncle) Vanya (Wrestling School); and seasons at Leeds, Leicester, Derby, Sheffield, the
Young Vic, Bristol and many many more. TV includes: Holby City, Waking the Dead, Silent Witness,
Most Mysterious Murders, Doctors, The Cater Street Hangman, Maigret, One Foot in the Grave and
The Bill – lots of times! Film includes: Internal, The Visitors, The Calling, The Krays, The Fool and Little
Dorrit. Laura played second trombone in the Gislingham Village Silver Band for a couple of years and
divides her time between Norfolk and London with one chicken (the rest died, as they do!), two cats
and an Irish man who tidies up and clears surfaces after her and is generally marvelous. Thank you!
Henry Devas (Antipholus of Ephesus)
Henry trained at Rose Bruford and was a winner of the 2010 BBC Carleton Hobbs
award. Before training to become an actor, Henry spent time pursuing a career as
a professional wrestler. He even moved to Louisville, Kentucky to join a wrestling
school. The first play Henry remembers seeing that really inspired him was a
production of The Cherry Orchard at the Sheffield Crucible, staring Joanna
Lumley. He is very excited to be working in Keswick as part of a repertory
company, as he feels it is a learning experience that you won’t find anywhere else. He is especially
intrigued to play the role of Jonathan Harker in Dracula, as he recently played a version of the
character in a radio adaptation of the classic silent movie Nosferatu. Theatre credits: Bedroom Farce,
Hay Fever (Oldham Coliseum); Beauty and the Beast, The Schoolmistress (Stephen Joseph Theatre,
Scarborough); The Long Life and Great Good Fortune of John Clare (Eastern Angles). Radio credits
include: Sense and Sensibility, Nosferatu, The Chrysalids, I Claudius (BBC).
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James Duke (Dromio of Syracuse)
Theatre: A Doll’s House, Dry Rot, Great Expectations (Theatre by the Lake);
Travels With My Aunt (Theatre Royal, Northampton); Donkey’s Years, The Lady in
the Van (Salisbury Playhouse); Remember This, Machinal, Ice (National Theatre);
Salome, Hamlet, Frankenstein, Macbeth, Richard III, The Crucible, The Trials of
Oscar Wilde (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow); Inconceivable (West Yorkshire
Playhouse); Waiting for Godot, The Critic, The Dispute (Royal Exchange,
Manchester); The Importance of Being Earnest, The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, The Wizard of Oz
(The Dukes, Lancaster); Calamity Jane, The Rocky Horror Show (Leicester Haymarket); Dr Faustus
(Contact Theatre, Manchester); Measure for Measure (Chester Gateway); That Time, Catastrophe
(Quiet Theatre). TV: Breathless, Mike Bassett, Doctors, Miranda, Phoenix Nights, Holby City, The Way
We Live Now, Fun at the Funeral Parlour, Grange Hill, Daniel in Oktober, The Bill, Scavengers, The
Troma Basement, The Jack Docherty Show, Brookside, The Firm, Harry Harvey in Eastenders. Film:
The Shouting Men, Cheese Makes You Dream. Radio: Shirley, The Spring Sonata, The Death of
Federico Garcia Lorca, Death Comes Staccato, Machinal, The Book of Shadows.
Jennifer English (Luciana)
Jennifer is delighted to be returning to Theatre by the Lake, after making her
professional debut as Phyllis in The Railway Children in 2012. She recently trained
at the Birmingham School of Acting. During her training she won the coveted
Laurence Olivier bursary. Theatre credits include: Fotherington-Thomas in a
brand new adaptation of The Molesworth Diaries (Frinton Theatre); Superjohn
(The Bike Shed/National tour); Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, Hester Worsley in A
Woman of No Importance and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Birmingham School of
Acting).
Chris Hannon (Dromio of Ephesus)
Chris trained at Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre. He is
delighted to be returning to Theatre by the Lake after appearing in the 2012
Summer Season in Dry Rot, Great Expectations and Bedroom Farce. Theatre
includes: Crash of the Elysium (Punchdrunk); The Marriage of Figaro, Hobson’s
Choice, Antony and Cleopatra, She Stoops to Conquer, The Miser (Royal
Exchange, Manchester); Bouncers (John Godber Company); Schweyk in The
Second World War (Library Theatre, Manchester); Blood Wedding (Liverpool Playhouse); Innocence
(Arcola); Travels With My Aunt, Cinderella (Oldham Coliseum); Billy Liar (Middle Ground); My Last
Car (Warwick Arts Centre); I Love Vinegar Vera, Wall Talks, The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol (Cut to
the Chase). Also several pantomimes for Theatre Royal Wakefield including last year’s Jack and the
Beanstalk, which Chris also wrote. Television includes two series of Topsy and Tim, currently showing
on CBeebies. Also two series of Lunch Monkeys (BBC3); Citizen Khan, The Wrong Door, The Site,
Mark’s Brilliant Blog, The Battle of the Somme, Doctors (BBC); Coronation Street, The Forsyte Saga
(ITV); Bedlam, Mount Pleasant (Sky); No Angels (C4); Lifeskills (E4).
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Bryn Holding (Antipholus of Syracuse)
Bryn trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and is delighted to
be joining the company this season. He is all kitted out for a fabulous summer of
walking in the lakes and is looking forward to getting lost (metaphorically not
literally, we hope) in this incredible landscape. This summer will be his second
appearance in a production of Dracula – his first was playing the title role in a
primary school production aged 10. Perhaps that is where his thirst for
performing came from. His theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol (New Vic Theatre); The
Nutcracker Prince (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); Hot Air (Tobacco Factory, Bristol); As You
Like It (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Romeo and Juliet (Pilot Theatre/York Theatre Royal); The
Mystery of Jack and the Clones of Chaos (Pilot Theatre/International tour); The Seven Ages of Man
(RSC); Echoes (Liverpool Everyman); The Tempest, Adventures of Pinocchio, Little Hope (Point
Theatre, Eastleigh); Clybourne Park (Haugesund Theatre, Norway); Platform 13 (Theatre Royal,
Plymouth); Les Misérables Le Panto (Oddsocks Productions, UK tour).
Katie Norris (Luce/Courtesan)
This is Katie’s first season at Theatre by the Lake and first time in the Lake District,
but as it’s the setting of her favourite film, Withnail and I, she already feels like
she knows it really well. She is looking forward to rampaging with bulls in fields,
acting outlandishly in a Penrith tearoom and screaming bitterly to her agent from
a telephone box. A writer and comedian, Katie is part of duo, Norris & Parker.
They performed at the Edinburgh, Manchester and Camden Fringe Festivals last
year, and most recently The Lowry with their sketch and character comedy show. Other theatre
credits: Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Halle, Bridgwater Hall); The Demolition
Man (Bolton Octagon); Doctor Faustus (Royal Exchange, Manchester). Katie trained at Manchester
Metropolitan School of Theatre, where she was nominated for the Spotlight Prize and Carleton
Hobbs Award.
Peter Rylands (Egeon)
Peter is delighted to be returning to Keswick – undoubtedly his favourite venue.
This summer’s three shows will bring his Keswick total to 19. For Theatre by the
Lake: The Railway Children, The History Boys, Tom’s Midnight Garden, In
Extremis, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Lady in the Van, Arsenic and Old
Lace, Our Country’s Good, The Recruiting Officer, The Wind in the Willows, A
Christmas Carol, Two, Charley’s Aunt. For Century Theatre: Just Between
Ourselves, The Late Edwina Black, 84 Charing Cross Road. Other extensive theatre work includes
productions at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, Library Theatre, Manchester, West Yorkshire
Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Chester, Derby, Coventry, Salisbury, Harrogate, Cheltenham, Watford,
Stoke, Croydon and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. In a former life, Peter taught Drama and
Theatre Studies in schools and adult education. Television work includes: Shameless, The Other
Child, South Riding, Party Animals, Prime Suspect, The Parole Officer, Jane Hall, Just Us, My Hero,
Bugs, Peak Practice, Hetty Wainthropp, Grass, Hollyoaks, Brookside, The Bill, Casualty and several
roles in both Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Peter has worked extensively in radio drama in
productions for BBC Radios 3, 4 and 5.
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Alan Suri (Duke/Balthasar/Officer)
Alan trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama and has appeared in many
theatre productions in London, including with Red Channel, the Arcola Theatre,
Paper Thin, Kali Theatre Co., Drowned Princess, Theatre Royal Stratford East,
Immigration Monologues and Southwark Playhouse. Film and TV credits include:
Mother’s Journey, Touch Me Pink Hear Me Blue, The Providence, Wimbledon,
London’s Burning. When not performing, Alan is a Professional Communications
Skills Simulated patient for all the major medical schools in London. To date he has played
potentially every illness, from simple coughs to severe psychological disorders. Alan is a keen fitness
fanatic, enjoying the gym, cycling and badminton. He’s also a dog lover and is the proud owner of an
eccentric chocolate Labrador. Alan’s only memory of the Lake District is a family holiday when he
was 9 years old, when he and his family became stranded on a mountain ledge overlooking a sheer
drop. Hopefully this visit will be exciting in a different way! He is thrilled to be part of the company,
this being his first season in Keswick.
Matthew Vaughan (Angelo/Dr Pinch)
Matthew is thrilled to be back once again at Theatre by the Lake, where he last
appeared in Noises Off, Dumb Show, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Arsenic
and Old Lace, The Lonesome West and The Importance of Being Earnest. Other
theatre work includes: Very Little Women (Lip Service Theatre Company); The
Memory Of Water (Library Theatre, Manchester); Blood and Roses (Trestle
Theatre Company); The Importance of Being Earnest (Lip Service/The Palace
Watford); Fastest Clock In The Universe, The Suicide, Mowgli’s Jungle, Macbeth, La Mandragola, The
Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Pitchfork Disney, Hysteria, The Importance Of Being Earnest (Octagon
Theatre, Bolton); A Passionate Woman (Oldham Coliseum/Redgrave Theatre, Farnham); Macbeth
(Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford); The Public (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Tibetan Inroads/The New
House (Arts Theatre London); The Way to Go Home (Royal Court); Hiawatha (Cleveland Theatre
Company). Matthew’s television credits include Michael Feldmann in Emmerdale, Ian Griffiths in
Underworld (History Channel), Dave in Sugar Rush (Channel 4/Shine), Crimestrike (Steelbank Films),
The Final Frame (Kinesis/Channel 4), Gary in Missing Person (Yorkshire Television).
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The Creative Team
Ian Forrest (Director)
Ian was appointed Artistic Director of Theatre by the Lake in 1998 and has directed
over 50 productions here. As a freelance director he worked in repertory theatre
in Cheltenham, Chester, Harrogate, Birmingham, Derby, Oldham, Bolton, Exeter
and Colchester. He directed the 1992 York Cycle of Mystery Plays and the John
Wells/Carl Davis musical version of Alice in Wonderland at the Lyric,
Hammersmith. Ian was Theatre Director at the Dukes, Lancaster from 1988-90,
where shows included Salonika, The Price, Othello, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, The Play of Jennet and
nine outdoor productions in Lancaster’s Williamson Park.
Martin Johns (Set & Costume Designer)
Having trained at Wimbledon School of Art and the Motley Theatre Design
Course, Martin started his career at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and became
Head of Design for the Tyneside Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal and
Leicester Haymarket Theatre. During the latter period he designed the set for the
West End production of Me and My Girl at the Adelphi and subsequently Berlin,
Broadway, Japan, Australia, South Africa and the British and American tours.
Other West End shows include Master Class (Old Vic and Wyndham’s); Passion Play (Wyndham’s);
West Side Story (Her Majesty’s); The Hired Man (Astoria); The Entertainer (Shaftesbury); Brigadoon
(Victoria Palace); A Piece of My Mind (Apollo); The Secret Lives of Cartoons (Aldwych); Rolls Hyphen
Royce (Shaftesbury); Let the Good Stones Roll (Ambassadors Theatre); Mack and Mabel (Piccadilly
Theatre) and the set for The Romans in Britain (National Theatre). Martin has been Resident
Designer since the theatre’s opening.
Charmian Hoare (Dialect Coach)
Charmian trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama. She has worked
extensively in theatre and film as a Voice and Dialect Coach. Recent theatre work
includes: Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well (RSC); Trelawney of the Wells (Donmar
Warehouse); Gruesome Playground Injuries (Gate Theatre); Roots, Dancing at
Lughnasa (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); All My Sons (Watermill Theatre,
Newbury); Of Mice and Men, The Deep Blue Sea (West Yorkshire Playhouse);
Everyone’s a Winner (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); Jerusalem, Red Bud (Royal Court);
Singing in the Rain, The Way of the World, A Marvellous Year for Plums (Chichester Festival Theatre);
Dry Rot, Great Expectations, Knives in Hens (Theatre by the Lake); Hamlet, The Daughter in Law
(Crucible Theatre, Sheffield); The Pride (Trafalgar Studios, London), The House of Games (Almeida);
4000, Miles, This Happy Breed (Theatre Royal, Bath).
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Peter Macqueen(Fight Director)
Peter Macqueen works as both an actor and fight director and is a regular at
Theatre by the Lake. Peter was the fight director for See How They Run! and An
Inspector Calls in the Summer Season last year, as well as a number of other
shows at the theatre. Peter is on the Equity Register of Fight Directors and, as one
of the original members of the British Fight Directors Society, he has directed
fights in many theatres all over the country; ranging from the wildwood stoat
mayhem of The Wind in the Willows, through a handful of Macbeth/MacDuff encounters, to the
murderous onslaught of Deathtrap! He coached a half-blind Bernard Bresslaw in brandishing a
broadsword in Falstaff (Arts Theatre); a prop-phobic Susannah York to wield a knife in Lyric for a
Tango (West End) and a meticulous David Threlfall as Hamlet (Oxford Playhouse) before he became
shameless.
Nick Beadle (Lighting Designer)
Designs for Theatre by the Lake: See How They Run!, An Inspector Calls, She
Stoops to Conquer, The Railway Children, Noises Off, Hay Fever, Keep Smiling
Through, Northanger Abbey, What the Butler Saw, Bus Stop, Grimm Tales, A
Chorus of Disapproval, Summer Lightning, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A
Christmas Carol, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Lady in the Van, The Importance of
Being Earnest, Portraits in Song, The Mother, Habeas Corpus, Mrs. Warren’s
Profession, The Real Inspector Hound, The Woman in Black, All My Sons, The Good Companions, The
Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Blithe Spirit, Season’s Greetings, The Hired Man, The Snow Queen, The
Wizard of Oz, Dick Barton – Special Agent, Gaslight, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sinbad! – The Untold
Tale and Of Mice and Men. Nick has also designed for: Birmingham Rep, West Yorkshire Playhouse,
Chester Gateway, Watford Palace Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Bristol Old Vic,
Manchester Library Theatre, National Theatre and the Lyric, Hammersmith to name just a few.
Maura Guthrie (Sound Designer)
Maura joined the technical team at Theatre by the Lake in 2008 after graduating
from East 15 Acting School. She has been involved in many home-produced
productions under different roles including Lighting and Sound Designer. Past
lighting credits include: A Touch of Magic, Ghost Stories, Lysistrata and Spring
Awakening. More recently Maura has branched out into sound design and her
past sound credits include: Dancing at Lughnasa, Not About Heroes (which also
toured Cumbria), Swallows & Amazons, She Stoops to Conquer, Rogue Herries, Old Herbaceous, Dry
Rot, The History Boys, Knives in Hens, Hay Fever, Dumb Show, What the Butler Saw and Bus Stop.
She has also designed sound for Keswick Theatre Club’s productions of: Private Fears in Public
Places, The Real Inspector Hound, A Separate Peace and Feel good. This summer sees Maura
creating the sound design for The Comedy of Errors in the Main House and The Winterling and
Seeing the Lights in the Studio.
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Sophie Curtis (Casting Director)
Sophie trained in Technical Theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and
subsequently worked in stage management, set design, marketing, general
management and production. She is now based in London and works freelance on
theatre projects across the country. Prior to her freelance work, Sophie spent
seven years as Artistic Coordinator; casting and programming for Theatre by the
Lake. Sophie has worked with the creative team at TBTL to cast more than 70
productions, including: Not About Heroes, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Wind in the Willows, The
History Boys, A View From the Bridge and many others! In addition to her work as Associate Casting
Director for Theatre by the Lake, Sophie is an associate at Esta Charkham Associates taking an active
role in nurturing and developing careers of both young and established actors.
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Activities
Text and Script Writing Exercises:
The Missing Scene
Create the scene in which Adriana and Antipholus of Syracuse have dinner. Who else is there? Is
Luciana present? Based on what we know about Adriana and Luciana what is there conversation
about? Why does Antipholus of Syracuse become enamoured with Luciana?
The Party
At the end of the play, the family celebrates their reunion. Use your imagination to write a speech
that one of the characters might say at their party. Think about who has been looking for whom and
what has happened to them.
Act 6
Write synopsis of Act 6 – what happens to the characters next? Given what we know about the
personalities of each character, do they live happily ever after?
Design Exercises:
Setting
Ian and Martin explained why they set the play during the 1930s in Turkey. Consider where and
when you would set the play. Explain why this is a good time and place. What does setting it here
allow you to explore in the script? What would be the challenges that setting it here would make?
Map-making
Make a map of the town – identify the direction of all of the different locations mentioned in the
play. On the map identify who had a connection with each location.
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Costume Designs:
Here are some examples of Martin’s design drawings - take inspiration from these and draw your
own costumes for the characters based on the setting that you’ve decided upon. Look back at the
discussion with Martin and Ian for more examples of why they made the decisions that they did.
Abbess Design – Martin Johns
Merchant 2 Design – Martin Johns
Dromio Design – Martin Johns
Adriana Design – Martin Johns
Balthazar Design – Martin Johns
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Set Design Project
Ephesus is renowned for being a spooky, magic Greek town where superstition is rife amongst the
local folk and new-comers are often treated with suspicion.
Based on your concept, create what you think the city of Ephesus would look like. You can use
ANYTHING: a drawing, a model it’s up to you.
Language Exercise
Changes in emphasis of words can have an impact on the meaning of the line. Using the following
lines from the play, ask the students to read the lines placing emphasis on a different word each
time and discuss the various meanings.
Act 2, Scene 1
Dromio of Ephesus: Quoth my master “I know” quoth he “no house, no wife, no mistress” So that,
my errand, due unto my tongue. I thank him, I bare home upon my shoulders; for in conclusion he
beat me there
Adriana: Go back again, thou slave, and fetch him home!
Dromio of Ephesus: Go back again and be new-beaten home? For God’s sake, send some other
messenger
Performance Exercises
Group Character
Act 3 Scene 2 from Dromio of Syracuse’s entrance
Divide into two groups with each group facing the other.
Group A takes on the Character of Antipholus of Syracuse
Group B takes on the Character of Dromio of Syracuse.
Create the scene with language and gesture. Consider how you can best emphasise the grossness of
Nell.
Relationships – who’s who?
Draw a family tree of the characters in the play.
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Shakespearian Words
Thou, Thee, Thy?
The number of words used in the Elizabethan Language were constantly developing during
Elizabethan times - the vocabulary was expanding.
Can you match the language on the left to the correct meaning on the right?
Shakespeare’s Language & Meaning
Art thou…
I have often…
Thou dost…
Your brother…
Hast thou…
Before you…
Whence art thou…
Are you…
’tis far from hither…
You do…
twas!
Have you…
’ere thou…
Where are you…
yea I hast oft…
Was!
thy brother…
It is far from here
Now take the following questions and turn them in to Elizabethan:
-
Why do you not believe me?
-
Is it far from here?
-
Before you go, have you anything to give me?
-
Have you travelled far?
-
You are troubled. Come. Do you want to sit?
-
What will you have of me?
Now, thy task is to write a short letter to thy friend using some Shakespearian phrases.
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Themes in the Play
There are various themes in The Comedy of Errors which can pose interesting and thought provoking
philosophical conversation. The following pages list some themes in the play and questions for
discussion
Mistaken identity/ misunderstanding
In A Comedy of Errors the two pairs of identical twins, Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of
Ephesus; and Dromio of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus are often mistaken for one another - this
can cause all kinds of confusion! But this doesn’t only happen with identical twins - there are lots of
times where something can seem like something else.
Older children (8-12)

When you look in the mirror, is the reflection you?

Is it better to be the same as someone or different from others?

If people dress alike and talk alike do they think alike?
Teenagers:

What makes you who you are? Are you more than your image?

If you are cloned and there’s an exact copy of you, would it still be you, or would it be
someone else?

Think about the Duke of Orsino’s words “One face, one habit, two persons” - Should we
allow genetic cloning?

Can people ever be too different?
Separation and Isolation
A tragic shipwreck leaves both sets of twins heading for different directions, separating them from
each other. There are many other examples in the play of separation and isolation. Think about the
following questions, explore and discuss:
Questions for older children:

Is isolation always a bad thing?

Is family important?

Is being alone the same as being lonely?
Questions for teenagers:

Which is more important; family or friends?

What is a family for?

Should your parents choose your friends?
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Jealousy
Jealousy is a feeling of wanting something that somebody else has, be it possessions or friendships
or time. Luciana tells Adriana that she shouldn’t be jealous of Antipholus spending time with other
people. Have a think about the questions below:
Questions for older children:

What is jealousy?

Is Jealousy always a bad thing?

Can you be jealous and content at the same time?
Questions for teenagers:

Does jealousy mean you love someone?

If you’re not jealous does that mean you don’t care?
Love and Marriage
There are lots of different types of love and marriage, between families, between friends, romantic
love; the list is endless. Many people don’t realise that there are also lots of different kinds of
marriage too. Explore the following questions:
Questions for older children:

Is marriage important?

How / would the world be different if people didn’t get married?
Questions for teenagers:

Is there such a thing as love at first sight?

What is love?

Can love be a bad thing?

Do you have to love someone to marry them?

Is fidelity the same as love? Can you be unfaithful and still love someone?
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Conflict
Conflict can come in a great many forms, including a difference of opinion, war or even a clash of
personalities. It can happen in everyday life as everybody has their own opinions thoughts and
feelings, otherwise we’d all be the same! Think about the questions below:
Questions for older children:

In a disagreement how do you know who is right?

If you disagree with someone are they your enemy?

Can you be friends with someone you disagree with?
Questions for teenagers:

Is there such a thing as right and wrong?

Is it always better to be in agreement?

Can you lose and argument and still be happy with the outcome?

How do you know which battles to fight?
The Supernatural
The supernatural is generally agreed to be that which is unexplainable by modern science, or
seemingly impossible to account for. Think about the questions below.
Questions for older children:

Are fairies real?

If someone believes in fairies and someone else doesn’t, who is right?
Questions for teenagers:

Is there such a thing as fate?

Are ghosts real?

Can someone be possessed?

If someone thinks someone is possessed, are they? How do you know?
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Debt
Debt is a frequent theme in The Comedy Of Errors, including monetary debt, emotional debt and
social debt, and anybody can fall in to debt. Explore the questions below:
Questions for older children:

Should you ever borrow anything?

Is lending someone something always the right thing to do?

Are you being selfish if you don’t lend someone something that they’ve asked for?
Questions for teenagers:

Is debt a good thing?

When someone excuses a debt are you still indebted to them?

If someone doesn’t have enough money to pay back a debt, should they be let off?
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