Watch the clip from Act 3 Scene 2 above from 13:14, paying particular attention to Antipholus of Syracuse’s reaction at the end where he says: ‘I will not harbour in this town tonight’.

The first time we meet Antipholus of Syracuse, he has just arrived in Ephesus and is being warned to hide his identity. Antipholus’ identity is already shaken by his long search for his twin brother and mother. The longer he spends in Ephesus, the more ‘anxiety’ he feels, which leads him into some unusual behaviour: beating his servant more than usual, believing Ephesus to be enchanted and falling in love very quickly. One of the key questions when playing or examining this character is:

What makes him so unsettled?

We’ve started to think below about some of the things that affect Antipholus of Syracuse. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

• Act 1 Scene 2: Take a look at how Antipholus treats Dromio. Why is it so important to him that jokes happen when he’s in the right mood?
• Act 3 Scene 2: Antipholus reacts to Luciana’s long speech with an equally long speech. What has he been thinking while she’s been speaking? Why does he react so quickly?
• Act 5 Scene 1: Look at Antipholus’ behaviour at the start of this scene. What has driven him to behave this way? How dangerous is his situation?

At the start of the play, we are told that both twins started out the same, born to a poor family and bought by Egeon to be servants to his twins. After the shipwreck, they have had very different lives. In Act 1 Scene 2, Dromio of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus with his master, having grown up with him, then travelled with him on his search. Like his master, he is unmarried and equally wary of this strange unfriendly land.

In comparison, Dromio of Ephesus has a more settled life. He lives in his master’s house and is married to the kitchen maid, Nell. His master, Antipholus of Ephesus, is an established citizen with a reputation to uphold and Dromio is used to a getting a beating. He is also beaten by Adriana, being caught in the middle of an unhappy marriage.

Both servants are extremely witty and resourceful and they are obviously difficult to tell apart but when playing one of the Dromios, it is important to examine their differences. So, we need to ask:

How different are the twins?

We’ve started to think below about some of the things that have affected the Dromio twins. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

• Act 1 Scene 2: Take a look at how both Dromios speak to Antipholus of Syracuse. Do they use different types of language? Do they expect different things from their master?
• Act 3 Scene 1: Look at how both Dromios handle the locked door part of this scene. How are they both adding to the comedy?
• Act 5 Scene 1: Explore the moment where the Dromio twins meet at the end of this act. Did they even know they had a twin brother? How do they feel about each other? Why does Shakespeare choose to end the play with them?

Watch the video above from 9:09. It shows a clip of Act 2 Scene 1, with Hedydd Dylan playing Adriana and Avita Jay as Luciana from the 2021 production (you can watch the whole video when you are looking at Key Scenes later on). Pay particular attention to Adriana’s speech beginning: ‘Patience unmoved! - No marvel though she pause’.

We first meet the sisters during a crisis for Adriana. Her husband, Antipholus of Ephesus, is late home for dinner - again - and she is outraged by the inequality of husband and wife. She rejects Luciana’s meek and patient views as Luciana is unmarried and can’t know the torments of having an unfaithful husband. Luciana warns her against ‘self-harming’ jealousy. In this scene, Adriana blames her husband’s neglect for ruining everything about her and her self-esteem seems low, despite being a rich and well-respected woman.

In Act 2 Scene 2, she paints the picture of a once-happy marriage and clearly still loves Antipholus. She spends the rest of the play trying hard to heal him, save him, pay for his debts. So what has gone wrong? Has Antipholus created her jealousy with his neglect or has her behaviour driven him away? Anyone hoping to understand this character must ask:

Was Adriana always this way?

We’ve started to think below about some of the reasons why Adriana behaves the way she does. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

• Act 2 Scene 2: Look at Adriana’s confrontation with Antipholus of Syracuse (who she thinks is her husband). Do you believe what she’s saying? Do you feel sorry for her at all?
• Act 3 Scene 1: Explore the things Antipholus of Ephesus says about Adriana in this scene. What kind of man is he? How does he feel about Adriana and have our feelings towards her changed now we’ve met him?
• Act 5 Scene 1: Look at the priory scene with Adriana, Emilia and Luciana. Do you think that what Emilia says gets through to Adriana? Is Adriana’s reaction a surprise to you?

Watch the video above from 8:27. It shows a clip of Act 1 Scene 1, where Egeon tells his tragic story to the Duke. Notice, in particular, the description of the storm and the decision he and Emilia made to tie their children to the ship. Phillip Breen, director of the RSC production in 2021, compares this speech to the social media age: ‘People responding hysterically to cloud patterns, jumping to extreme conclusions, thereby causing panic and hysteria everywhere which stops everyone being able to see where they truly are.’ As a merchant, Egeon has had his share of bad luck but how much of his tragedy was caused by bad decisions? Even the Duke says he is a ‘hapless’ man who ‘the fates have marked’.

When we meet Egeon at the start of the play, he is resigned to his fate and to death. But, according to his story, he was resigned to death on board the ship too. When approaching this important character, we need to ask:

Has Egeon created his own tragedy?

We’ve started to think below about Egeon’s tragedy and how responsible he is for it. See if you can complete the grid to make four points that could answer this question. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Looking at the following scenes might also help to collect evidence:

• Act 1 Scene 1: Examine Egeon’s description of the shipwreck. Why did it happen? Could it have been avoided?
• Act 1 Scene 1: Look at the effect of Egeon’s speeches on the Duke. How much does this scene set up the whole play? What tone does it strike and does this seem unusual for a comedy?
• Act 5 Scene 1: Explore the moment when Egeon is not recognised by Antipholus of Ephesus. How many reasons does Egeon come up with for his reaction? What does it tell us about his character?