le cousening Jugler. e. enaecmi, v. i. 445, of the Menechmi rs, v. i. 410 sqq., own master. e against the idea onsult the Latin tions "Sereptus" cognomina of the ticed that in the Syracuse is disErotes or Errotes, Sereptus; whilst pholus Siracusia "Erotes" and or corruptions of atipholus Sereptus the Menaechmus known to Shaket probably taken note of the CamAnother argument against Shakespeare's accurate knowledge of Latin and A brief sketch of the plot of the Menaecmi will enable us to judge of the extent to which Shakespeare was indebted to the Latin comedy in his handling of TA enormous advance in dramatic skill which is shown in the English version. The scene of the Menaechmi is laid at English version Epidamnum, and in the The Menaechmi, distinguished in Wa "Menechmus the Traveller," originally and "Menechmus the Citizen," are tw whom, Sosicles, after the loss of the oth name; and when arrived at man's estat him. At the opening of the play, Men who is given to "lewd dealings and vile ranged to dine with a courtezan Erotium Sosicles (the Traveller), who has just land Messenio after "six years roaming abou Massylia, Ilyria, all the upper sea, all hig Towns in Italy," is summoned by Eroti dinner in place of his brother, the Citizen then entrusted with a cloak, which the from his wife, "Mulier," and given to Er dyer's, and also a chain to the goldsmi is advised by Peniculus the parasite Citizen to "bayt her husband for his promptly proceeds to do. The Citizen, of an hour, goes to Erotium to request the cloak again in order to appease his the courtezan's bad graces also, and is a her both of the cloak and chain. In th meets Menechmus the Traveller with th him for an "impudent beast," and he, e Errors, and of the nd characterisation Epidamnus (in the Folio Epidamium). arner's version as called "Sosicles," o brothers, one of er, is called by his e goes in search of echmus the Citizen thievery," has arn; but Menechmus ded with his servant at Istria, Hispania, h Greece, all Haven um's servant to the 1. The Traveller is Citizen had pilfered otium, to take to the th's. Next Mulier of Menechmus the s life"; which she after a bad quarter that he may have wife, but falls into ccused of defrauding he last act, the wife he cloak, and reviles with some justice, recriminates. The wife summons her father, "Senex," and desires to be taken home, further alleging that her husband "makes her a stale and a laughing-stocke to all the world." The unfortunate Traveller swears by all the gods that the accusation brought against him is utterly false, but he is charged with madness by the Senex, and actually feigns madness in order to frighten them. They go off to fetch "Medicus" (a "Physitian"), and the Traveller promptly hies him to his ship. On their return the Senex and Medicus meet the Citizen and accuse him of madness; and he is only saved from being carried to the house of the Medicus by the timely arrival of Messenio, the Traveller's servant, who for the "good turne" is thanked and promised his freedom. The Citizen then departs, and the Traveller appears, and is reminded of the promised freedom by Messenio, who thus makes his real master "starke mad." Finally, the Citizen again appears on the scene, and in the dénouement full explanations ensue between the brothers as to "how all this matter came about"; and "much pleasant Error" thereby finds a happy ending. We are now in a position to judge of the extent to which Shakespeare made use of the Plautine version; and the result is to show how skilfully he elaborated and improved on the situation and characters of the old Latin comedy. "The comparison," as Watkiss Lloyd remarks in his Essays (p. 49, ed. 1875), "can only be fully enjoyed by reading the two productions conjointly, and then the completeness with which the later poet has remodelled and recast the materials of his predecessor becomes amusingly apparent—the twin dramas have all the resemblance and all the differences of the twins their heroes." The plot as Sha was doubled and trebled in its farcical char in The Errors. The Errors indeed is the b elaborate farce in its highest signification says Coleridge in his Literary Remains, presented us with a legitimate farce in ex with the philosophical principles and cha distinguished from comedy and from e proper farce is mainly distinguished fro license allowed, and even required, in the produce strange and laughable situations not be probable, it is enough that it is po would scarcely allow even the two Ant although there have been instances of almo likeness in two persons, yet these are m dents, casus ludentis naturae, and the ver the inverisimile. But farce dares add th is justified in so doing by the laws of it tion. In a word, farces commence in a p be granted." To mention some detail handling, he transfers the scene of the a num to Ephesus, and thereby secures a "errors" of the play would seem most li as the result of sorcery and witchcraft. Menaechmi, the Traveller and the Citize represented by Adriana, Erotium by the by Dromio of Syracuse, and the Med On the other hand, he discards, as usele the stereotyped character of the parasite father-in-law of the Citizen, and the espeare found it ter and incidents gh water mark of "Shakespeare," has in this piece ctest consonance acter of farce, as tertainments. A n comedy by the fable, in order to . The story need ssible. A comedy pholuses; because, st indistinguishable ere individual accium will not excuse e two Dromios, and s end and constituostulate, which must s of Shakespeare's ction from Epidamlocality where the kely and reasonable He retains the twin :n, the Mulier being Courtezan, Messenio dicus by Dr. Pinch. ess for his purposes, Peniculus, Senex the cook and maid of Erotium. He adds numerous fresh characters, viz., the Duke of Ephesus-" when he can he always introduces a Duke," as Dowden remarks-Ægeon, Dromio of Ephesus, Balthazar, Angelo, the First and Second Merchants, Luciana, Luce, and Æmilia; many of whom would be within the range of his own knowledge and observation. He works out such love interest as the situations afforded without impairing the force of the main farcical incidents; and in the pathetic story of Egeon he sets the whole action in a background or framework of tragicomedy perhaps of his own invention and arrangement, or possibly taken from the story told to the Siennese traveller in the Suppositi of Ariosto. In short, there is in The Errors a wealth of new invention and construction which raises it almost to the height of an original play. It has been already remarked that Shakespeare was likewise indebted to the Amphitryon of Plautus for the central incident of his play, viz., the amusing scene, Act III. sc. i., in which Antipholus of Ephesus is locked out of his own house while his brother is dining within. It is quite possible, nay more than probable, that this incident had been introduced into the Historie of Error; and that this was the source of Shakespeare's knowledge and employment of the episode. It is also probable that the scene from the Amphitryon originated the introduction of the twin Dromios, as also the substitution of the wife Adriana for the "courtezan" as the hostess of Antipholus of Syracuse; and the facile dramatic skill of Shakespeare, even at this early period of his career, is shown by his making the visit of Antipholus of Ephesus to the courtezan appear as a natural act of resentment and re |