Sly’s Dream — Romantic Comedy

Abstract

The Comedy of Errors is probably amongst the earliest of Shakespeare’s comedies. It is one of the slightest of his works, plumbing few depths either of characterisation or of thought, though it is great fun in the theatre, which perhaps suggests a young dramatist who knew something of his trade but as yet had little to say. It was certainly written by the Christmas season of 1594, when it was put on as part of the annual ‘law-revels’ at Gray’s Inn; the performers were professional and may well have been the newly-formed Lord Chamberlain’s Men. As an eye-witness records, in the Gesta Grayorum, the evening was a shambles; it was the first entertainment there after the plague and far too many people turned up. The guest of honour was so disgusted by the chaos that he and his train left before the play:

After their departure the throngs and tumults did somewhat cease, although so much of them continued, as was able to disorder and confound any good inventions whatsoever. In regard whereof, as also for that the sports intended were especially for the gracing of the Templarians, it was thought good not to offer anything of account, saving dancing and revelling with gentlewomen, and after such sports, a Comedy of Errors (like to Plautus his Menechmus) was played by the players. So that night was begun, and continued to the end, in nothing but confusion and errors; whereupon, it was ever afterwards called, The Night of Errors’.¹