SOURCE: Babula, William. “If I Dream Not: Unity in The Comedy of Errors.” South Atlantic Bulletin 38, no. 4 (November 1973): 26-33.

In the following essay, Babula examines The Comedy of Errors central characters and their fears of potentially destructive change.

The unity of The Comedy of Errors lies in the baffling contexts surrounding Aegeon, the boys from Syracuse, and the boys from Ephesus and in their responses to those contexts. Obviously, there are certain differences among these contexts that cannot be ignored. There are differences in the time spans that matter to the play: over twenty-five years for Aegeon, one week in particular for Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus, and one day for the Syracusans. The degree of seriousness with which Shakespeare handles Aegeon and each of the pairs varies greatly as well. There are differences in temperament. Yet, despite these differences, there is an ultimate similarity of situation and...