The Comedy of Errors (Oxford Shakespeare) (Hardcover)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Charles Whitworth (Editor) "Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, And by the doom of death end woes and all..." (more)
Key Phrases: shortest play, proverbial language, kitchen wench, The Comedy of Errors, Merry Wives, Enter Adriana (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This new modern-spelling edition of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors includes a full introduction by Charles Whitworth that discusses the probable occasion of its first performance in 1594, its multiple sources, and its uneven critical and theatrical history. A full text of Plautus's comedy Menaechmus, and extracts from Gesta Gragorum and the Geneva Bible are included in appendices.

About the Author
Charles Whitworth is a Professor of English Literature and Director, Centre for English Renaissance Studies, Universite Paul Valery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198129335
• ISBN-13: 978-0198129332
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,924,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oxford World's Classics is the best choice for Shakespeare, January 10, 2004

By	R. Rockwell (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Comedy of Errors (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

As someone who is reading Shakespeare for the second time at the age of 40 and who considers himself a careful reader, I am always surprised to find the Oxford editors bring new ways of looking at the plays. In this introduction, Whitworth does a commendable job of explaining the importance of The Comedy of Errors which is usually dismissed as light weight farce, by explaining the history of critiism of the play and it social relevance.
Presented as a Christmas entertainment for the queen, The Comedy cleverly combines plots from two Plautus plays as well as introducing plot elements of his own.
I-- a mere mortal-- have no ability to criticize Shakespeares truly immortal genious. As the best writer ever, all I can do is enjoy the work. The scholarly intro allows you to heighten the pleasure seeing thing that might not be seen at surface level.
An additional benefit of the Oxford Shakespeare is that it is annotated with just enough notes-- on the same page as the text.
If you read Shakespeare for enjoyment or for a class, Oxford is the best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite of all Shakespeare's comedies., January 20, 2005

By	S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Comedy of Errors (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

I love all Shakespeare's works in all his genres, but this play is my favourite one of the Comedies. I have read it numerous times, but I have also seen it played on the stage, and it was unbelievably funny there. This play is actually one of Shakespeare's earliest. The play is a story about doubles, and the confusion that arises from this. Shakespeare protagaonists are a pair of twins, and to complicate things further each twin has an identical twin for a servant. Shakespeare's humour is bawdy as it was expected to be during the Elizabethan age. Some people think this particular play displays farcical humour because the humour is so broad, but I truly enjoyed reading it and seeing it. I think the genius of this particular play is in the deftness of the plot and the fast-paced perfection and timing of its action. I laughed out loud many times during this wonderful play.