The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 76
The Arden text is based on the 1623 First Folio.
LIST OF ROLES
Solinus, DUKE of Ephesus
EGEON
a merchant of Syracuse
twin brothers, and sons of Egeon and Emilia
twin brothers, and servants to the Antipholus twins
BALTHASAR
a merchant
ANGELO
a goldsmith
Doctor PINCH
a schoolmaster
FIRST MERCHANT
SECOND MERCHANT
Emilia, ABBESS of Ephesus
and Egeon’s wife
ADRIANA
wife of Antipholus of Ephesus
LUCIANA
her sister
LUCE
her maid
COURTESAN
Jailor, Officers, Headsman and other Attendants
The Comedy of Errors
1.1 Enter SOLINUS the DUKE of Ephesus, with EGEON the merchant of Syracuse, Jailor and other attendants.
EGEON Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
DUKE Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more.
I am not partial to infringe our laws;
The enmity and discord which of late
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Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal’d his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks;
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For since the mortal and intestine jars
’Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,
To admit no traffic to our adverse towns;
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Nay more, if any born at Ephesus
Be seen at Syracusian marts and fairs;
Again, if any Syracusian born
Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,
His goods confiscate to the Duke’s dispose,
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Unless a thousand marks be levied
To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore by law thou art condemn’d to die.
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EGEON
Yet this my comfort; when your words are done,
My woes end likewise with the evening sun.
DUKE Well, Syracusian; say in brief the cause
Why thou departedst from thy native home,
And for what cause thou cam’st to Ephesus.
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EGEON A heavier task could not have been impos’d,
Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable;
Yet that the world may witness that my end
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I’ll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
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In Syracusa was I born, and wed
Unto a woman happy but for me,
And by me, – had not our hap been bad.
With her I liv’d in joy; our wealth increas’d
By prosperous voyages I often made
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To Epidamnum, till my factor’s death,
And the great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;
From whom my absence was not six months old
Before herself (almost at fainting under
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The pleasing punishment that women bear)
Had made provision for her following me,
And soon, and safe, arrived where I was.
There had she not been long, but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly sons,
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And, which was strange, the one so like the other,
As could not be distinguish’d but by names.
That very hour, and in the self-same inn,
A mean woman was delivered
Of such a burden male, twins both alike;
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Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
Made daily motions for our home return;
Unwilling I agreed; alas, too soon
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We came aboard.
A league from Epidamnum had we sail’d
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic instance of our harm,
But longer did we not retain much hope;
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For what obscured light the heavens did grant,
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death,
Which though myself would gladly have embrac’d,
Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
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Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn’d for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc’d me to seek delays for them and me,
And this it was (for other means was none):
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The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.
My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
Had fasten’d him unto a small spare mast,
Such as sea-faring men provide for storms;
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To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
The children thus dispos’d, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix’d,
Fasten’d ourselves at either end the mast,
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And floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
Dispers’d those vapours that offended us,
And by the benefit of his wished light
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The seas wax’d calm, and we discovered
Two ships from far, making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this,
But ere they came – O, let me say no more;
Gather the sequel by that went before.
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DUKE Nay forward, old man, do not break off so,
For we may pity, though not pardon thee.
EGEON O, had the gods done so, I had not now
Worthily term’d them merciless to us:
For ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
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We were encounter’d by a mighty rock,
Which being violently borne upon,
Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst;
So that in this unjust divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
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What to delight in, what to sorrow for;
Her part, poor soul, seeming as burdened
With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe,
Was carried with more speed before the wind,
And in our sight they three were taken up
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By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length another ship had seiz’d on us,
And knowing whom it was their hap to save,
Gave healthful welcome to their ship-wrack’d guests,
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
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Had not their bark been very slow of sail;
And therefore homeward did they bend their course.
Thus have you heard me sever’d from my bliss,
That by misfortunes was my life prolong’d
To tell sad stories of my own mishaps.
&nb
sp; 120
DUKE And for the sake of them thou sorrowest for,
Do me the favour to dilate at full
What have befall’n of them and thee till now.
EGEON My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years became inquisitive
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After his brother, and importun’d me
That his attendant, so his case was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain’d his name,
Might bear him company in the quest of him;
Whom whilst I labour’d of a love to see,
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I hazarded the loss of whom I lov’d.
Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,
And coasting homeward came to Ephesus,
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unsought
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Or that or any place that harbours men:
But here must end the story of my life,
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.
DUKE Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have mark’d
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To bear the extremity of dire mishap;
Now trust me, were it not against our laws,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
Which princes, would they, may not disannul,
My soul should sue as advocate for thee;
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But though thou art adjudged to the death,
And passed sentence may not be recall’d
But to our honour’s great disparagement,
Yet will I favour thee in what I can;
Therefore, merchant, I’ll limit thee this day
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To seek thy health by beneficial help;
Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum,
And live; if no, then thou art doom’d to die.
Jailor, take him to thy custody.
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JAILOR I will, my lord.
EGEON Hopeless and helpless doth Egeon wend,
But to procrastinate his lifeless end. Exeunt.
1.2 Enter ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE, First Merchant and DROMIO.
1 MERCHANT
Therefore give out you are of Epidamnum,
Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate;
This very day a Syracusian merchant
Is apprehended for arrival here,
And not being able to buy out his life,
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According to the statute of the town
Dies ere the weary sun set in the west.
There is your money that I had to keep.
ANTIPHOLUS S.
Go, bear it to the Centaur, where we host,
And stay there, Dromio, till I come to thee;
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Within this hour it will be dinner time;
Till that I’ll view the manners of the town,
Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and sleep within mine inn,
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
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Get thee away.
DROMIO S. Many a man would take you at your word,
And go indeed, having so good a mean. Exit.
ANTIPHOLUS S. A trusty villain, sir, that very oft,
When I am dull with care and melancholy,
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Lightens my humour with his merry jests.
What, will you walk with me about the town,
And then go to my inn and dine with me?
1 MERCHANT I am invited, sir, to certain merchants,
Of whom I hope to make much benefit.
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I crave your pardon; soon at five o’clock,
Please you, I’ll meet with you upon the mart,
And afterward consort you till bed-time;
My present business calls me from you now.
ANTIPHOLUS S. Farewell till then: I will go lose myself,
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And wander up and down to view the city.
1 MERCHANT
Sir, I commend you to your own content. Exit.
ANTIPHOLUS S.
He that commends me to mine own content
Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water
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That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,