Hello and welcome another check in for my 2020 Shakespeare Challenge. If you would like to learn more you can look at my initial post called, Blogmas | Goals | 2020 Shakespeare Challenge. This month I read The Comedy of Errors and errors there where!
This book is just a mixture of mess ups and miscommunication. It kinda reminded me of the exaggerated outcome of the telephone game, if you are familiar with that. The main aspect of this play is mistaken identity, which has been present in quite a few of his other plays that I have read this year. In this play in particular it it comes from not one, but two sets of twins and their loved ones having no idea who is who and let the mayhem begin.
I have to admit, that this is one of the better plays when it comes to mistaken identity. There were a few times where I giggled to myself while reading this, which is great because not a lot of his comedies have actually made me laugh or feel humor. Maybe I am finally getting Shakespeare’s sense of humor? Either way, without giving away too much, there is a lot of misunderstandings, surprises, and puns galore!
This review isn’t that long due to the fact that I feel like a lot of the humor would be removed from this play if it is really discussed as much as I normally do. I would rather you read it for yourself and truly get the laugh out of it than being ruined by my review. But, overall I think this is one of the better comedies as I said earlier. I think it is worth checking out if you like his other plays or even has not read any of his comedies before.
Next month I am reading another comedy by William Shakespeare called Much Ado About Nothing, I have heard a great deal about this one so I am excited!
What are your thoughts on this play?
What is your favorite play by Shakespeare?
Bookish Luna 
This is a great project. I love that you’re doing this to courageously explore an author whose works you’ve previously disliked. I HAVE DONE THE SAME.
I’ve never read Comedy of Errors so I can’t speak to that one, but (& it is SO HARD to choose), I have to say my favorite by Shakespeare is The Taming of the Shrew. Much Ado About Nothing is in the running! If you haven’t seen it, you should DEFINITELY watch the Emma Thompson adaptation. Watching the adaptations often brings the work to life for me, because MUSIC AND DANCING, ha. 🙂
I LOVE Shakespeare because he is hilarious and makes us think & was clearly a feminist, & that’s evident in both The Taming of the Shrew and DEFINITELY in Much Ado About Nothing. 🙂 🙂
I ALSO LOVE The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III, & Henry V. x
The Merchant of Venice has an AWESOME and TOTALLY REVOLUTIONARY speech about Jewish humanity in it, made when Jews were considered highly suspect in Shakespeare’s world. Othello‘s protagonist is a black man. Macbeth is probably the most gripping one I’ve read so far. Lots of INTRIGUE AND WITCHERY. And EVIL LADY MACBETH. Beatrice in Much Ado is the wittiest woman I’ve found in Shakespeare’s literature. Henry V demands that the viewer consider how moral the monarchy really is. The Taming of the Shrew pokes enormous fun at anyone who thinks you can just bully a woman into submission and basically says “If you think you can, you are clearly gullible.” Hamlet is mysterious. Richard III is super evil and the play depicts his psychological downfall. (His defeat will bring on the reign of the Tudors.)
(Oh, I just noticed I commented all this back in April. I’m not sure if you ever saw that, so probably okay to repeat, ha!
SO MANY GOOD ONES. I’m still working on Shakespeare, but I hope the above helps your quest. 🙂
LikeLike
The link to the Emma Thompson adaptation didn’t work. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk3GEGUVPNU
LikeLike
I also found myself chuckling when reading the play, but at some point I just got SO annoyed by all the misunderstandings. This plays really requires a great deal of patience 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it is quite a lot, I think I was so used to it because I have read so many this year. It might be getting into my head now. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person