"A Comedy of Errors" Play Searching For Men & Women

One of the twins separated in the shipwreck. He ended up in Ephesus where he lives with his wife, her sister, & his servant Dromio (as well as other servants). Antipholus of Ephesus was in the war & saved the Duke’s life, leaving him a war hero & the Duke became his patron. Antipholus of Ephesus seems to have a good deal of money & a wonderful reputation in the town. He is married to Adriana, who seems to come from a wealthy, well-renowned family. It seems like the Duke set up their marriage.

One of the twins separated in the shipwreck. He was raised with his father, Egeon, & one of the Dromio twins in Syracuse. Antipholus of Syracuse is a wanderer. He has been searching far and wide (alongside his servant Dromio) for his long lost brother and mother. He leads a nomadic life, and seems to be a dreamer, a never seems to lose hope. Unlike his brother, Antipholus of Ephesus, when people start to confuse him for someone else, he decides to play along with the game and see what happens.

Dromio of Ephesus is the servant of Antipholus of Ephesus. He was lost in the shipwreck with the baby Antipholus of Ephesus and Emilia, and has been by Antipholus of Ephesus’ side ever since. He is very witty and smart, and can be sarcastic and snarky at times, especially with Adriana and Luciana. He has a close but slightly abusive relationship with his master and Adriana, often getting beaten when he does something wrong. He is married to Luce, the kitchen wench.

Dromio of Syracuse is the servant of Antipholus of Syracuse. He was lost in the shipwreck with baby Antipholus of Syracuse and Egeon, and has been at Antipholus of Syracuse’s side ever since. He is as witty and smart as his twin brother, but seems to be a lot more gentle. His relationship with his master also seems more cordial, we often see him and Antipholus of Syracuse playing and laughing together. He seems to believe in the spiritual world.

Adriana is the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus. She is devastated because she thinks that her husband is cheating on her. Her emotions are all over the map: one moment she is sad and weeping, and the next she is angry and screaming. She is very logical and has some of the most reasonable arguments in the play, however she is always speaking them to the wrong person and getting more and more confused. She clearly loves her husband very much.

Luciana is Adriana’s sister. She is a young woman who is unmarried & has a lot of opinions about what a marriage should be. She is very naive and seems a little afraid of the idea of being with a man, but she falls for Antipholus of Syracuse (thinking he is her sister’s husband) and we see her navigate through the pangs of love. She is very logical and stable: a great foil to her sister, who is much more on edge. She is a great mediator when everyone else around her seems to be losing control.

Luce (Nell) is Adriana’s kitchen maid, she is also the wife of Dromio of Ephesus. When Dromio of Syracuse is in the house, she confuses him for her husband.

The Duke of Ephesus and the patron to Antipholus of Ephesus. He seems to be a kind hearted ruler, shown when he gives Egeon an extra day to live at the top of the play, and when he sets him free at the end. Other characters often plead to him to help them with their various problems, and he always listens and tries to assist.

The father of the Antipholus twins. He is a merchant from Syracuse, and since the shipwreck that separated him from his wife and one of his sons, he has been scouring the lands to try to find them. He seems to have given up hope, and when he is condemned to death for coming to Ephesus, he is not surprised because his life has been filled with such misfortune.

She is the mother of the Antipholus twins. She was separated from both her husband and her twins and became an Abbess in Ephesus. Unbeknownst to her, she has been living in the same town as Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus, and when she sees Egeon and the sets of twins at the end of the play, she takes off her habit and reveals that she is indeed Emilia.

Angelo is a goldsmith in Ephesus. He has made Antipholus of Ephesus a gold chain to give to his wife. Chaos ensues when Angelo accidently gives the chain to Antipholus of Syracuse.

The Courtesan dined with Antipholus when after he got locked out of his house. He promised to give her the gold chain that was meant for Adriana in return for her ring. After she meets Antipholus of Syracuse (thinking he’s Antipholus of Ephesus) and he doesn’t give her the ring, she finds Adriana and tells her that Antipholus is mad and stole her ring.

Balthazar is a merchant that seems to be on friendly terms with Antipholus of Ephesus. When they go to Antipholus of Ephesus’ home and are locked out, Balthazar is the one that suggests that Antipholus be patient and let his wife cool down while they all go to dinner.

Doctor Pinch is a conjurer that Adriana finds to help cure Antipholus of Ephesus’ ‘madness’. He is a schoolmaster as well as an exorcist.

Merchant (1) is a friend that Antipholus of Syracuse makes when he comes to Ephesus. Merchant 1 helps him find his way and warns him to not reveal that he is from Syracuse.

Merchant (2) is Angelo’s creditor and is going to have Angelo arrested if he doesn’t get the money he owes him, However, they run into Antipholus of Ephesus and it is revealed that he is supposed to have money to give to Angelo. When Antipholus refuses, he gets arrested in Angelo’s place.