A Study Guide for

The Comedy of Errors

By: William
Shakespeare

Presented by Shakespearience a program of the

Idaho Shakespeare Festival
 Table of Contents
Section one: WELCOME!
Section three: AFTER THE SHOW
Special thanks……………………………………….….pg 3
Using this study guide…………………………….….pg 3 Activity: Memory Mnemonics...................................pg 17
About the Idaho Shakespeare Festival…….….pg 4 Activity: Perform a Scene……………..…………………...pg 18
A note from the director……………………..……...pg 4 Activity: Create a Poster…………….……………………...pg 19
Activity: Art of the Insult…………..…………..………..….pg 20
Activity: Did You Know? Facts…...…………………..…..pg 21
Section two: BEFORE THE SHOW

Meet the Cast…………………………………………...pg 5

The puppets of comedy……………………………...pg 6
About WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.………………….pg 7
Comedy of Errors Synopsis…………………………pg 8
Section four: APPENDIX
Twins in the real world……………………………….pg 9 Sources……………………………………………………..pg 22
Character Connections………………………………pg 10-11 Suggested viewing/reading.………..………….…..pg 22
Activity: The 15-Minute Play……………………….pg 12-14 Festival History……………………………………………pg 23
Vocabulary Words…………………………………..….pg 15
Activity: Bardbook…...…………………………………pg 16

2
Welcome!
Using This Guide...
A Very Special Thank You!
Dear Teachers,
The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts
Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities. Idaho Welcome to the Shakespearience study guide for The Comedy
Shakespeare Festival is one of 40 professional theater companies of Errors. These materials have been designed to expand your
selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of students’ engagement with the performance as well as
Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities provide background knowledge on William Shakespeare and
across the United States This is the twelfth year of this national the influential literature he wrote.
program, the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history. The
This resource includes a range of information, discussion
magic of this art form is brought to schools across the State of topics, and activities that can stand on their own or serve as
Idaho each Winter/Spring semester with assistance from a building blocks for a larger unit. The activities are designed to
generous group of underwriters: be mixed, matched and modified to suit the needs of your
National Endowment for the Arts particular students.
Shakespeare in American Communities
Inside, you’ll find activities to share with your students both
Arts Midwest
Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation before the show and after the show, indicated by headings at
Idaho Community Foundation and the following Funds: the top of the page. These are designed to help focus your
 F.M., Anne G. & Beverly B. Bistline Foundation students’ engagement with the performance by giving them
 CenturyLink Student Philanthropy Fund specific themes to watch out for, as well as topics for
 James A. Pinney Memorial Fund discussion following the performance. Each activity is
 Statewide Education Philanthropic Gift Fund designed to meet Idaho Standards of Education to foster
 Miles & Virginia Willard Fund for Eastern Idaho critical thinking and problem solving skills.
 Perc H. Shelton & Gladys A. Pospisil Shelton Foundation
Idaho Community Foundation Youth Trust Fund We encourage you and your students to share your thoughts
Idaho Commission on the Arts with us! Any of the artwork or activities your students send will
Idaho Humanities Council and National Endowment for the be shared with the artists who created The Comedy of Errors,
Humanities and any feedback from you will help to improve our study
Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation guides for future audiences! Our mailing address is located
Wells Fargo within the study guide. Thank you so much!
Idaho Power Foundation
The Whittenberger Foundation
Kissler Family Foundation
3
 Before the Show
About our education program…
The Idaho Shakespeare Festival has become an integral part of the
A Note From the Director...
arts education throughout Idaho. The Festival’s annual The appeal of the separated twins story is the implicit suggestion that it could happen to
Shakespearience tour brings live theater to more than 25,000 high- anyone. Babies actually do get lost or separated, and, however rare such an event may
be, it feeds the common fantasy that any one of us might have a clone, a doppelgänger
school students in more than 60 Idaho communities each year. Since — someone who is not only a human mirror but also an ideal companion, someone who
it began touring in 1986, Shakespearience has enriched the lives of understands us perfectly. - Lawrence Wright, “Double Mystery”, The New Yorker, August 7, 1995
nearly 500,000 students. I to the world am like a drop of water
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
In 1999, the Festival assumed the operations of Idaho Theater for (Unseen, inquisitive), confounds himself. - Antipholus of Syracuse, “The Comedy of Errors”
Youth (ITY). This alliance has more than doubled the Festival’s annual
So, let’s start here. “The Comedy of Errors” is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays. It is
educational programming, resulting in the Festival becoming the an adaptation of the “Menaechmi” by Plautus but in Plautus’ play there is one set of
largest provider of professional, performing arts outreach in the state identical twins. Shakespeare, being Shakespeare ups the ante and gives us TWO sets of
identical twins. The play establishes a ridiculous premise - the twins are not only
of Idaho. In addition to the statewide Idaho Theater for Youth school identical but have the same names! Who would give birth to twins and give them the
tour, which brings professional productions to nearly 30,000 students same names? It’s silly, unbelievable and, yet, somehow, we buy into it immediately.

in grades K-6 across Idaho, the Festival oversees year-round School of How does Shakespeare pull this off? He focuses on the heart. Yes, we have the structure
of a farce presented to us with endless multiplications of mistaken identity. But the
Theater programs. This series of classes in acting, playwriting and characters are all searching for a partner, to complete a picture, to become a family once
production, for students of all ages, enrolls over 300 Treasure Valley again.
students each year. Look for upcoming student productions So often productions of “The Comedy of Errors” focus exclusively on the Comedy
throughout the summer, fall and spring. (well, it is the title of the play after all) to the exclusion of the very real heartache that
these characters are experiencing. Hopefully, our production will bring you the joys of
both — a comedy of mistaken identity about people with very human needs and desires.
For more information on any of the Festival’s educational activities,
They say this town is full of cozenage,
please contact the Director of Education at the Festival offices or by As nimble jugglers that deceive the eye,
email at renee@idahoshakespeare.org. Dark-working sorcerers that change the mind,
Soul-killing witches that deform the body. - Antipholus of Syracuse, “The Comedy of Errors”

I am transformed, master, am not I? - Dromio of Syracuse, “The Comedy of Errors”

Our production makes use of puppets (the final scene of the play has at LEAST 9
characters, Shakespearience is made up of 6 actors), modern clothing and contemporary
music (listen for the Tegan and Sara song - we had to include a pop song sung by
identical twins!) to highlight the immediacy of this purest of Shakespeare comedies.

I hope you enjoy the journey of this play from a state of chaos and danger, through an
elaborate maze of misunderstandings and finally arriving at a place of reunion,
celebration and joy. -Tom Ford,
4 Director
 Before the Show
A r t i s ts!
h e The Cast of The Comedy of Errors
Meet t
Clare Parme Miles Duffey
as Luciana as Antipholus

Patrick John Katie Proulx

Kiernan as Adriana
as Dromio

Luke Massengil
Veronica Von Tobel as Egeon, Angelo, Officer,
as First Merchant, Luce,
Duke and Dr. Pinch
Courtesan and Abbess

5
 Before the Show
The Puppets in The Comedy of Errors

6
 Before the Show
The Life and Times of William Shakespeare
t t h e Author
Abou
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. Because of
poor record-keeping in small towns, his exact day of birth is unknown; it is traditionally celebrated on April 23rd. When he was
eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway (who was 26 at the time). The couple had three children, one of whom died of the plague in
childhood.
The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in London. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright, but also as an
actor and shareholder in the acting company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later known as the King’s Men). In 1593 Shakespeare
became a published poet; at the time theaters had been closed due to the plague, a contagious epidemic disease that devastated
the population of London. He wrote many of his plays on English history as well as several comedies and at least two tragedies
(Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet). It is assumed that Shakespeare’s sonnets were also written during the 1590s. When the
theaters reopened in 1594, Shakespeare continued his career as an actor, playwright, and acting company shareholder. His career
would span over the next twenty years.
Though there is certainly a stand-
In 1599, Lord Chamberlain’s Men built a theater for themselves across the river from London, naming it The Globe. The ard depiction of his appearance, no
plays that are considered by many to be Shakespeare’s major tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth) were written portrait of Shakespeare was ever
while the company was residing in this theater, as were such comedies as Twelfth Night and Measure for Measure. Many of produced while he was alive; this
mysterious fact adds to the theory
Shakespeare’s plays were performed at court (both for Queen Elizabeth I and her successor King James I), some were presented
that Shakespeare may have not
at the Inns of Court (the residencies of London’s legal societies), and some were doubtless performed in other towns, at the been the artist behind his plays.
universities, and at great houses when the acting company went on tour.

Between 1608 and 1612, Shakespeare wrote several plays — among them The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest — presumably for the company’s
new indoor Blackfriars theater, though the plays seemed to have been performed at the Globe and at court as well. Shakespeare wrote very little after
1612, widely thought to be the year he wrote King Henry VIII. It was during a performance of Henry VIII in 1613 that the Globe theater caught fire and
burned to the ground. Shakespeare then retired from the stage sometime between 1610 and 1613 and returned to Stratford; he died there on April 23rd,
1616.
Until the 18th Century, Shakespeare was generally thought to have been no more than a simple, rough and untutored genius. Theories were
advanced that his plays had actually been written by someone more educated, perhaps statesman and philosopher Sir Francis Bacon or the Earl of
Southampton, who was Shakespeare’s primary patron. However, he was celebrated in his own time by English writer
Ben Johnson and others who saw in him a brilliance that would endure. Since the 19th century, Shakespeare’s
achievements have been more consistently recognized, and throughout the Western world he has come to be regarded
as the greatest dramatist ever.
7
 Before the Show Synopsis of The Comedy of Errors

Egeon, a merchant of Syracuse, is condemned to death in Ephesus for violating the ban against travel between the two
rival cities. As he is led to his execution, he tells the Ephesian Duke, Solinus, that he has come to Syracuse in search of his
wife and one of his twin sons, who were separated from him 25 years ago in a shipwreck. The other twin, who grew up
with Egeon, is also traveling the world in search of the missing half of their family. (The twins, we learn, are identical, and
each has an identical twin slave named Dromio.) The Duke is so moved by this story that he grants Egeon a day to raise
the thousand-mark ransom that would be necessary to save his life.
Meanwhile, unknown to Egeon, his son Antipholus of Syracuse (and Antipholus' slave Dromio) is also visiting Ephesus--
where Antipholus' missing twin, known as Antipholus of Ephesus, is a prosperous citizen of the city. Adriana, Antipholus
of Ephesus' wife, mistakes Antipholus of Syracuse for her husband and drags him home for dinner, leaving Dromio of
Syracuse to stand guard at the door and admit no one. Shortly thereafter, Antipholus of Ephesus (with his slave Dromio of
Ephesus) returns home and is refused entry to his own house. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse has fallen in love with
Luciana, Adriana's sister, who is appalled at the behavior of the man she thinks is her brother-in-law.
The confusion increases when a gold chain ordered by the Ephesian Antipholus is given to Antipholus of Syracuse.
Antipholus of Ephesus refuses to pay for the chain (unsurprisingly, since he never received it) and is arrested for debt. His
wife, seeing his strange behavior, decides he has gone mad and orders him bound and held in a cellar room. Meanwhile,
Antipholus of Syracuse and his slave decide to flee the city, which they believe to be enchanted, as soon as possible--only
to be menaced by Adriana and the debt officer. They seek refuge in a nearby abbey.
Adriana now begs the Duke to intervene and remove her "husband" from the abbey into her custody. Her real husband,
meanwhile, has broken loose and now comes to the Duke and levels charges against his wife. The situation is finally
resolved by the Abbess, Emilia, who brings out the set of twins and reveals herself to be Egeon's long-lost wife.
Antipholus of Ephesus reconciles with Adriana; Egeon is pardoned by the Duke and reunited
with his spouse; Antipholus of Syracuse resumes his romantic pursuit of Luciana, and all ends
happily with the two Dromios embracing.

8
 Twins in the real world
The story of Jim Lewis and Jim Springer
Jim Lewis and Jim Springer first met February 9, 1979, after 39 years of being separated. Both were very nervous at first,
but now consider the reunion "the most important day of my life." Amid the euphoria over their rediscovery of each other, they
came across astonishing similarities in their lives and behavior. Both had been adopted by separate families in Ohio, and had
grown up within 45 miles of each other. Both had been named James by their adoptive parents, both had married twice; first to
women named Linda and second to women named Betty. Both had children, including sons named James Allan. Both had at one
time owned dogs named Toy.
These parallels made them perfect candidates for behavioral research, as did their only short aquaintence with one another
before they were inducted into a study of reunited twins. The parallels were only the first in a series of similarities which would
go to the heart of the influence of heredity and environment on human behavior. Dr. Thomas Bouchard of University of
Minnesota studied the personalities and attitudes of the twin Jims, and the resulting similarities were again astonishing. In one
test which measured personality variables (tolorance, conformity, flexibility), the twins' scores were so close that they
approximated the averaging of the totals of one person taking the test twice. Brain wave tests produced skyline-like graphs
looking like 2 views of the same city. Intelligence tests, mental abilities, gestures, voice tones, likes and dislikes, were similar as
well. So were medical histories: both had high blood pressure, both had experienced what they thought were heart attacks, both
had undergone vasectomies, and both suffered from migrane headaches. They even used the same words to describe these
headaches.
The twins discovered they shared alike habits too. Both chain-smoked, both liked beer, both had woodworking workshops
in their garages. Both drove Chevys, both had served as Sheriff's deputies in nearby Ohio counties. They had even vacationed on
the same beach in the Florida Gulf Coast. Both lived in the only house on their block. The same patterns shared by the Jim
Twins occurred time and time again. Their differences, more apparent now since some time has passed, are more subtle.
According to Jim Springer, "the differences between Jim and me may be the differences between living in the city and country."
Lewis was responsible for their reunion. Both of the twins had been told as youngsters that they had a twin brother, but
Springer's mother told him his twin had died. Lewis wasn't interested in finding his missing brother until later in his life, but
"didn't do anything about it" until 2 years before they eventually met. He went to the courthouse and found Jim Springer's name.
It was only a short time later that Lewis had Springer on the phone and their families agreed to meet. "We were both nervous
wrecks on the phone." Their genetic similarities and environmental differences aside,
their twin bond is now restored. (from Smithsonian, 1980)

9
 Before the Show

10
 Befo
Copy this page re th
Character Connections e Sh
ow

The Comedy of Errors

11
 Befo
c ti v i t y! re th
A The Fifteen-Minute Play: The Comedy of Errors e Sh
ow

The Fifteen-Minute Play is a plot summary intermingled with quotations from the play. It is typically used to
introduce students to the play or prepare them to see a production. Try to keep the summary reading to
fifteen minutes… Bonus: You can also utilize this format for future summaries, altering as you see fit or hav-
ing students create their own Fifteen-Minute Plays!

 Create cards for the quotations with the corresponding numbers, shown on the next two pages, in bold. The cards
should be large enough for three to five people to read simultaneously.
 Divide the class into groups and distribute the cards. Each group may have multiple cards.
 Give the groups five to ten minutes to prepare dramatic renditions of their line(s). They can read the line(s) as a
chorus, individually, or in sub-groups, but everyone must speak part of the text.
 Encourage students to physicalize/dramatize the line(s) in some way. Using props is acceptable, but not necessary.
 When the rehearsal period is over, ask everyone to stand in a circle. The leader (you, or a student) stand in the circle
as well, and reads aloud the script of the story (on the next page) calling out the numbers of quotations where
indicated and pausing for the group responsible for that quotation to step quickly into the center and perform it.
 The leader should keep a quick, steady pace and those with lines to share should pay attention — the activity is much
more fun when it moves right along.

(Please turn to next page for script!)

12
 Copy this page
The Fifteen-Minute Play: Script

Because Syracuse and Ephesus are on bad terms with each other, each city forbids the other’s citizens
entrance. Egeon, a merchant from Syracuse, learns this the hard way (1. Therefore by law thou art
condemned to die). He tells the Duke of Ephesus of a storm that shipwrecked and separated his wife, twin
sons, twin servant boys, and himself (2. Thus have you heard me severed from my bliss). The Duke feels
badly for Egeon, yet insists on obeying the law (3. We may pity though not pardon thee). Despite the
sad story, the Duke orders Egeon to (4. Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum, and live. If no, then
thou art doomed to die).
Later the same day, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus looking for their twin brothers and
are warned to keep their origin a secret (5. Therefore give out you are of Epidamnum). After Antipholus
sends Dromio away, Dromio of Ephesus arrives to bring his master home for dinner (6. The meat is cold
because you are not come home). Antipholus, confused, sends him away and hurries to his inn (7. They
say this town is full of cozenage). Dromio of Ephesus returns home and reports to his mistress his
conversation with Antipholus (8. Sure my master is horn mad).
Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, meanwhile, meet at the inn, where the two men express their confusion
at the behavior of the other due to the conversation between Antipholus and the other Dromio. Adriana,
Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, arrives to summon her husband home; Antipholus goes with her for dinner
despite his belief that they have never met (9. What, was I married to her in my dream?).
During dinner, Antipholus of Ephesus arrives home (10. But soft! My door is locked. Go, bid them let us
in) only to be sent away. At the same time, Dromio of Ephesus is confused by his counterpart yelling behind
the door, keeping him out of the house (11. Hast stolen both mine office and my name!). Antipholus
resolves (12. I will depart in quiet and, in despite of mirth, mean to be merry) and leaves to dine with
another lady friend.
13
 The Fifteen-Minute Play: Script (continued) Copy this page

Inside the house, Antipholus of Syracuse has fallen in love with Adriana’s sister, Luciana, who scolds him for
ignoring his marriage (13. Why call you me “love”? Call my sister so). At the same time, Dromio comes
seeking his master’s protection from one of the kitchen maids, who claims they are engaged (14. I have but lean luck in the
match, and yet is she a wonderous fat marriage). The two men decide to leave
Ephesus as soon as possible (15. If everyone knows us and we know none, ‘tis time, I think, to trudge,
pack, and be gone).
As Antipholus of Syracuse continues to meet strangers who recognize him (16. There’s not a man I meet
but doth salute me), his counterpart’s courtesan arrives and demands either the gold necklace he promised
her or the ring he took from her the night before; he sends her away (17. Avaunt, thou witch!).
Adriana, believing her husband is insane, hires a man to cure Antipholus (18. Good Doctor Pinch, you are a
conjurer; establish him in his true sense again). Antipholus of Syracuse struggles in vain when confronted
(19. O bind him, bind him! Let him not come near me), and he and his Dromio quickly escape to a
nearby abbey for protection. Adriana asks the Abbess to force Antipholus and Dromio to leave the abbey, but
the Abbess blames Adriana for their madness and refuses to allow her entrance (20. The venom clamors of
a jealous woman poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth). As the Duke of Ephesus passes by the
abbey, Adriana begs for (21. Justice, most sacred Duke, against the Abbess).
Egeon, being escorted by the Duke to his execution, sees Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus and tries to
convince them to pay his penalty (22. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, I see my son
Antipholus and Dromio). As they deny recognizing him, the Abbess brings the Syracusean pair out of the
Abbey, where Adriana realizes the cause of her confusion (23. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive
me). Additionally, Egeon recognizes the Abbess as the wife he had lost at sea (24. If I dream not, thou art
Aemilia). Egeon is pardoned and, with both pairs of twins reunited, all adjourn to celebrate (25. With all my
14 heart I’ll gossip at this feast).
 Activity!
The Comedy of Errors Vernacular

Guilders: noun — money

Seditious: adjective — subversive, rebellious
Bark: noun — ship
Crave: verb — beg, need
Minions: noun — mistresses
Dross: noun — scum
Mickle: adjective — great
Iron Crow: noun — a crowbar
Mart: noun — a marketplace
Diviner: noun — someone who can foresee the future
Ducat: noun - gold coin
Impeach: verb — accuse

did you know?

The average American has a vocabulary of about 10,000 words.
Shakespeare’s vocabulary had about 29,000 words! Shakespeare
invented a lot of words including: bedroom, bump, assassination,
apostrophe, bloody, dislocate, frugal, majestic, eyeball, and suspicious.

15
Activity! Bardbook Copy this page

Choose one of the characters below and create a Facebook page for that character.

Luciana, Antipholus, Dromio, Adriana or Egeon

16
 Afte
Activity! r the
Sho
Memory Mnemonics Experiment! w

MNEMONICS:
Have you ever had to memorize a list of words or an equation for a test at school? Maybe it was a list of the planets or all the state capitals. Think about
how many words the actors in Othello had to memorize! Sometimes it can be difficult to remember long lists of words. This is where memory techniques
can help. One memory technique is called mnemonics. A mnemonic (pronounced nuh-MAH-nick) is a memory aid that uses systems of rhymes, acronyms,
and diagrams to help you remember names, dates, facts, and figures. An example of a mnemonic is the word scuba, which is not just a word—each letter in
the word stands for something. Scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Another example of a mnemonic is the rhyme "i
before e except after c, or when sounding 'a' as in neighbor or weigh." This mnemonic was designed to help a person remember the order of the letters "i"
and "e" in different words. Mnemonics are a great resource not just for you as students, but for actors trying to memorize lines, teachers to help remember
students names, business people to remember a to-do list and even the president to memorize a speech!

HISTORY:
The term mnemonic is derived from Greek. It is based on the word mnemonikos which means "of memory." This word refers back to mnema, which means
"remembrance." There are several different types of mnemonics. You can use music, name, expression, model, rhyme, note, image, connection, and
spelling mnemonics to help you remember just about anything.

PROCEDURE:
Gather six of your friends and separate them into two groups. One group will be the control group and the other will be the experimental group. The
purpose of a control group is to act as a constant and to highlight any effects the variables in an experiment may have on the experimental group. You will
ask each member of the control group to memorize the list below without using a mnemonic, then test them by asking them to repeat the list back. Next,
you will ask each member of the experimental group to memorize the same list of words, but using a mnemonic.

List of Words Questions

Fish Girl 1. Did the mnemonic help you remember the list better than
Coffee Apple the control group, who did not use a mnemonic?
Phone Glue 2. What kind of mnemonic did you use?
Scissors Dog 3. Did you find the mnemonic to be helpful?
Cane Violin 4. What areas of study might a mnemonic device be helpful?
Treacherous Elephant 5. Which words were the hardest to memorize without a
Snow Number memorizing device? Why?
X-Ray Baby

www.cartoonstock.com
17
S Perform a scene from The Comedy of Errors Afte
r the
Sho
Act IV, Scene III w
E Enter COURTESAN:
COURTESAN
L COURTESAN
Give me the ring of mine you had at dinner,
Or, for my diamond, the chain you promis’d,
Well met, well met, Master Antipholus.
E I see, sir, you have found the goldsmith now;
Is that the chain you promis’d me today?
And I’ll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.

DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
C ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
Some devils ask but the parings of one’s nail,
a hair, a drop of blood; But she, more covetous, would have a
Satan, avoid, I charge thee tempt me not.
T chain.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
COURTESAN
E Master, is this Mistress Satan?
I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain;
I hope you do not mean to cheat me so?
D ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
It is the devil.
Avaunt, thou witch! Come, Dromio, let us go.
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
DROMIO OF SYRACUSE
S Nay, she is worse, she is the devil’s dam.

COURTESAN “Fly pride,” says the peacock: mistress, that you know.

C Your man and you are marvellous merry, sir. Exit with ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE.
Will you go with me? We’ll mend our dinner here.

E ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE
COURTESAN

Now out of doubt Antipholus is mad.

N Avoid then, fiend, what tell’st thou me of supping?
Thou art, as you are all, a sorceress:
I conjure thee to leave me and be gone.
E
18
 Activity! CREATE YOUR OWN Play POSTER copy this page

In professional theater, there is often a person called the ‘art director’

who is responsible for designing all the advertising materials for a
production,

including promotional posters, programs, etc. Using any art materials

from the classroom or special materials from home (magazines to
make a collage, etc.), have your students design posters for Comedy
of Errors. They can advertise the Shakespearience! production, or use
their imaginations and create their very own productions! Here are
four examples of posters for Comedy of Errors you can share with
your students for inspiration. Some information they may want to
 The show’s title
 The dates, times, and location the play is being performed
 Contact information (phone numbers, addresses, or websites)
 Names of actors appearing in the play (could be their friends,
celebrities, anybody!)
 A tagline or excerpts from imaginary reviews (“Two thumbs
up!”)
 A drawing or collection of drawings that highlights a charac-
ter, scene, location, or theme from Comedy of Errors that the
student feels is important for a potential audience member to
understand about the production.

19
After the Show
Art of the insult Copy this page
Activity! COLUMN A COLUMN B COLUMN C
Shakespeare’s characters had colorful ways of bawdy clay-brained canker-blossom
insulting each other. Channel your inner Tybalt churlish dog-hearted clotpole
or Mercutio for the following activity. distempered empty-hearted cutpurse
Directions: Combineth one word or phrase fitful evil-eyed dogfish
from each of the columns at the right and gnarling eye-offending egg-shell
addeth “Thou” to the beginning. greasy fat-kidneyed gull-catcher
Use a dictionary to make certain thou knowest grizzled heavy-headed hedge-pig
the true meaning of thy strong words and thou haughty horn-mad hempseed
shalt have the perfect insult to fling at the hideous ill-breeding jack-a-nape
wretched fools of the opposing team. jaded ill-composed malkin
Mix and match to find the perfect
knavish ill-nurtured malignancy
barb from the Bard!
lewd iron-witted malt-worm
INSULT HURLER: peevish lean-witted manikin
____________________________________________ pernicious lily-livered minimus
prating mad-bread miscreant
INSULT:
purpled motley-minded moldwarp
Thou ______________________________________ queasy muddy-mettled nut-hook
rank onion-eyed pantaloon
____________________________________________ reeky pale-hearted rabbit-sucker
____________________________________________ roynish paper-faced rampallion
saucy pinch-spotted remnant
DEFINITION: sottish raw-boned rudesby
unmuzzled rug-headed ruffian
You _______________________________________ vacant rump-fed scantling
waggish shag-eared scullion
____________________________________________
wanton shrill-gorged snipe
____________________________________________ wenching sour-faced whipster
yeasty weak-hinged younker
20
 Did you know?
If you were to Google
“Shakespeare,”
you would receive
over 15 million pages Scholars generally believe
of results!
that Shakespeare wrote
Romeo and Juliet around
1595–96,
about the same time he
Shakespeare had no
descendants after all of
wrote
his grandchildren died. A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. The play was first
published in 1597.

The 'plague' Mercutio wishes upon the At the Globe theater house, there was not one
two families with his dying breath was restroom for all three thousand spectators;
most likely the Bubonic Plague.
nor were there any intermissions in the plays...
The epidemic broke out in England in
1563 and 1578; there was another Shakespeare is the second
outbreak in 1593 which killed 5% of most quoted author in the
the people of London. Shakespeare English language. The only All but 3 of Uranus’ 27 moons
lost 3 sisters, a brother, and his only other text quoted more fre- are named after Shakespeare’s
son, Hamnet (who was just eleven quently than Shakespeare’s
years old) to the plague. characters.
works is the Bible.

21
 Suggested reading and viewing materials
More Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night

Popular cinematic versions of Shakespeare’s work:

Adaptation of Adaptation of Adaptation of

The Comedy of Errors Twelfth Night The Taming of the Shrew

Sources:
Movies speculating on the http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com
life of
William Shakespeare and
http://www.folger.edu/Content/Teach-and-Learn/Teaching-Resources
his influences:
http://www.johndclare.net/English/Shakespeare_facts.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

22
 Idaho Shakespeare Festival
Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director
Mark Hofflund, Managing Director
P.O. Box 9365
Boise, Idaho 83707
Telephone (208) 429-9908
www.idahoshakespeare.org

The Idaho Shakespeare Festival has evolved into one of the region’s premier, professional theater arts organizations, directly serving over
105,000 individuals annually. It is governed by a volunteer 40-member Board of Trustees, 2 co-equal executives, and a permanent staff of 10
employees. In addition, the Festival operates as an “artistic home” for over 150 artists and production staff, who are employed during the summer
and at other times of the year or during the Festival’s spring educational tours.

At the organization’s core is its outdoor summer season which presents classical repertory, focusing on the plays of William Shakespeare, in
addition to some contemporary works and musicals. The Festival’s Amphitheater and Reserve, now entering its 16th year of operation, is the venue
for over 59,000 audience members who come to Boise from across Idaho and increasingly from other states and countries.

In addition to its seasonal productions, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival provides theater arts programming integrated into the curricula of
approximately 95% of the school districts in Idaho, as well as serving parts of Oregon and Nevada. Through its school tours, Shakespearience and
Idaho Theater for Youth, the Festival annually reaches over 50,000 children at all grade levels, particularly focusing on children in remote and rural
communities.

ISFs School of Theater exemplifies the Festival’s attempts to foster life-long learning and appreciation of the theater, providing ongoing classes
for students ranging in age from preschool to adult, with the Summer Apprentice Program and Residencies offered for extended theatrical training.
As part of ISF’s educational outreach, the Festival donates tickets to over 100 non-profit and student groups, has created a special Access Program for
both students and low-income groups in the community, and now makes low-cost access possible for children and young adults throughout the
summer season with student subscription packages.

Festival staff members also participate in the community, serving on boards and assisting the activities not only of local and regional
organizations, but also participating at a national level, where Charles Fee is in his 10th year heading the Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland) and fourth
leading Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (Nevada) and Mark Hofflund served a presidential appointment to the National Council on the Arts
(Washington, D.C.). Both Festival executives have been community leaders in Idaho for the better part of two decades, and both maintain full time
residency with their families in Boise.

23