Shakespearean comedies often address the widely accepted notion in Elizabethan England that order and balance should prevail at home. both in the world and in representations of the world. although the form of the pieces often employed a sense of comic disorder. Social, noble, and spiritual hierarchies are depicted through language and events in almost all of Shakespeare's works, although the methods by which he created the structure of his plays differ. In many comedies, including Twelfth Night and Measure for Measure, Shakespeare uses comedy caused by chaotic or confusing situations to reveal an underlying order within the universe. The Comedy of Errors, one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies, does just that in several ways. He establishes order not through events (many scenes are confusing to both the audience and the characters), but by imposing a structure in which the themes are perfectly balanced. Specifically, this play uses a recurring balance between unity and separation to suggest that, even in a highly illogical fictional world, an underlying sense of order drives the plot. References to unity and separation are constant from the beginning to the end of the play: the idea of ​​unity is described through acts or references to attachment, confinement, union , to marriage and bonding while the idea of ​​separation is described through untying, divorce, releasing, liberating, losing or cutting off. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayAn in-depth analysis of The Comedy of Errors reveals that Shakespeare's choice of plot, character development, and language is used to create a direct balance between the recurring themes of unity and separation. The events of the play are directly fueled by separation and unity, with a lost father, Egeon, recalling the memory of a shipwreck that separated him from his twin sons and his desire to reunite with them. The twins' separation and lack of knowledge of each other creates much of the tension within the play, and their union at the end leads to a restoration of order. In an essay exploring the specific symbols that suggest the motifs of binding and liberation, Richard Henze suggests that "it is a game of fate, and it is in a very particular sense that fate is the gravitational pull of society which brings men together if they had once been separated” (36). It is this “fate” that creates order in the world Shakespeare describes, and it is the coming together of separate characters that creates a sense of satisfaction and structure. But it is not only the overall events of the play that are guided by the acts of union and separation: the action on a very small scale also follows this structure. For example, Vincent Petronella explains in his essay “Structure and Theme Across Separation and Union in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors,” how the two Antipholus are used to describe a balance between separation and reunification. Antipholus of Ephesus complains about his marital ties and his unity with his wife at the beginning of the play because, as he explains, he wishes to dine with a prostitute without having to ask his wife's consent. In Act III Scene I, he finds himself physically locked out of his house, his wife having taken his twin brother, Antipholus of Syracuse, for himself. He is suddenly separated, helpless, from the bonds of marriage and life from which he previously wanted to free himself (Petronella,483). The liberating-binding theme continues with Antipholus of Ephesus when his wife, Adriana, orders him to be bound on the grounds that he has gone mad: "Oh, tie him up, tie him up, lest he do not come near me” (IV. iv.106). This quote also provides a balance between separation and unity: she wants him to be required to keep him separate from herself. The balance of Egeon and his sons being separated and then reunited, restoring order, as well as Antipholus of Ephesus' wish to be freed from the unity of marriage, his separation from his life and his reunion with his wife at the end describe a level of order that Shakespeare employed using the themes of separation and unity. Action and plot devices are not the only references to the balance between separation and unity, however: Shakespeare also addresses these themes through symbols and direct language. The Comedy of Errors has two specific symbols that seem to recur in the play, both in dialogue and action, to the point of absurdity: the chain and the rope. Several arguments can be made about the symbolism behind the objects, but according to Henze, the themes of separation and unity offer a strong option. He argues that both objects are directly related to unity and separation on many levels. The most obvious level of motif between chain and rope and the themes of unity and separation suggest that the physical use of both could be seen as an act of binding, restraining or holding. According to Henze, the rope represents the more physical aspect of unity while the chain, intended as a gift for the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, was meant to represent a stronger unity in their marriage and within of the community. Henze suggests that the chain, while not necessarily a physical symbol, can be called a "social" symbol. However, after being excluded from his house, Antipholus promises to give the chain to the Porpentine's hostess: "This chain I will give/(if only to spite my wife)/To my hostess there" (III.i.117-119), which shows a breakdown of unity in marriage and a separation, emotional, from his wife. The chain then falls into many different hands throughout the play, creating what Henze believes should be seen as a sort of union within the community. He writes that the chain can be seen “as a symbol of social bonds that systematically fulfills its symbolic function. This draws Antipholus S. into society and marriage, never falls into the hands of the prostitute (the hostess), and ultimately helps to rejuvenate the marriage of Antipholus and Adriana” (38). Additionally, Adriana actually states that she views the channel as a representation of her husband's truthfulness in their marriage. “Where the gold; and no man that hath a name, / By falsehood and corruption it is shameful” (II.i.112-113). She suggests that a gift of gold from a man results in a pure relationship, because “no man that has a name” would bring corruption or shame to the precious gift (Henze, 39). There are many other smaller symbols in The Comedy of Errors that arguably reinforce the balance between unity and separation, but among them I believe the rope and chain are the most significant. Symbols and plot that suggest separation, unity, and the importance of balance between them are not the only ways in which Shakespeare reinforced this point: in fact, the language of dialogue could actually be considered as having the most extensive trace of separation and unity. Almost every major speech in the play uses imagery of bonding, marriage, separation, loss, and liberation, particularly during moments of major development inthe plot. The explanation of the twins' separation from their father is not only evocative of the themes due to the plot, but also the language Egeon uses to describe the wreckage. He and his wife, he explained, "fastened ourselves to the two ends of the mast / And, floating upright, obeying the current, / We were carried to Corinth, as we thought" (Ii86-88 ). This idea of ​​tying oneself, or tying oneself with ropes, to the masts of the broken ship, balances directly with the real action, the separation of parents and children. Egeon further explains that while the two boys were bound to different masts, each with one of the servants (both named Dromio). The boys and their father were therefore separated, each linked to another person. This balance is interesting and traceable throughout the rest of the piece. For example, Dromio of Ephesus uses terms that reflect the unity and bond of himself with his master, Antipholus of Ephesus, when Antipholus is accused of being possessed: "Master, I have here entered into bond for you” (IV.iv). .124). This theme of brotherly bond and unification can be seen as part of the balance between separation and unification. Antipholus and Dromios openly express their compassion for each other, having been companions since the shipwreck, Antipholus of Ephesus goes to Syracuse to try to find his lost brother, while Egeon also finds himself in Syracuse, trying to find his sons. The satisfaction created by the unification of the family (including the mother, Aemilia) is recognized in the final lines of the play, spoken by Dromio of Ephesus: "Nay, then thus:/ We came into the world as brother and brother ; / And now let's go hand in hand, not one before the other” (Vi424-426). The final lines of a Shakespearean play hold great importance, and I would argue that this directly follows that pattern. The themes of separation and reunion, constantly used in the development of the plot, symbols and language of The Comedy of Errors, make their final appearance here. The final unification of the brothers ("hand in hand") after an entire play fueled by separation and confusion, aligns with one of the conventions of Shakespearean comedies: the idea that the end of the play will bring a orderly solution and will reveal balance. strengths. By using the themes of separation and unity throughout the play, Shakespeare was able to use themes to create a sense of order and structure in a world that seemed to have none. An essay of this length is unable to discuss the large number of references to the themes of unity and separation in the play, but I hope to have addressed key evidence that suggests that Shakespeare's use of plot , symbols and language work to express these themes. Other examples include the conversation between Luciana and Adriana addressing the role of the husband in a marriage and their ability to bind his wife to her duties: "Oh, know that he is the check of your will...There is no not but the donkeys will be restrained. thus" (I.ii.13-14), suggesting a type of bond and unity from which Adriana wishes to separate, and Antipholus of Syracuse's announcement that he had decided to "lose himself", in his search for his family. : "I am to the world like a drop of water / He who in the ocean seeks another drop" (I.ii.35-36), which suggests that he simultaneously separates himself from his life while uniting with the rest of society. , or the rest of the drops in the ocean. This creates the balance between separation and unity that Shakespeare used as a mode of creating an underlying structure in the play. The movement of the plot, the recurring symbols in the physical settings and in the dialogues,.