UNDERSTANDING COMEDY OF ERRORS
Here at ImprovEd Shakespeare, we firmly believe you should get to know the story before jumping into a Shakespeare play. Therefore, in honor of our spring production, we want to share some valuable resources with you.
YouTube
If you like YouTube, then we have a playlist on our channel. While you are there, subscribe, and check out our original videos. In the meantime, for more information click Studies: Comedy of Errors.
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Short written summary
- Royal Shakespeare Company Synopsis of Comedy of Errors – Here, you will find a summary exploration into the main points of the play in their menu on the left.
- Shmoop – Comedy of Errors – Okay, some families will find this site agreeable, while others less so. In this case, Shmoop is very tongue-in-cheek. There are lots of subjective observations inserted into the summary. Additionally, a few “more mature” annotations also exist, for example, “PITA” and “WTF?” However, it’s entertaining for a quick overview of the story. And, yes, Shakespeare academics barf at this too.
- Play Shakespeare website – Comedy of Errors – Here, you will find an app with the text of the plays. You can also select words and get a definition as you read along.
- Absolute Shakespeare website – Comedy of Errors
- Shakespeare Stories II by Leon Garfield – Out-of-print, but you can find used copies on Amazon or at your local library.
- Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb – Comedy of Errors – So, this is an old, as well as an old-fashioned book. Anyway, the book contains longer synopses of multiple plays, but with antiquated phrasing. Therefore, some Kids enjoy it whereas others don’t.
- Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare by E. Nesbit – Comedy of Errors – Another old-fashioned distribution, plus the printing situation is similar to the Lamb’s book described previously. E. Nesbit is also the author of “Five Children and It.”
Alternative Versions
- Utah Shakespeare Festival Comedy of The Errors Study Guide – If you want to go deeper into the play, then this is a great resource.
Entire Play
- MIT has all of Shakespeare’s works available for free online – Comedy of Errors
- Or, visit your local library! As to the editions or publishers, it’s up to you. Listed below are several options.
- No Fear Shakespeare – Comedy of Errors – This website makes the Bard of Avon less terrifying. Moreover, it has a useful modern translation alongside the original text. Although many Shakespeare academics barf at the modern paraphrasing, at the same time, however, that inflexibility makes some of us grin. Some people hate it because they feel the paraphrasing is inadequate. But, we think it’s highly readable if you quickly want the gist of the story.
- Arden Shakespeare: Third Series Comedy of Errors – Many actors like the footnotes found in the Arden editions.
- Folger Library Shakespeare – Comedy of Errors – Quite a few readers enjoy the annotation plus layout of the Folger editions. Additionally, many high schools use this edition.
- The Comedy of Errors in Plain and Simple English – Translator: BookCaps
Film Versions
- Comedy of Errors: Flying Karamazov Brothers. – You can find this version on our YouTube Playlist: Studies: Comedy of Errors.
- The Comedy of Errors: Royal Shakespeare Co. (RSC) – For those who wish, we could travel to London for some Shakespeare plays. Digital Theatre makes films of British stage productions. And, in our opinion, this one promises to be delightful for the Kids.
- The Comedy of Errors: GLOBE on-screen – Available on DVD from Amazon.
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Conclusion
Finally, a short note about modern translations. Although serious Shakespeare academics and scholars feel that starting kids off with these versions is abhorrent, or subjective paraphrasing. However, we disagree. At ImprovEd Shakespeare, we appreciate those fresh interpretations. In fact, we view them as a jumping off point. For example, sometimes you come across a phrase that just doesn’t make sense. Without being immersed in Shakespeare’s language, it can be hard to understand. A current rendering helps a-plenty. In other words, it helps you to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare’s words.
In any case, there’s no one right way to approach Shakespeare. Indeed, the trick is to find what works for you.
We hope these resources are helpful to get you started on your journey with this play!
PERFORMANCES
Each fall and spring, ImprovEd Shakespeare develops a new production for live performance. In honor of the traditional Renaissance traveling troupe, during a period of a few weeks, we present Kid-friendly plays at various venues around town. Our Players, between 3rd-11th grade, gear themselves with playful, as well as engaging interpretations of works by the Bard of Avon. Suitable for all ages, each performance runs for about an hour.
Furthermore, these shows are always FREE. However, we gladly accept Donations! Additionally, visit ImprovEd Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Kids by Kids on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. And don’t forget to click on our BLOG for the stories behind these videos.
