A very early Shakespeare play. Two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, show up in the same city-state, afloat in time, partaking of the classical world, and current (1590's ) politics. there is confusion, a mortal peril, and romantic confusions. Not his best work, but it shows promise, as the case turned out. i read it at least four times. Say, 1592 for the writing? ( )

Slow start, but overall amusing. I thought the text itself rather difficult. ( )

I'm seeing this play in a few days and wanted to familiarize myself with it. I think it will be fun to see performed. I was surprisingly unmoved by reading it, although I did get a few chuckles from the Dromios.
The Folger Library editions have nice supplementary material, and notes on the text are on the facing pages for easy reference. ( )

I had previously read many of Shakespeare’s works but somehow missed this one. It is based on a case of mistaken identity of two sets of twins with the same names. It takes place in Ephesus (in Greece at the time, now part of modern-day Turkey). In Act I, the father of one set of twins explains how they were separated during a storm as infants. I enjoyed this short humorous play. I particularly enjoyed being reminded of how plays were written in verse at the time. So many of our still-used phrases originated with Shakespeare, including the title. My edition included a biography of Shakespeare, a history of theatre in London during his lifetime, and annotations explaining portions of the narrative. All were worth reading. I was initially concerned that the “old English” would be difficult to decipher but found it rather easy to figure out what was happening. I think this play would be better seen than read, since a lot of the humor is based on mistaking one twin for another.

One of my favorite passages shows his beautiful writing style (said by one of the main characters to his wife):
“No; It is thyself, mine own self’s better part,
Mine eye’s clear eye, my dear heart’s dearer heart,
My food, my fortune, and my sweet hope’s aim,
My sole earth’s heaven, and my heaven’s claim.”

And he sure had a way with pithy observations:
“Ill deeds are doubled with an evil word.”

“No evil lost is wail’d when it is gone.”

“He must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.”

“Time comes stealing on by night and day.”

“Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season,
When in the why and the wherefore is neither rhyme nor reason?” ( )

شاید داستان برادران دوقلوی جداافتاده مخصوصاً از طریق سینمای هند و فیلمفارسی برامون خیلی آشنا بوده و گوبا طبق داستان‌هایی که با همین محتوا قبل از این نمایشنامه نوشته شده زمان شکسپیر هم موضوع خیلی بکری نبوده اما حس می‌کنم بیشتر هنرمندی شکسپیر تو این نمایشنامه شوخی‌های ظریفش و بازی با کلماتش بود که بعضاً خودم تشخیص می‌دادم و چندتایی هم مترجم پاورقی کرده بود اما کاش قدرت زبان انگلیسی‌م در حد بالایی بود تا بتونم چنین نمایشنامه‌هایی رو به زبان اصلی بخونم ( )