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1、THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 1 THE COMEDY OF ERRORS William Shakespeare THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 2 ACT I. THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 3 SCENE 1 A hall in the DUKES palace Enter the DUKE OF EPHESUS, AEGEON, the Merchant of Syracuse, GAOLER, OFFICERS, and other ATTENDANTS AEGEON. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, An
2、d by the doom of death end woes and all. DUKE. Merchant of Syracuse, plead no more; I am not partial to infringe our laws. The enmity and discord which of late Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke To merchants, our well- dealing countrymen, Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives, Have
3、 seald his rigorous statutes with their bloods, Excludes all pity from our threatning looks. For, since the mortal and intestine jars Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us, It hath in solemn synods been decreed, Both by the Syracusians and ourselves, To admit no traffic to our adverse towns; Nay, mo
4、re: if any born at Ephesus Be seen at any Syracusian marts and fairs; Again, if any Syracusian born Come to the bay of Ephesus-he dies, His goods confiscate to the Dukes dispose, Unless a thousand marks be levied, To quit the penalty and to ransom him. Thy substance, valued at the highest rate, Cann
5、ot amount unto a hundred marks; Therefore by law thou art condemnd to die. AEGEON. Yet this my comfort: when your words are done, My woes end likewise with the evening sun. DUKE. Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause Why thou departedst from thy native home, And for what cause thou camst to Ephes
6、us. AEGEON. A heavier task could not have been imposd Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable; Yet, that the world may witness that my end Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence, Ill utter what my sorrow gives me leave. In Syracuse was I born, and wed Unto a woman, happy but for me, And by me, had
7、 not our hap been bad. With her I livd in joy; our wealth increasd By prosperous voyages I often made To Epidamnum; till my factors death, And the great care of goods at random left, Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse: From whom my absence was not six months old, Before herself, almost at f
8、ainting under The pleasing punishment that women bear, Had made provision for her following me, And soon and safe arrived where I was. There had she not been long but she became A joyful mother of two THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 4 goodly sons; And, which was strange, the one so like the other As could not
9、be disdnguishd but by names. That very hour, and in the self-same inn, A mean woman was delivered Of such a burden, male twins, both alike. Those, for their parents were exceeding poor, I bought, and brought up to attend my sons. My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys, Made daily motions for our
10、 home return; Unwilling, I agreed. Alas! too soon We came aboard. A league from Epidamnum had we saild Before the always-wind- obeying deep Gave any tragic instance of our harm: But longer did we not retain much hope, For what obscured light the heavens did grant Did but convey unto our fearful mind
11、s A doubtful warrant of immediate death; Which though myself would gladly have embracd, Yet the incessant weepings of my wife, Weeping before for what she saw must come, And piteous plainings of the pretty babes, That mournd for fashion, ignorant what to fear, Forcd me to seek delays for them and me
12、. And this it was, for other means was none: The sailors sought for safety by our boat, And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us; My wife, more careful for the latter- born, Had fastned him unto a small spare mast, Such as sea-faring men provide for storms; To him one of the other twins was bound
13、, Whilst I had been like heedful of the other. The children thus disposd, my wife and I, Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixd, Fastned ourselves at either end the mast, And, floating straight, obedient to the stream, Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought. At length the sun, gazing upon the
14、 earth, Dispersd those vapours that offended us; And, by the benefit of his wished light, The seas waxd calm, and we discovered Two ships from far making amain to us- Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this. But ere they came-O, let me say no more! Gather the sequel by that went before. DUKE. Nay, forwar
15、d, old man, do not break off so; For we may pity, though not pardon thee. AEGEON. O, had the gods done so, I had not now Worthily termd them merciless to us! For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues, We were encountred by a mighty rock, Which being violently borne upon, Our helpful ship w
16、as splitted in the midst; So that, in this unjust divorce of us, Fortune had left to both of us alike What to delight in, what to sorrow for. Her part, poor soul, seeming as burdened With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe, Was carried with more speed before the wind; And in our THE COMEDY OF ERRORS 5 sight they three were taken up By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought. At length another ship had seizd on us; And, knowing whom it was their hap to save, Gave health
