What is mistaken identity in Shakespeare?

In Shakespeare’s first comedy, The Comedy of Errors, mistaken identity is the sole impetus behind the action, as it had been with its original sources. The germinal idea of asking how one really knows who one is is introduced, but the conflicts that occur between appearance and reality are not totally realized.

How do you identify a Shakespearean comedy?

Here are the most commonly-recognised elements of Shakespearean comedy.

1. Mistaken Identity and/or Misconceptions.
2. Reason versus Emotion.
3. Fate and the Fantastical.
4. Idyllic Settings.
5. Separation and Reconciliation.
6. Happy Endings.

How is mistaken identity introduced in Shakespeare’s comedy of errors?

In Shakespeare’s first comedy, The Comedy of Errors, mistaken identity is the sole impetus behind the action, as it had been with its original sources. The germinal idea of asking how one really knows who one is is introduced, but the conflicts that occur between appearance and reality are not totally realized.

How is mistaken identity used in a comedy?

The use of the device of mistaken identity, in which a character is supposed to be someone other than himself by one or more of the other characters, can be of two different ways. Sometimes the error of mistaking someone for someone else is purely fortuitous, and sometimes it is the result of intentional disguise.

What is the plot of comedy of errors?

As mentioned before, the ploy of mistaken identity is the main device behind the plot of the two Shakespearean comedies “Comedy of Errors” and “Twelfth Night”. Both plays deal with twin characters whose identity is mistaken by one or more of the characters in the play.

Where did the concept of mistaken identity come from?

Both plays deal with twin characters whose identity is mistaken by one or more of the characters in the play. Shakespeare obviously used the Plautine comedies as a source in his writings of both comedies.