The Comedy of Errors · Chapter
Scene I explained
Aegeon is brought before Duke Solinus in Ephesus and condemned to death under the law that forbids Syracusians from entering Ephesus unless they can pay a ransom of a thousand marks.
What happens
Aegeon is brought before Duke Solinus in Ephesus and condemned to death under the law that forbids Syracusians from entering Ephesus unless they can pay a ransom of a thousand marks. Aegeon recounts the story of his shipwreck, the separation of his wife and twin sons, and his long search for them. The Duke, moved by his tale, grants him a day to raise the ransom money.
Themes in this chapter
Law and Justice
The Duke enforces a harsh law against Syracusians, yet shows personal pity, highlighting the tension between strict justice and mercy.
Family and Reunion
Aegeon's narrative centers on the loss of his wife and sons, and his desperate quest to find them, setting up the theme of family separation and potential reunion.
Identity and Mistaken Identity
The story of identical twin sons and their servants introduces the foundational confusion of identities that drives the plot.
Characters to notice
- Aegeon
Condemned to death; recounts his tragic story of shipwreck and family separation.
- Duke Solinus
Presides over Aegeon's sentencing; shows pity but upholds the law.
- Officer
Present as part of the Duke's retinue and the gaoler.
Key passages
“Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall And by the doom of death end woes and all.”
Go ahead, Solinus, and sentence me to death so that my suffering can end.
Aegeon's opening plea for death as a release from his misery.
“Therefore by law thou art condemn'd to die.”
So according to the law, you are sentenced to death.
The Duke formally pronounces Aegeon's death sentence.
“A heavier task could not have been imposed Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable”
No task could be harder than asking me to describe my unbearable sorrows.
Aegeon expresses the difficulty of recounting his tragic story.
“Hopeless and helpless doth Aegeon wend, But to procrastinate his lifeless end.”
Aegeon leaves without hope or help, merely delaying his inevitable death.
Aegeon's final words as he is led away, resigned to his fate.