Theme Of Doubt In Shakespeare's Comedy Of Errors

In The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare raises the question of, “when placed in foreign situations, are doubts developed?” This question is answered by the theme of the loss of senses and human understanding. Throughout, The Comedy of Errors characters are placed in many foreign situations that lead to an increase in questioning and doubt.

Antipholus of Syracuse comes to this point during the play. This is supported by the fact that Antipholus asks Luciana, if she is a god and to create him anew. This reveals that Antipholus has a presence of self doubt and wishes he could start over slightly. His quest of searching for his mother and brother in the unfamiliar city of Ephesus is used to help him find his meaning in life. When speaking of his travels, he uses the motif of water to compare …show more content…
With Antipholus of Syracuse and Adriana each having their occurrence, the reader can infer an answer. Since Adriana and Antipholus both come to the point of having doubts in their life due to the stress of foreign situations, it can be inferred that Shakespeare uses the theme of loss of senses and human understanding to say that yes, foreign situations and the stress of them can form doubts in people. This is mainly due to the confusion of sets of twins in a foreign city where the supernatural is prevalent, which enforces the loss of senses through the treatment of Antipholus to Adriana.

In conclusion, Shakespeare’s treatment of the question “when placed in foreign situations, are doubts developed” allows readers to infer that, yes, foreign situations can lead to the development of doubts. This inference is supported by the loss of senses and human understanding when it comes to the treatment of others and communication with them. This play teaches that lesson and shows what mass confusion can lead to due to foreign