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  • William Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors, Act III

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Act IIIScene IBefore the house of Antipholus of EphesusEnter Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio of Ephesus, Angelo, and BalthazarOf EphesusGood Signior Angelo, you must excuse us all; My wife is shrewish when I keep not hours: Say that I linger’d with you at your shop To see the making of her carcanet, And that to-morrow you will bring it home. But here’s a villain that would face me down He met me on the mart, and that I beat him, And charged him with a thousand marks in gold, And that I did deny my wife and house. Thou drunkard, thou, what didst thou mean by this?Dromio of EphesusSay what you will, sir, but I know what I know; That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to show: If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink, Your own handwriting would tell you what I think.Antipholus of EphesusI think thou art an ass.Dromio of EphesusMarry, so it doth appear By the wrongs I suffer and the blows I bear. I should kick, being kick’d; and, being at that pass, You would keep from my heels and beware of an ass.Antipholus of EphesusYou’re sad, Signior Balthazar: pray God our cheer May answer my good will and your good welcome here.BalthazarI hold your dainties cheap, sir, and your welcome dear.Antipholus of EphesusO, Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish, A table full of welcome make scarce one dainty dish.BalthazarGood meat, sir, is common; that every churl affords.Antipholus of EphesusAnd welcome more common; for that’s nothing but words.BalthazarSmall cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.Antipholus of EphesusAy, to a niggardly host, and more sparing guest: But though my cates be mean, take them in good part; Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart. But, soft! my door is lock’d. Go bid them let us in.Dromio of EphesusMaud, Bridget, Marian, Cicel, Gillian, Ginn!Dromio of SyracuseWithinMome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch! Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the hatch. Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call’st for such store, When one is one too many? Go, get thee from the door.Dromio of EphesusWhat patch is made our porter? My master stays in the street.Dromio of SyracuseWithinLet him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on’s feet.Antipholus of EphesusWho talks within there? ho, open the door!Dromio of SyracuseWithinRight, sir; I’ll tell you when, an you tell me wherefore.Antipholus of EphesusWherefore? for my dinner: I have not dined to-day.Dromio of SyracuseWithinNor to-day here you must not; come again when you may.Antipholus of EphesusWhat art thou that keepest me out from the house I owe?Dromio of SyracuseWithinThe porter for this time, sir, and my name is Dromio.Dromio of EphesusO villain! thou hast stolen both mine office and my name. The one ne’er got me credit, the other mickle blame. If thou hadst been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou wouldst have changed thy face for a name or thy name for an ass.LuceWithinWhat a coil is there, Dromio? who are those at the gate?Dromio of EphesusLet my master in, Luce.LuceWithinFaith, no; he comes too late; And so tell your master.Dromio of EphesusO Lord, I must laugh! Have at you with a proverb—Shall I set in my staff?LuceWithinHave at you with another; that’s—When? can you tell?Dromio of SyracuseWithinIf thy name be call’d Luce—Luce, thou hast answered him well.Antipholus of EphesusDo you hear, you minion? you’ll let us in, I hope?LuceWithinI thought to have asked you.Dromio of SyracuseWithinAnd you said no.Dromio of EphesusSo, come, help: well struck! there was blow for blow.Antipholus of EphesusThou baggage, let me in.LuceWithinCan you tell for whose sake?Dromio of EphesusMaster, knock the door hard.LuceWithinLet him knock till it ache.Antipholus of EphesusYou’ll cry for this, minion, if I beat the door down.LuceWithinWhat needs all that, and a pair of stocks in the town?AdrianaWithinWho is that at the door that keeps all this noise?Dromio of SyracuseWithinBy my troth, your town is troubled with unruly boys.Antipholus of EphesusAre you there, wife? you might have come before.AdrianaWithinYour wife, sir knave! go get you from the door.Dromio of EphesusIf you went in pain, master, this ‘knave’ would go sore.AngeloHere is neither cheer, sir, nor welcome: we would fain have either.BalthazarIn debating which was best, we shall part with neither.Dromio of EphesusThey stand at the door, master; bid them welcome hither.Antipholus of EphesusThere is something in the wind, that we cannot get in.Dromio of EphesusYou would say so, master, if your garments were thin. Your cake there is warm within; you stand here in the cold: It would make a man mad as a buck, to be so bought and sold.Antipholus of EphesusGo fetch me something: I’ll break ope the gate.Dromio of SyracuseWithinBreak any breaking here, and I’ll break your knave’s pate.Dromio of EphesusA man may break a word with you, sir, and words are but wind, Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind.Dromio of SyracuseWithinIt seems thou want’st breaking: out upon thee, hind!Dromio of EphesusHere’s too much ‘out upon thee!’ I pray thee, let me in.Dromio of SyracuseWithinAy, when fowls have no feathers and fish have no fin.Antipholus of EphesusWell, I’ll break in: go borrow me a crow.Dromio of EphesusA crow without feather? Master, mean you so? For a fish without a fin, there’s a fowl without a feather; If a crow help us in, sirrah, we’ll pluck a crow together.Antipholus of EphesusGo get thee gone; fetch me an iron crow.BalthazarHave patience, sir; O, let it not be so! Herein you war against your reputation And draw within the compass of suspect The unviolated honour of your wife. Once this,—your long experience of her wisdom, Her sober virtue, years and modesty, Plead on her part some cause to you unknown: And doubt not, sir, but she will well excuse Why at this time the doors are made against you. Be ruled by me: depart in patience, And let us to the Tiger all to dinner, And about evening come yourself alone To know the reason of this strange restraint. If by strong hand you offer to break in Now in the stirring passage of the day, A vulgar comment will be made of it, And that supposed by the common rout Against your yet ungalled estimation That may with foul intrusion enter in And dwell upon your grave when you are dead; For slander lives upon succession, For ever housed where it gets possession.Antipholus of EphesusYou have prevailed: I will depart in quiet, And, in despite of mirth, mean to be merry. I know a wench of excellent discourse, Pretty and witty; wild, and yet, too, gentle: There will we dine. This woman that I mean, My wife—but, I protest, without desert— Hath oftentimes upbraided me withal: To her will we to dinner.To AngeloGet you home And fetch the chain; by this I know ’tis made: Bring it, I pray you, to the Porpentine; For there’s the house: that chain will I bestow— Be it for nothing but to spite my wife— Upon mine hostess there: good sir, make haste. Since mine own doors refuse to entertain me, I’ll knock elsewhere, to see if they’ll disdain me.AngeloI’ll meet you at that place some hour hence.Antipholus of EphesusDo so. This jest shall cost me some expense.Exeunt

William Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors

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William Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors, Act V

  • William Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors, Act V

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  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
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  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales