finished_summaries/shmoop/The Comedy of Errors/section_4_part_0.txt
The Comedy of Errors.act iii.scene i
act iii, scene i
{"name": "Act III, Scene i", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20201219160210/https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/comedy-of-errors/summary/act-iii-scene-i", "summary": "Near E. Antipholus's house, E. Antipholus meets with Angelo, a goldsmith he has asked to make his wife a necklace . He notes that he's late for dinner, which means his wife will be \"shrewish,\" so he asks Angelo to cover for him. Angelo has been instructed to say that E. Antipholus was with him to see about making the necklace, which Angelo should bring to the house the next day. E. Antipholus then complains about E. Dromio, who has been claiming that he gave him a beating in the marketplace, which he absolutely did not...though it's strange that E. Dromio is bruised. E. Dromio won't give in, so E. Antipholus calls him an ass. The conversation turns to the Merchant Balthazar, who's looking rather serious. Balthazar and E. Antipholus then have a witty exchange about a dinner invitation E. Antipholus has extended to the Merchant. Balthazar says he's more pleased about the invitation than he is about the food, as meat is cheap. E. Antipholus quips that meat may be cheap, but words are even cheaper. Still, Balthazar is welcome at his house, and dinner will be delicious and make him think happy thoughts. Anyway, the joke's on E. Antipholus, as dinner would be awesome, if he could get into his house...which he can't. Because the gate is locked. What ensues at the gates is a long, confused exchange. S. Dromio guards the gate of E. Antipholus's house from the inside . Adriana instructed him to let nobody in, so S. Dromio feels justified in having some fun with the guys outside. E. Dromio and E. Antipholus wonder who on earth is guarding the gate and why he wouldn't let the owner of the house in. When they ask who this mystery guard is, S. Dromio truthfully replies that his name is Dromio. This, of course, confuses E. Dromio, who decides his identity has been stolen. Matters are made worse when another servant, Luce, backs up S. Dromio from inside the gate. E. Antipholus assures all the minions they'll pay for this insubordination when he breaks down the gate, which he's about to do. The confusion only increases: Adriana herself has come to the gate. She can't see who the men outside the gate are, but one insists that he's her husband . Adriana thinks her husband is inside, so she won't let them in either. Finally, E. Antipholus has had enough, and gets ready to break down his own door. Balthazar pierces the madness as the voice of reason. He says that if E. Antipholus makes a scene by breaking down his own door, he'll only be hurting his own reputation by casting suspicion on the faithfulness of his wife. Balthazar's says E. Antipholus's wife is a good woman, so she's sure to have a good explanation for locking him out. Until they find out what Adriana's good excuse is, they should go to the Tiger and have some dinner. E. Antipholus decides that going out to eat is a good idea, and he knows where they can go. There's a nice woman at the Porpentine that his wife has accused him of being unfaithful with before. He hasn't been, of course, but hey--she is pretty cute. He then tells Angelo to go get the necklace. He's going to give it to this other woman to get back at his wife for not letting him in.", "analysis": ""}
ACT III. _SCENE I.



Before the house of _ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus_._

  _Enter _ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus_, _DROMIO of Ephesus_, ANGELO,
  and BALTHAZAR._

_Ant. E._ Good 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.                           5
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?                  10

_Dro. E._ Say 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.

_Ant. E._ I think thou art an ass.

_Dro. E._                      Marry, so it doth appear             15
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.

_Ant. E._ You're sad, Signior Balthazar: pray God our cheer
May answer my good will and your good welcome here.                 20

_Bal._ I hold your dainties cheap, sir, and your welcome dear.

_Ant. E._ O, Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish,
A table full of welcome makes scarce one dainty dish.

_Bal._ Good meat, sir, is common; that every churl affords.

_Ant. E._ And welcome more common; for that's nothing but words.    25

_Bal._ Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.

_Ant. E._ Ay 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.               30

_Dro. E._ Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Ginn!

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Mome, 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,                35

_Dro. E._ What patch is made our porter? My master stays
        in the street.

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Let him walk from whence he came, lest he
        catch cold on's feet.

_Ant. E._ Who talks within there? ho, open the door!

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Right, sir; I'll tell you when, an you'll
        tell me wherefore.

_Ant. E._ Wherefore? for my dinner: I have not dined to-day.        40

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Nor to-day here you must not; come again
        when you may.

_Ant. E._ What art thou that keepest me out from the house I owe?

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] The porter for this time, sir, and
        my name is Dromio.

_Dro. E._ O villain, thou hast stolen both mine office
        and my name!
The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame.                45
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.

_Luce._ [_Within_] What a coil is there, Dromio? who are
        those at the gate?

_Dro. E._ Let my master in, Luce.

_Luce._                [_Within_] Faith, no; he comes too late;
And so tell your master.

_Dro. E._          O Lord, I must laugh!                            50
Have at you with a proverb;--Shall I set in my staff?

_Luce._ [_Within_] Have at you with another; that's,
       --When? can you tell?

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] If thy name be call'd Luce, --Luce,
        thou hast answer'd him well.

_Ant. E._ Do you hear, you minion? you'll let us in, I hope?

_Luce._ [_Within_] I thought to have ask'd you.

_Dro. S._     [_Within_] And you said no.                           55

_Dro. E._ So, come, help:--well struck! there was blow for blow.

_Ant. E._ Thou baggage, let me in.

_Luce._            [_Within_] Can you tell for whose sake?

_Dro. E._ Master, knock the door hard.

_Luce._            [_Within_] Let him knock till it ache.

_Ant. E._ You'll cry for this, minion, if I beat the door down.

_Luce._ [_Within_] What needs all that, and a pair of stocks
        in the town?                                                60

_Adr._ [_Within_] Who is that at the door that keeps
        all this noise?

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] By my troth, your town is troubled
        with unruly boys.

_Ant. E._ Are you, there, wife? you might have come before.

_Adr._ [_Within_] Your wife, sir knave! go get you from the door.

_Dro. E._ If you went in pain, master, this 'knave'
        would go sore.                                              65

_Aug._ Here is neither cheer, sir, nor welcome: we would
        fain have either.

_Bal._ In debating which was best, we shall part with neither.

_Dro. E._ They stand at the door, master; bid them welcome
        hither.

_Ant. E._ There is something in the wind, that we cannot get in.

_Dro. E._ You would say so, master, if your garments were thin.     70
Your cake here is warm within; you stand here in the cold:
It would make a man mad as a buck, to be so bought and sold.

_Ant. E._ Go fetch me something: I'll break ope the gate.

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Break any breaking here, and I'll break
        your knave's pate.

_Dro. E._ A man may break a word with you, sir; and words
        are but wind;                                               75
Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind.

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] It seems thou want'st breaking: out
        upon thee, hind!

_Dro. E._ Here's too much 'out upon thee!' I pray thee,
        let me in.

_Dro. S._ [_Within_] Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and
        fish have no fin.

_Ant. E._ Well, I'll break in:--go borrow me a crow.                80

_Dro. E._ A 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.

_Ant. E._ Go get thee gone; fetch me an iron crow.

_Bal._ Have patience, sir; O, let it not be so!                     85
Herein you war against your reputation,
And draw within the compass of suspect
Th' unviolated honour of your wife.
Once this,--your long experience of her wisdom,
Her sober virtue, years, and modesty,                               90
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;                              95
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,                               100
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,                                 105
For ever housed where it gets possession.

_Ant. E._ You have prevail'd: 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:                      110
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 Ang._] Get you home,
And fetch the chain; by this I know 'tis made:                     115
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,                       120
I'll knock elsewhere, to see if they'll disdain me.

_Ang._ I'll meet you at that place some hour hence.

_Ant. E._ Do so. This jest shall cost me some expense.

    [_Exeunt._



  NOTES: III, 1.

  SCENE I. ANGELO and BALTHAZAR.] Angelo the Goldsmith and Balthasar
    the Merchant. Ff.
  1: _all_] om. Pope.
  11-14: Put in the margin as spurious by Pope.
  11: _Say_] _you must say_ Capell.
  13: _the skin_] _my skin_ Collier MS.
  14: _own_] F1. om. F2 F3 F4.
  _you_] _you for certain_ Collier MS.
  15: _doth_] _dont_ Theobald.
  19: _You're_] _Y'are_ Ff. _you are_ Capell.
  20: _here_] om. Pope.
  21-29: Put in the margin as spurious by Pope.
  31: _Ginn_] om. Pope. _Jen'_ Malone. _Gin'_ Collier. _Jin_ Dyce.
  36-60: Put in the margin as spurious by Pope.
  32, sqq.: [Within] Rowe.
  46: _been_] F1. _bid_ F2 F3 F4.
  47: _an ass_] _a face_ Collier MS.
  48: Luce. [Within] Rowe. Enter Luce. Ff.
  _there, Dromio? who_] _there! Dromio, who_ Capell.
  54: _hope_] _trow_ Theobald. Malone supposes a line omitted
    ending _rope_.
  61: Adr. [Within]. Rowe. Enter Adriana. Ff.
  65-83: Put in the margin as spurious by Pope.
  67: _part_] _have part_ Warburton.
  71: _cake here_] _cake_ Capell. _cake there_ Anon. conj.
  72: _mad_] F1. _as mad_ F2 F3 F4.
  _as a buck_] om. Capell.
  75: _you,_] _your_ F1.
  85: _so_] _thus_ Pope.
  89: _Once this_] _Own this_ Malone conj. _This once_ Anon. conj.
  _her_] Rowe. _your_ Ff.
  91: _her_] Rowe. _your_ Ff.
  93: _made_] _barr'd_ Pope.
  105: _slander_] _lasting slander_ Johnson conj.
  _upon_] _upon its own_ Capell conj.
  106: _housed ... gets_] Collier. _hous'd ... gets_ F1.
    _hous'd ... once gets_ F2 F3 F4. _hous'd where 't gets_ Steevens.
  108: _mirth_] _wrath_ Theobald.
  116: _Porpentine_] Ff. _Porcupine_ Rowe (and passim).
  117: _will I_] F1. _I will_ F2 F3 F4.
  119: _mine_] F1. _my_ F2 F3 F4.
  122: _hour_] F1. _hour, sir_ F2 F3 F4.



Act III, Scene i
Near E. Antipholus's house, E. Antipholus meets with Angelo, a goldsmith he has asked to make his wife a necklace . He notes that he's late for dinner, which means his wife will be "shrewish," so he asks Angelo to cover for him. Angelo has been instructed to say that E. Antipholus was with him to see about making the necklace, which Angelo should bring to the house the next day. E. Antipholus then complains about E. Dromio, who has been claiming that he gave him a beating in the marketplace, which he absolutely did not...though it's strange that E. Dromio is bruised. E. Dromio won't give in, so E. Antipholus calls him an ass. The conversation turns to the Merchant Balthazar, who's looking rather serious. Balthazar and E. Antipholus then have a witty exchange about a dinner invitation E. Antipholus has extended to the Merchant. Balthazar says he's more pleased about the invitation than he is about the food, as meat is cheap. E. Antipholus quips that meat may be cheap, but words are even cheaper. Still, Balthazar is welcome at his house, and dinner will be delicious and make him think happy thoughts. Anyway, the joke's on E. Antipholus, as dinner would be awesome, if he could get into his house...which he can't. Because the gate is locked. What ensues at the gates is a long, confused exchange. S. Dromio guards the gate of E. Antipholus's house from the inside . Adriana instructed him to let nobody in, so S. Dromio feels justified in having some fun with the guys outside. E. Dromio and E. Antipholus wonder who on earth is guarding the gate and why he wouldn't let the owner of the house in. When they ask who this mystery guard is, S. Dromio truthfully replies that his name is Dromio. This, of course, confuses E. Dromio, who decides his identity has been stolen. Matters are made worse when another servant, Luce, backs up S. Dromio from inside the gate. E. Antipholus assures all the minions they'll pay for this insubordination when he breaks down the gate, which he's about to do. The confusion only increases: Adriana herself has come to the gate. She can't see who the men outside the gate are, but one insists that he's her husband . Adriana thinks her husband is inside, so she won't let them in either. Finally, E. Antipholus has had enough, and gets ready to break down his own door. Balthazar pierces the madness as the voice of reason. He says that if E. Antipholus makes a scene by breaking down his own door, he'll only be hurting his own reputation by casting suspicion on the faithfulness of his wife. Balthazar's says E. Antipholus's wife is a good woman, so she's sure to have a good explanation for locking him out. Until they find out what Adriana's good excuse is, they should go to the Tiger and have some dinner. E. Antipholus decides that going out to eat is a good idea, and he knows where they can go. There's a nice woman at the Porpentine that his wife has accused him of being unfaithful with before. He hasn't been, of course, but hey--she is pretty cute. He then tells Angelo to go get the necklace. He's going to give it to this other woman to get back at his wife for not letting him in.