First staged in 1594 at Gray's Inn, London, The Comedy of Errors was probably Shakespeare's first comedy, and at only 1,777 lines is his shortest play.
Critics contend that it was deliberately short to precede a masque or jig.
A contemporary reports that princes and the lord mayor of London were present but left before the play because the party became too wild. Following a plot so intricate would have been difficult under such circumstances. A situational comedy, the plot is ingenious, depending on unexpected meetings, mistaken identity, and incongruous situations. At times the pairs of twins themselves question their own identities. The loud horse-play and coarse wit characteristic of a farce must have pulled in the rowdy contemporary audience and continue to amuse us today.