The role of the theme of The Comedy of Errors in Romeo & Juliet

The real “error” in The Comedy of Errors is our distorted perception of reality because we mistake artificial labels as being inherently real. In the play, the labels “Syracusian” and “Ephesian” are considered, by our deluded perception, to be so real that one’s life can be forfeit for merely possessing the wrong label! This deluded thinking introduces a jarring sense of separation that is unnatural and could lead to tragic consequences. 

Shakespeare delivers this same theme with an astounding emotional impact in Romeo & Juliet. He makes us live through the tragedy, caused by this deluded thinking, with an intensity that leaves a deep impression upon our psyche. We see this theme dramatically highlighted, in balcony scene of Act II, in the words of Juliet:

Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

All the bitter tribulations of these young lovers—in fact, the entire tragedy of their fatal love—can be attributed to their assigned names of Capulet and Montague. These names are mere labels, of no true significance whatsoever. It is only our tragic delusion of considering labels as being inherently real that leads to their demise.

Juliet: ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot

Nor arm nor face nor any other part           

Belonging to a man.

Here, in the words of Juliet, is the clearest exposition of Shakespeare’s central message in The Comedy of Errors. Names are empty of inherent existence. Just as the names “Syracusian” and “Ephesian” in The Comedy of Errors do not inherently exist, neither do the names “Montague” and “Capulet.”

These names are mere labels; they are not real. Labels are mere imputations of the mind, assigned arbitrarily to assist us in communicating with one another. It is the failure to realize this fundamental truth that is the cause of the tragedy in Romeo and Juliet.

Without these labels there would be no impediment to the union of Romeo and Juliet. This highlights one of the key problems with mistaking our names to be inherently real. If we erroneously reify our names in this way, a sense of separation arises. The labels of Montague and Capulet thus break apart the blissful world of Romeo and Juliet into a shattered one, dark and ominous. 

As Juliet wisely comments: “What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot nor arm nor face nor any other part belonging to a man.” These are profound words indeed. If we search for “Montague” or even the name “Romeo” in his physical body, we will not be able to find it.

In Act III Scene 3, Shakespeare again focuses the audience on the central meaning of the play, that is found in the cause of the tragedy. At Father Laurence’s cell where Romeo is hiding, the nurse brings them news about Juliet.

Nurse: O she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps,

And now falls on her bed, and then starts up,

And Tybalt calls, and then on Romeo cries,

And then down falls again.

The nurse’s words again recall how close both Tybalt and Romeo are to Juliet, emphasizing the tragic irony that the two were in a mortal duel over nothing but their names. Realizing this horrible irony, Romeo now reacts in anguished fury.

Romeo: As if that name,

Shot from the deadly level of a gun, 

Did murder her, as that name’s cursed hand

Murdered her kinsman, O, tell me, Friar, tell me,

In what vile part of this anatomy

Doth my name lodge? Tell me that I may sack

The hateful mansion!

Romeo pulls out his dagger and offers to stab himself. Here, Shakespeare presents us with a brilliant dramatic imagery of the crucial point in the play. It recalls the earlier words of Juliet: “What’s a Montague? It is nor hand nor foot nor arm nor face nor any other part belonging to a man.” Shakespeare now presents a striking visual representation of its meaning, a dramatic image that will linger in our minds.

Romeo seeks to destroy the part of his body where his name resides, but it cannot be found. His name resides nowhere in his anatomy. The label does not inherently exist within him; it is merely an imputed entity artificially attached onto him.

Unfortunately, this name that Romeo carries, this label, is nonetheless the source of their sorrow and suffering. As Juliet puts it: “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy.” Realizing this, Romeo in his anguish, threatens to destroy the label physically in his body, but we know he cannot do so since the label is not there. That label is merely an imputed entity and does not intrinsically exist on its own right. It cannot be found in any part of Romeo’s anatomy, or in the spiritual or physical aspect of his life.

Yet it is this “nothing”—this label—that is causing all the strife and suffering. Here then is another echo of the meaning behind the title “Much Ado About Nothing”—a title that points out the central theme in that Shakespearean play but occurs here with even greater emotional intensity.