Mistaken identity is a plot device whereby one person is taken for another and, often, vice versa. It is used in many comical plays, exemplified by the Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, inspired by Menaechmi and Amphitryon by Plautus.[1][2] In some cases mistaken identity involves disguise, e.g., accidentally identical costumes.[3] Often it is a base of a romantic comedy.[3]
William Shakespeare wrote some prominent examples of the use of this trope. For example, the Folger Shakespeare Library describes how the farce, The Comedy of Errors, "set out to multiply the opportunities for comic misidentification" with two sets of twins (masters and servants) who were accidentally separated at birth, intensifying confusion throughout the play.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Costas Panayotakis, Plays of Mistaken Identity, doi:10.1002/9781118958018.ch6
- ^ Analysis Of Identity Confusion And Mistaken Identities In The Comedy Of Error, doi:10.61132/fonologi.v2i1.353
- ^ a b Edwin Greenlaw, Clarence Stratton, Literature and Life, Book 2, 1922 p. 356
- ^ Mowat, Barbara; Werstine, Paul. "About Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors". Folger Shakespeare Library. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
