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Antipholus of Syracuse is arguably the strongest character in the play, since he is the only figure to whom Shakespeare grants an interior life. Early in the play he describes himself as unhappy and plagued by feelings of incompleteness. These feelings of incompleteness clearly stem from the fact that as a young boy he was separated from his mother and twin brother. With his family torn in two, and completely ignorant of the fate of the missing half, Antipholus of Syracuse feels uncertain about his own identity. He is thus a questing figure, one who is driven by a desire to reunite his family and, in so doing, find himself. Importantly, and despite being so deeply affected by his family’s separation, the Syracusan Antipholus is a man of good humor who never stews too long in his own negative feelings. Though he certainly gets angry with his Dromio, he’s readily susceptible to his bondsman’s jokes, slipping easily from irritability back to laughter. Arguably, it is this good humor that enables this Antipholus to persist in his quest, facilitate his family’s reunion, and get betrothed in the process—all of which ensures the restoration of his sense of identity.
