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Egeon, a merchant of Syracuse, is condemned to death in Ephesus for violating the ban against travel between the two rival cities. As he is led to his execution, he tells Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, that he has come to Syracuse in search of his wife and one of his twin sons, who were separated from him 25 years ago in a shipwreck. The other twin, who grew up with Egeon, is also traveling the world in search of the missing half of the family. (The twins, we learn, are identical, and each has an identical twin bondsman named Dromio.) The Duke is so moved by this story that he grants Egeon a day to raise the thousand-mark ransom that would be necessary to save his life.
Meanwhile, unknown to Egeon, his son Antipholus of Syracuse is also visiting Ephesus, where his missing twin, known as Antipholus of Ephesus, is a prosperous citizen of the city. Adriana, the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, mistakes Antipholus of Syracuse for her husband and drags him home for dinner, leaving Dromio of Syracuse to stand guard at the door and admit no one. Shortly thereafter, Antipholus of Ephesus—with his bondsman, Dromio of Ephesus—returns home and is refused entry to his own house. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse has fallen in love with Luciana, Adriana’s sister, who is appalled at the behavior of the man she thinks is her brother-in-law.
The confusion increases when a gold chain ordered by Antipholus of Ephesus is given to Antipholus of Syracuse. Antipholus of Ephesus refuses to pay for the chain (unsurprisingly, since he never received it) and is arrested for debt. His wife, seeing his strange behavior, decides he has gone mad and orders him bound and held in a cellar room. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse and his bondsman decide to flee the city, which they believe to be enchanted, as soon as possible—only to be menaced by Adriana and the debt officer. They seek refuge in a nearby abbey.
Adriana now begs the Duke to intervene, removing her “husband” from the abbey and placing him in her custody. Her real husband, meanwhile, has broken loose and now comes to the Duke to level charges against his wife. The situation is finally resolved by Emilia the Abbess, who brings out the set of twins and reveals herself to be Egeon’s long-lost wife. Antipholus of Ephesus reconciles with Adriana, Egeon is pardoned by the Duke and reunited with his spouse, Antipholus of Syracuse resumes his romantic pursuit of Luciana, and all ends happily with the two Dromios embracing.
