Character,Line,Gender,Emotion
NARRATOR,"Egeon, a merchant from Syracusae, is arrested for having illegally entered Ephesus. He tells the story of how he lost his wife and an infant son; the remaining identical-twin son grew up and set out to find his lost brother; Egeon in turn journeyed in search of the son he had raised. His journey has brought him to Ephesus. Now Egeon is given until the end of the day to raise ransom money. If he fails, he will be executed.Enter Solinus the Duke of Ephesus, with Egeon the Merchant of Syracuse, Jailer, and other Attendants.",Male,Positive
EGEON,"Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, And by the doom of death end woes and all.",Female,Positive
DUKE,"Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more.",Female,Positive
DUKE,I am not partial to infringe our laws.,Female,Negative
DUKE,The enmity and discord which of late,Female,Positive
DUKE,Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke,Female,Negative
DUKE,"To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,",Female,Negative
DUKE,"Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,",Female,Negative
DUKE,"Have sealed his rigorous statutes with their bloods,",Female,Negative
DUKE,Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks.,Female,Neutral
DUKE,For since the mortal and intestine jars,Female,Negative
DUKE,"’Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,",Female,Positive
DUKE,"It hath in solemn synods been decreed,",Female,Negative
DUKE,"Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,",Female,Negative
DUKE,To admit no traffic to our adverse towns.,Female,Neutral
DUKE,"Nay, more, if any born at Ephesus",Female,Negative
DUKE,Be seen at Syracusian marts and fairs;,Female,Positive
DUKE,"Again, if any Syracusian born",Female,Negative
DUKE,"Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,",Female,Positive
DUKE,"His goods confiscate to the Duke’s dispose,",Female,Positive
DUKE,Unless a thousand marks be levièd,Female,Positive
DUKE,To quit the penalty and to ransom him.,Female,Negative
DUKE,"Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,",Female,Positive
DUKE,Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;,Female,Negative
DUKE,Therefore by law thou art condemned to die.,Female,Positive
EGEON,"Yet this my comfort: when your words are done,",Female,Negative
EGEON,My woes end likewise with the evening sun.,Female,Negative
DUKE,"Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause",Female,Negative
DUKE,Why thou departedst from thy native home,Female,Positive
DUKE,And for what cause thou cam’st to Ephesus.,Female,Neutral
EGEON,A heavier task could not have been imposed,Female,Negative
EGEON,Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable;,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Yet, that the world may witness that my end",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Was wrought by nature, not by vile offense,",Female,Negative
EGEON,I’ll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"In Syracusa was I born, and wed",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Unto a woman happy but for me,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"And by me, had not our hap been bad.",Female,Negative
EGEON,With her I lived in joy. Our wealth increased,Female,Positive
EGEON,By prosperous voyages I often made,Female,Negative
EGEON,"To Epidamium, till my factor’s death",Female,Positive
EGEON,And the great care of goods at random left,Female,Positive
EGEON,Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;,Female,Neutral
EGEON,From whom my absence was not six months old,Female,Neutral
EGEON,Before herself—almost at fainting under,Female,Negative
EGEON,The pleasing punishment that women bear—,Female,Positive
EGEON,Had made provision for her following me,Female,Neutral
EGEON,And soon and safe arrivèd where I was.,Female,Negative
EGEON,There had she not been long but she became,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"A joyful mother of two goodly sons,",Female,Positive
EGEON,"And, which was strange, the one so like the other",Female,Positive
EGEON,As could not be distinguished but by names.,Female,Positive
EGEON,"That very hour, and in the selfsame inn,",Female,Positive
EGEON,A mean woman was deliverèd,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Of such a burden, male twins, both alike.",Female,Positive
EGEON,"Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,",Female,Positive
EGEON,I bought and brought up to attend my sons.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,",Female,Negative
EGEON,Made daily motions for our home return.,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Unwilling, I agreed. Alas, too soon",Female,Negative
EGEON,We came aboard.,Female,Negative
EGEON,A league from Epidamium had we sailed,Female,Positive
EGEON,Before the always-wind-obeying deep,Female,Positive
EGEON,Gave any tragic instance of our harm;,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"But longer did we not retain much hope,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,For what obscurèd light the heavens did grant,Female,Positive
EGEON,Did but convey unto our fearful minds,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"A doubtful warrant of immediate death,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Which though myself would gladly have embraced,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Weeping before for what she saw must come,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"That mourned for fashion, ignorant what to fear,",Female,Positive
EGEON,Forced me to seek delays for them and me.,Female,Positive
EGEON,"And this it was, for other means was none:",Female,Neutral
EGEON,The sailors sought for safety by our boat,Female,Positive
EGEON,"And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.",Female,Negative
EGEON,"My wife, more careful for the latter-born,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Had fastened him unto a small spare mast,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,Such as seafaring men provide for storms.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"To him one of the other twins was bound,",Female,Negative
EGEON,Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"The children thus disposed, my wife and I,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixed,",Female,Negative
EGEON,Fastened ourselves at either end the mast,Female,Positive
EGEON,"And, floating straight, obedient to the stream,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.",Female,Negative
EGEON,"At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Dispersed those vapors that offended us,",Female,Positive
EGEON,And by the benefit of his wished light,Female,Negative
EGEON,"The seas waxed calm, and we discoverèd",Female,Positive
EGEON,"Two ships from far, making amain to us,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this.",Female,Negative
EGEON,"But ere they came—O, let me say no more!",Female,Negative
EGEON,Gather the sequel by that went before.,Female,Positive
DUKE,"Nay, forward, old man. Do not break off so,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,For we may pity though not pardon thee.,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"O, had the gods done so, I had not now",Female,Positive
EGEON,Worthily termed them merciless to us.,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"We were encountered by a mighty rock,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Which being violently borne upon,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst;,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"So that, in this unjust divorce of us,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,Fortune had left to both of us alike,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"What to delight in, what to sorrow for.",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Her part, poor soul, seeming as burdenèd",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe,",Female,Positive
EGEON,"Was carried with more speed before the wind,",Female,Negative
EGEON,And in our sight they three were taken up,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.",Female,Positive
EGEON,"At length, another ship had seized on us",Female,Negative
EGEON,"And, knowing whom it was their hap to save,",Female,Positive
EGEON,"Gave healthful welcome to their shipwracked guests,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,And would have reft the fishers of their prey,Female,Positive
EGEON,Had not their bark been very slow of sail;,Female,Positive
EGEON,And therefore homeward did they bend their course.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"Thus have you heard me severed from my bliss,",Female,Negative
EGEON,That by misfortunes was my life prolonged,Female,Neutral
EGEON,To tell sad stories of my own mishaps.,Female,Neutral
DUKE,"And for the sake of them thou sorrowest for,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,Do me the favor to dilate at full,Female,Negative
DUKE,What have befall’n of them and thee till now.,Female,Positive
EGEON,"My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,At eighteen years became inquisitive,Female,Neutral
EGEON,"After his brother, and importuned me",Female,Positive
EGEON,"That his attendant—so his case was like,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Reft of his brother, but retained his name—",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Might bear him company in the quest of him,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Whom whilst I labored of a love to see,",Female,Positive
EGEON,I hazarded the loss of whom I loved.,Female,Negative
EGEON,"Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,",Female,Neutral
EGEON,"And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus,",Female,Negative
EGEON,"Hopeless to find, yet loath to leave unsought",Female,Positive
EGEON,Or that or any place that harbors men.,Female,Negative
EGEON,But here must end the story of my life;,Female,Negative
EGEON,And happy were I in my timely death,Female,Negative
EGEON,Could all my travels warrant me they live.,Female,Neutral
DUKE,"Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have marked",Female,Positive
DUKE,"To bear the extremity of dire mishap,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,"Now, trust me, were it not against our laws,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,"Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,",Female,Positive
DUKE,"Which princes, would they, may not disannul,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,My soul should sue as advocate for thee.,Female,Positive
DUKE,"But though thou art adjudgèd to the death,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,And passèd sentence may not be recalled,Female,Negative
DUKE,"But to our honor’s great disparagement,",Female,Neutral
DUKE,Yet will I favor thee in what I can.,Female,Negative
DUKE,"Therefore, merchant, I’ll limit thee this day",Female,Neutral
DUKE,To seek thy life by beneficial help.,Female,Negative
DUKE,Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus;,Female,Negative
DUKE,"Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum,",Female,Negative
DUKE,"And live. If no, then thou art doomed to die.—",Female,Neutral
DUKE,"Jailer, take him to thy custody.",Female,Negative
JAILER,"I will, my lord.",Female,Positive
EGEON,"Hopeless and helpless doth Egeon wend,",Female,Positive
EGEON,But to procrastinate his lifeless end.,Female,Neutral
NARRATOR,They exit.,Male,Negative