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The Comedy of Errors
Story Summary The play opens with the Duke condemning a foreigner to death because of his nationality unless a friend will pay 1000 marks for his freedom. In explaining why he risked his life visiting Ephesus, a tale emerges of two sets of identical twin boys, one set being his sons; the other set being sons of a servant woman. They were separated as babies in a shipwreck, with the father saving one son and one servant and the mother saving the other son and the other servant. When the son…
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As You Like It
Story Summary Rosalind’s father, Duke Senior, has been banished by his younger brother, Frederick, and taken refuge in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind remains at court, being a cherished companion to her uncle’s daughter, Celia. Orlando de Boys, mistreated by his older brother Oliver, comes to Rosalind’s attention during a wrestling match, and they fall in love. When Rosalind is also banished, she and Celia run away from court to the Forest of Arden, disguised as the youth Ganymede and his sister, Aliena, and accompanied by the fool, Touchstone. Unaware of…
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All’s Well That Ends Well
Story Summary Helena, the impoverished daughter of a now-deceased physician, loves Bertram, a Count. He goes to court where the King of France is seriously ill. Helena follows him there and cures the king with her father’s medicines, winning a husband of her choosing. She chooses Bertram but he disdains her base origins. To honour the king, he agrees to marry her but runs away to fight in the war with the Florentines, stating that until she has the ring from his finger and his child in her womb, she will…