Sweet Mistress, ‘What Your Name is Else, I Know Not

-Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors

Believed to be one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors is Shakespearean Farce at its best. With its two sets of twins, the play has a nearly continuous flow of mistaken identities, miscommunications, and unforeseen romances.

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse theatre student, Wriley Hoffner, performs as Antipholus of Syracuse in this week’s monologue. “I was drawn to this monologue because of its unique way of wooing.” he said. “It uses intense and strong visual language to compare the woman with such beauty but at the same time the speaker is confident and in control because he knows the only crime he has committed is not meeting this woman sooner.”

Hoffner has performed several roles while at UWL including Freddie Filmore in It's a Wonderful Life, Sir Jasper in The Country Wife, and varying characters in Almost, Maine. This week you can see him performing in the University’s production of Influence which was written and directed by Greg Parmeter. The play is based on The Misanthrope by Molière and was written to be performed virtually. You can see live-streamed perfomances March 10-14 or watch On Demand recorded performances March 15-19.

Wriley Hoffner as Antipholus of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors:

THE MONOLOGUE: COMEDY OF ERRORS, ACT III SCENE 2, ANTIPHOLUS OF SYRACUSE BY WRILEY HOFFNER

“Sweet mistress, ‘what your name is else, I know not,

Nor by what wonder you do hit of mind,

Less in your knowledge and your grace you show not

Than our earth’s wonder; more than earth divine.

Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak:

Lay open to my earthy-gross conceit,

Smother’d in errors, feeble, shallow, weak,

The folded meaning of your words’ deceit.

Against my soul’s pure truth why labour you

To make it wander in an unknown field?

Are you a god? / would you create me new?

Transform me then, and to your power I’ll yield.

But if that I am I, then well I know

Your weeping sister is no wife of mine,

Nor to her bed no homage do I owe.

Far more, far more, to you do I decline.

O! train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note,

To drown me in thy sister’s flood of tears:

Sing, siren, for thyself, and I will dote.”

MORE ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE PROJECT

Our goal of Shakespeare from the Ground’s Monologue Project is to collect a library of Shakespearean monologues to share with our community for virtual entertainment while we are still socially distanced. You don’t need to be a professional actor to participate. If you’re inspired and ready to record, great! If you need help selecting your Shakespeare Monologue or getting it recorded, reach out and we’ll help you get the ball rolling. Are you ready to take to the boards once again…virtually?