Antipholus of Syracuse is Egeon’s son. Separated from his twin at birth, at the age of eighteen he decided to travel the world to find him, and has been searching for him these last seven years.
He is attended by Dromio of Syracuse. He is a cautious traveler, terrified of the possibility of magic, and weary of the inhabitants of Ephesus, since he has heard that they are all sorcerers. Though he allows his Dromio a fair bit of leeway in terms of mockery, and likes to play straight man to his wit, Antipholus of Syracuse has his limits, and is not restrained in the use of his fists when he thinks his slave has gone too far, particularly if it concerns money. He soon becomes convinced that he is someway or other be-spelled, especially when a beautiful woman begins to call him husband and bid him to come home, and he allows himself to be entranced, though he finds the woman’s sister far more attractive than she, and begins to woo her. Rejected, he decides that things have gone too far and that it would be best to leave before nightfall. He is confused when a passing goldsmith gives him a necklace made specially for him and refuses to take money for it at once, and the occurrence merely reaffirms his decision to leave. As every person he meets on the street greets him, and Dromio (of Syracuse) arrives speaking of having seen him arrested, and a courtesan comes snuggling up to him and asking for a ring back, he grows completely panicked and begins to wander about with his sword drawn. Coming across the goldsmith again, who swears that he has denied to pay for the chain, challenged to a fight by a merchant for forswearing himself, and seeing his supposed wife announce to all and sundry that he is mad, he is thoroughly discombobulated and runs into a priory for sanctuary, where he discovers that the Abbess is his long-lost mother, that his father is in town and about to be executed, and that his twin brother also lives in town and that he has been being confused with him all day long. Discovering this, he promises to renew his wooing of Luciana, this time more lawfully.
