Summary
Act Four, Scene One
The Second Merchant, Angelo, and an Officer are together on the stage. Angelo owes the Second Merchant money, which he tells the man he is due to receive from Antipholus at five o'clock that afternoon. As he says this, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant Dromio enter. Antipholus sends Dromio away to purchase some rope before going over to talk to Angelo.
Angelo tells Antipholus that his fee for making the chain should be paid to the Second Merchant. Antipholus tells him that he does not have the payment money upon him, but that Angelo can get the money from his wife after he delivers the chain. It soon becomes obvious that neither man has the chain, which Angelo gave to Antipholus of Syracuse by accident. The Second Merchant orders the Officer to arrest Angelo, who in turn demands that Antipholus be charged instead. The officer arrests Antipholus.
Dromio of Syracuse then arrives, thinking he sees his master. He tells Antipholus that a ship bound for Epidamnum is set to sail that night. Antipholus is furious that Dromio is acting so strangely, and instead orders Dromio to return to Adriana and fetch some money with which to free him. Dromio reluctantly obeys him.
Act Four, Scene Two
Adriana and Luciana are discussing the fact that Antipholus of Syracuse was trying to seduce Luciana. While they are calling Antipholus various bad names, Dromio of Syracuse arrives out of breath. He tells them that Antipholus has been arrested and that he requires money to be set free. Adriana gives him the money and sends him off again, but is now more worried than ever before about her husband.
Act Four, Scene Three
Antipholus of Syracuse is wearing the gold necklace when Dromio of Syracuse arrives with the money. He gives the money to Antipholus who understands nothing that Dromio is saying. Instead Antipholus want to know if there are any ships leaving that night from Ephesus.
The Courtesan that Antipholus of Ephesus went to after being turned away from his home appears. Antipholus of Ephesus had promised her the necklace meant for his wife in order to get revenge on being denied access to his house. When she sees the necklace around Antipholus of Syracuse's neck, she asks for it.
Both Dromio and Antipholus think she is the devil in disguise and leave her. She is furious because Antipholus of Ephesus took her ring worth forty ducats earlier that day, promising the necklace in return. The Courtesan decides to go to Adriana and tell her that Antipholus broke into her house and stole the ring.
Act Four, Scene Four
Antipholus of Ephesus is still under arrest and is with the Jailer (or Officer). Dromio of Ephesus arrives, carrying the rope his master sent him to get. Antipholus is at first happy to see him, thinking he has brought the money. When Dromio denies knowing anything about any money, Antipholus starts to beat him until the officer restrains him.
Adriana, Luciana, and a Doctor Pinch arrive while Dromio is getting beaten. Adriana asks Pinch to help restore her husband to a sound mind and stop his madness. Pinch quickly tries to exorcise Satan from Antipholus until he is told to stop.
Antipholus has Dromio swear that both of them were forbidden access into their home, while Adriana and Luciana both claim they were there. Then Adriana tells Antipholus that Dromio received the money from her, which Dromio denies, saying, "God and the ropemaker bear me witness that I was sent for nothing but a rope." Pinch tells Adriana that both men must be mad and gets the officer to bind Dromio as well. Pinch then exits with both men.
Adriana and Luciana decide to go talk to the goldsmith about the debt that Antipholus owes to him. The Courtesan also shows up and tells Adriana about the ring her husband took. At that moment Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse arrive, both with drawn swords. The women and the officer are afraid at how quickly the two men escaped and all of them run away. Antipholus watches them leave and tells Dromio to plan to leave the town immediately.
Analysis
As confusion mounts in the play, characters start to provide their own (incorrect) perceptions of what exactly is happening around them. One example of this prescriptive thinking is the Syracusians, who come to believe that the only explanation for the strangeness occurring in Ephesus is that there is something supernatural at work: Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse decide that the reason everybody seems to know them despite their being strangers to the town is because they are surrounded by magic. This thinking is, of course, entertaining for audiences who know the truth about the situation, but it is also a commentary on the nature of perception more generally. It is easier (and preferable) for the Syracusians to believe in magic than it is to actually interrogate what is going on around them and discover the truth. Their reaction to their strange circumstances highlights, once again, the lack of self-knowledge and self-certainty among Antipholus of Syracuse, who is the first to suggest the supernatural as an explanation for their experience. Thus, the play brings its characters dangerously close to solving their problems multiple times without actually endowing them with the curiosity or fortitude that would allow them to do so. This creates suspense and entertainment value for the audience, who is well aware of how easy it would be to remedy the confusion laid before them.
Another example of a character jumping to (incorrect) conclusions is Adriana, who assumes that her husband's odd behavior is because he and his servant have both gone mad. This leads Adriana to seek help from an exorcist, which creates another entertaining scene for the knowing audience. However, the exorcism of Antipholus of Ephesus is not necessarily significant for comedic purposes alone. In many ways, this scene serves as Adriana's administering justice toward her unfaithful husband, even if that was not her original intention. It becomes clear throughout the play that Antipholus of Ephesus is, if not outrightly unfaithful to his wife, at least ambiguous about his fidelity within his marriage. When Antipholus is "exorcised" of his "demons," it can be interpreted as a low-stakes punishment for this behavior. Thus, as the chaos reaches its peak in the penultimate act of the play, elements of resolution – in this case, the righting Antipholus of Ephesus's wrongs – begin to crop up, foreshadowing the ultimate resolution at the end of the play.
