A Simmelian Reading: The Idea of Individuality in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors

The highlight purpose of this study, lies on a Simmelian reading on The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare. It specifically focuses on the idea of individuality by George Simmel. Although the principle of the play made on the missing identity, the present study investigates the elements of individuality more specifically on Egeon’s purpose. The Comedy of Errors (1592-1594) demonstrates the merchant’s life story, Egeon, who lost his family twenty-five years ago. Since the beginning part of the play centres on Egeon’s aim to find his family, it attempts to find how Egeon purpose leads to the Simmelian notion. To Simmel, individuality is a kind of social form. In addition to, he believes, the concept of individuality in the sociology’s field is a social place. As a matter of fact, individuality is a real identity which obtains peculiar meaning by an interactional relationship between the different group of people. Accordingly, the research’s aim, to show Egeon’s attempt to find his family to gain his true individuality and identity among his family and other people