Our fascination with identity is reflected the world over in folklore and literary tradition, where stories featuring disguise, assumed identity, mistaken identity or identity theft abound, not to mention foundlings adopted or exchanged at birth. Such themes are a feature of most of Shakespeare’s comedies; indeed, much of his work deals with the concept of identity in one way or another. They provide endless plot devices for exploring the nature of society, conflict and how human beings relate to each other.
