DAVINA: “Confusion” comes from the Latin word “confundere” which means to mix, combine, or jumble things together. It was also used in the figurative sense, meaning “to perplex” or “to disorganize”. This figurative sense is how we use the term today. 

RALPH: But in Shakespeare’s day “confusion” often had the much stronger connotation of chaos or destruction. 

DAVINA: Perhaps in a society in which most people could not read or write, if you couldn’t keep things straight in your head, that led to dire consequences.