Amphitryon (Molière)

• Jupiter
• Mercury
• Amphitryon; General of the Thebans
• Sosia; Servant of Amphitryon
• Alcmene; Wife of Amphitryon
• Cléanthis; Wife of Sosia, servant of Alcmene
• Four Theban generals: Argantiphontidas, Naucrates, Polidas, Pausikles
• The night, only appears in the prologue

Amphitryon is a comedy in three acts by the French poet Molière. It is in large part an adaptation of Plautus' Amphitryon. The piece served Heinrich von Kleist as the basis for his eponymous tragicomedy.

The premiere took place on January 13, 1668 at the Palais Royal in Paris. The play was a great success and was, until Easter of the same year played with Molière in the role of Sosia, 29 times. It is believed that the poet wanted to formulate a critique of the amorous adventures of the " Sun King " Louis XIV with this piece.

Action

The piece begins with a prologue as dialogue between Mercury and night. Alcmene ( Alcmena ) awaits the return of her husband Amphitryon from the war against the Athenians. Instead of him, but her Jupiter appears in the form of her husband and the two spend together a night of love. The next morning, the real Amphitryon returns to Thebes and Alcmene tells him about the supposedly lived together by night, this feels betrayed by his wife. Alcmene Jupiter reappears in the guise of her husband, but will not be loved by her as a husband, but as a lover, to which she responded blankly and shocked. Inversely, there are a level of servants, on the Mercury takes the form of Sosia, in contrast to Jupiter but fails to seduce his wife Cléanthis. The belligerent Cléanthis does not appear in the play by Plautus and is an invention of Molière.

As at the end facing the two Amphitryon figures hold both the generals and Alcmene the Jupiter Amphitryon for the true. Jupiter clears up the misunderstanding and prophesying Amphitryon as restitution the birth of the heroic Hercules. The real Amphitryon, Mercury and Sosia remain wordless.