Amphitryon (Molière)
Encyclopedia
Amphitryon is a French language comedy
in a prologue and 3 Acts by Molière
which is based on the story of the Greek mythological character Amphitryon
as told by Plautus
in his play from ca. 190-185 B.C
. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal
in Paris on 13 January 1668. A whiff of scandal surrounded the play, with some claiming that Molière was criticizing the amourous affairs of Louis XIV of France
in the guise of Jupiter
. It was performed again three days later at the Tuileries Garden
in the presence of Louis XIV.
Amphitryon was an immediate success with the French aristocracy and the play was performed a total of 29 times by Easter 1668. The popularity of the work was such that two of the names of the characters became a part of the everyday French language. The word "amphitryon" is now the French word for "host". The other such character to make an effect is 'Sosie', a part which was portrayed by Molière himself in the comedy's first production. The term "sosie" in French now means look-alike
, a reflection of the events in the play where the character Sosie is a doppelgänger
of the God Mercury
.
Richard Wilbur
translated the play for the work's first professional production in the English language which was directed by Darko Tresnjak
and presented by the Huntington Theatre Company
in Boston in March 2001.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in a prologue and 3 Acts by Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
which is based on the story of the Greek mythological character Amphitryon
Amphitryon
Amphitryon , in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis.Amphitryon was a Theban general, who was originally from Tiryns in the eastern part of the Peloponnese. He was friends with Panopeus....
as told by Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
in his play from ca. 190-185 B.C
Amphitryon (play)
Amphitryon is a Latin play for the early Roman theatre by playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. Plautus’ only play on a mythological subject, he refers to it as a tragicomoedia in the prologue...
. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal
Théâtre du Palais-Royal
The Théâtre du Palais-Royal is a 750 seat theatre at 38, rue Montpensier in Paris. In 1637 Cardinal Richelieu began work on a theatre on the east wing of the Palais-Royal building, to break the theatre monopoly of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and it was opened in 1641...
in Paris on 13 January 1668. A whiff of scandal surrounded the play, with some claiming that Molière was criticizing the amourous affairs of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in the guise of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
. It was performed again three days later at the Tuileries Garden
Tuileries Garden
The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Created by Catherine de Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was first opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the...
in the presence of Louis XIV.
Amphitryon was an immediate success with the French aristocracy and the play was performed a total of 29 times by Easter 1668. The popularity of the work was such that two of the names of the characters became a part of the everyday French language. The word "amphitryon" is now the French word for "host". The other such character to make an effect is 'Sosie', a part which was portrayed by Molière himself in the comedy's first production. The term "sosie" in French now means look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
, a reflection of the events in the play where the character Sosie is a doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
of the God Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
.
Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
translated the play for the work's first professional production in the English language which was directed by Darko Tresnjak
Darko Tresnjak
Darko Tresnjak is a prominent American theatre director. He has received the Alan Schneider Award for Directing Excellence, a T.C.G. National Theater Artist Residency Award, a Boris Sagal Directing Fellowship, an NEA New Forms Grant, two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Individual Artist...
and presented by the Huntington Theatre Company
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington Theatre Company is a non-profit professional theater company in Boston, Massachusetts. The Huntington has garnered six Elliot Norton Awards and three Tony Award nominations for productions that were transferred to Broadway after critically acclaimed productions in Boston...
in Boston in March 2001.