Amphitryon

Molière, 1622-1673Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 83K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Amphitryon by MolièreAuthor: Molière, 1622-1673,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Mar 1, 2001

Editor's review

Molière's Amphitryon uses the ancient myth of a god impersonating a husband to explore mistaken identity, master-servant relations, and the absurdities of marital trust. Beneath its comic surface, the play probes self-identity and the transgression of desire; the dialogue is witty, the structure intricate, and the misunderstandings pile up without becoming chaotic. The translation preserves the rhythm of the dialogue, making it suitable for reading aloud and stage imagining. It is both an accessible entry point to Molière's comic craft and a work that can be read alongside Plautus, Kleist, and other treatments of the same theme, observing how one story transforms across eras. Pay attention to how the servant's buffoonery contrasts with his master's predicament—behind the humor lies a rather sharp inquiry into human nature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers wanting an initial taste of Molière's comic style who prefer light classical drama
Literature lovers interested in myth adaptation and the mistaken-identity motif
Readers needing a short play for reading-aloud practice or introductory drama appreciation
Students and teachers studying comedy history who wish to compare different versions of the same theme

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous psychological realism or modern novel-like character depth
Readers insensitive to classical drama's mistaken-identity conventions who may find them repetitive
Readers entirely unwilling to engage with verse dialogue and theatrical suspension of disbelief

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the Amphitryon myth and the basic plot of Plautus's original first, so you can more easily see Molière's adaptations.
Read the play aloud by scene and role to feel the rhythm of the dialogue and comic pauses—more effective than silent reading for sensing stage effect.
After finishing, compare with Kleist's play of the same name or related adaptations to see how different eras handle the same motif.
Pay attention to the servant Sosia's passages, noting how his buffoonery advances the misunderstandings and reflects his master's predicament.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What are the main highlights of this play?

The highlight is how Molière turns the ancient mistaken-identity myth into a tight comedy: identity confusion escalates layer by layer, the master and servant plotlines mirror each other, and the dialogue is witty and rhythmic. It doesn't just make you laugh—it uses absurd situations to probe self-identity and marital trust, making for a light but thought-provoking read.

Do I need to read Plautus's original first?

Not strictly necessary, but helpful. Molière draws on the long-circulating Amphitryon story, and Plautus's version is a key source. Knowing the basic framework makes it clearer what character relationships and comic techniques Molière added; if you just want to enjoy the play itself, you can read it directly without difficulty.

This is a verse play—will it be hard to read?

It takes a little getting used to compared to prose plays, but the dialogue here is brisk, the scenes concentrated, and English translations usually preserve the rhythm. Read through once for the plot, then go scene by scene; skip over allusions if needed and focus on the escalation of misunderstandings and the characters' tones. Reading aloud will noticeably lower the difficulty.

Is it suitable as an introduction to drama?

Fairly suitable. It's short, the character relationships are clear, and the comic effect depends on situation and dialogue, making it easy for beginners to understand classical drama's conventions. In class, you could select the climactic mistaken-identity scenes for staged reading, then discuss how comedy uses absurdity to address serious issues.

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About the author

Molière, 1622-1673 Author

Molière (1622-1673), born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was a leading figure of French classical comedy and worked in the seventeenth-century French theatre as both actor and playwright. The library holds 41 of his works, including such representative plays as Tartuffe, The Miser, and Don Juan, ou le Festin de pierre, as well as multi-volume editions of his complete works. Drawing on everyday life, his comedies expose hypocrisy, greed, and vanity with exaggerated yet incisive satire; his characters are vividly drawn and his dialogue witty and lively, conveying criticism of social ills through laughter. Public information on his early life and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here. His plays have had a profound influence on French and European theatre history and are still frequently staged today.