About the work
Molière wrote "Amphitryon" in 1668 as a comedy in three acts with a prologue, modelled on Plautus's "Amphitruo". It premiered publicly on 13 January 1668 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris.
Plot
While the general Amphitryon is away at war, Jupiter takes on his appearance to spend a night with his wife Alcmene; his servant Mercury likewise disguises himself as Amphitryon's servant Sosia. When the real Amphitryon returns, the duplicated identities cause confusion and a dispute over Alcmene's fidelity. Only when Jupiter reveals himself and announces the future birth of Hercules is the confusion resolved.
Cultural significance
The play was performed 29 times by Easter 1668 and counted among Molière's major successes. Some contemporaries read Jupiter's amorous exploits as a veiled allusion to Louis XIV; the character of Sosia, meanwhile, turned the French word "sosie" into a byword for a look-alike. The play later served Heinrich von Kleist as the basis for his own tragicomedy "Amphitryon".