Amphitryon

One of Plautus' most famous comedies, the Amphitryon, is on stage at the Quirino Theater, directed by Emilio Solfrizzi.

The comedy with the original Latin title Amphitruo, composed of five acts and a prologue, was written by the author Plautus probably towards the end of the 3rd century BC. and represented, most likely, in 206 BC. The peculiarity of the work lies in the fact that the author himself defines it in the prologue, through the mouth of Mercury, as a tragicomedy, since while comedies usually represented facts concerning popular characters, tragedy instead concerned divinities or mythical subjects.

This work, in fact, has as protagonists also the gods of Olympus and not just ordinary mortals: in addition to the protagonist who gives the work its title, that is Amphitryon, the other characters are the gods Jupiter and Mercury, the mortals Alcmena and Sosia, Amphitryon's wife and servant respectively, in addition to the two minor characters who are the pilot Blepharone and the servant Bromia. Furthermore, in comedy the two stylistic registers of tragedy, on the one hand, and comedy, on the other, are mixed.

The plot focuses on the figure of the commander of the Theban army Amphitryon and his servant Sosia, who return home after a long military campaign. Jupiter, fascinated by the beauty of Amphitryon's wife, Alcmena, decides to take on her appearance to seduce her. Meanwhile, the real Amphitryon, unaware of Jupiter's machinations, clashes with Sosia and a series of misunderstandings, comical or grotesque situations and twists arise. In fact, the various deceptions create a series of hilarious situations in which the characters become confused about the true identity of the person in front of them, offering the public a very entertaining show.

Amphitruo therefore perfectly represents what is called a classical comedy of errors, based on the confusion, in this case created between the human characters and the divinities who took on their appearance.

With Emilio Solfrizzi, Simone Colombari, Sergio Basile, Rosario and Beatrice Coppolino, Viviana Altieri, Cristiano Dessì. Scenes by Fabiana Di Marco, music by Michele Marmo.

Photo credits: official poster of the comedy