A. Ferry, Amphitryon, a theatrical myth - Plautus, Rotrou, Molière, Dryden, Kleist - Theatre and Performance

French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Ferry, Amphitryon, a theatrical myth - Plautus, Rotrou, Molière, Dryden, Kleist
Theatre and Performance

Ariane Ferry, Amphitryon, a theatrical myth. Plautus, Rotrou, Molière, Dryden, Kleist

Grenoble: ELLUG, "Ateliers de l'imaginaire" series, 2011.

  • EAN 9782843102042.
  • Price: 27 €

Publisher's presentation:

The character of Amphitryon, as Pierre Bayle already noted in his Historical and Critical Dictionary, "is less known for his exploits than for the adventure of Alcmene, his wife, which has served as a subject for comic poets." The latter have indeed cemented the theatrical glory of a man cuckolded by Jupiter so that Hercules might be begotten—a cuckoldry unknown to the wife herself, since the god assumed the likeness of Amphitryon.

Starting with Molière, the philosophical, socio-political, and metaphysical implications of this fable underwent significant developments, despite the relative stability of the mytho-dramatic invariants during the period under consideration. This comparative study proposes to trace the process of transformation of several key scenes (Sosia's battle narrative, the birth of the hero, the production of evidence and witnesses, the characters' quest for truth, etc.); in doing so, it examines the relationship between the identity issues arising from the confrontation of doubles and the metatheatrical dimension of this ever-productive myth.

Table of Contents:

Reference Editions and Translations

Plautus

Jean de Rotrou

Molière

John Dryden

Heinrich von Kleist

INTRODUCTION – Amphitryon, a Theatrical Myth

PART ONE – Rewritings

1 – Variations of a Myth: Genre and Number

Questions of Perspective: Generic Hesitation

between Tragedy and Comedy

Amphitryons, in the Plural: A Process of Rewriting

with Numerous Ramifications

2 – Practices of Rewriting

Permanence and Flexibility

of the Ancient Scenario from Plautus to Kleist

The Character System: Repetitions and Variations

Rewritings and the Choice of Hypotexts: The Authors' Polylogue

3 – Dramatization and Transformation of Two Epic Motifs

in Theatrical Rewritings: The Warrior Exploits

of Amphitryon and the Birth of Hercules

Sosia's Battle Narrative

The Birth of the Hero and Its Representation

PART TWO – Theater in the Mirror

of the Amphitryon Myth

4 – The Metamorphosis of the Gods and Its Representation

The Prologue, Site of Enunciation of the Metamorphosis

Variations on a Metamorphosis

Become Problematic

5 – Master and Slave: To Each Their Role

Portrait of Amphitryon by His Slave

The Worth of Sosia the Man

The Powers of the Imagination

The Words We Say and the Roles We Play

Does the Speaker's Social Position Determine the Value of the Statement?

PART THREE – Emerging from Confusion:

the Characters' Quest for Identity

6 – Calling Witnesses and Seeking Evidence

The Production of Witnesses and Evidence in Plautus

7 – Social and Psychic Depersonalization:

the Dramatic Implementation of an Identity Anxiety

The Self and Its Double: Identity Questioned

Modern Re-evaluation of the Scene: General Principles

The Transfiguration of Sosia: When Imagination Makes the God, Everything Becomes

Possible (Dryden, Kleist)

On Amphitryon's Side: Doubt, Sound and Fury

8 – Testing Identity in the Amorous Relationship:

Alcmene in the Land of Doubles

From Legendary Fidelity to the Enigma of Fidelity

Alcmene's Lover

The Interrogation of Amphitryon: Toward the Impossible Narrative

Deign, if possible, to tell me what has happened

"What? Two Amphitryons are presented to us here!": The Ordeal of Choice

9 – Returning Home, Returning to Oneself:

the Restoration of Comic Order and the Utopia of Erasure

The Clamor of the Immortals (Rotrou)

The Silence of Amphitryon (Molière)

Compell'd to Happiness (Dryden)

The Tragic Resolution of the Drama (Kleist)

CONCLUSION

Diachronic Inventory of Works Adapting the Amphitryon Myth:

poetic and dramatic texts, translations,

operas, ballets, films, and novels

Selected Bibliography

Editions and Translations of Corpus Texts:

Myth and Rewriting

Selection of Books and Articles

Shedding Light on the Authors and Plays of the Corpus

Index

You can order this book:

- from your bookseller via FMSH-diffusion, 18-20, rue Robert Schuman, 94220 Charenton-le-Pont

- Directly online at: http://www.lcdpu.fr/

- or from ELLUG

Ariane Ferry examines how the ancient fable of Amphitryon and Alcmene was continually reinterpreted by major European dramatists from antiquity through the modern era. By analyzing the structural invariants and evolving variations in plays by Plautus, Jean de Rotrou, Molière, John Dryden, and Heinrich von Kleist, the study highlights the rich tradition of literary rewriting. It traces the shifts in genre, character systems, and dramatic techniques that allowed successive authors to breathe new life into a foundational comic and metaphysical motif.

The book offers deep insight into the intersection of identity politics, theatrical illusion, and philosophical inquiry on the European stage. By focusing on key scenes such as Sosia's battle narrative and the confrontation of doubles, the author illuminates how dramatic texts reflect upon their own theatricality. This volume will interest scholars and students of comparative literature, theater history, and classical reception studies seeking to understand the enduring power of myth in dramatic literature.