Dressing Room (Latin)

The management is pleased to bring to the great people of Rome Plautus's Amphitryo (first staged in 559 AUC) on the opening day of the forthcoming Ludi Romani. This bawdy comedy, which is on location in the Greek city of Thebes, features two great gods in a most playful mood. Juppiter disguises himself as the Theban general Amphitryo in order to enjoy the unsuspecting Alcmena, Amphitryo's virtuous wife. Mercurius has been commanded by his father to impersonate Amphitryo's slave Sosia in order to keep everyone away from the house while Juppiter is inside carrying on yet another amorous affair with a mortal woman. The plot is full of comic surprises and tragic apprehensions with a heroic ending, the birth of the demi-god Hercules! Mercurius describes it as a tragicomoedia (Amph.54).

Just now you come upon two of our very best actors rehearsing the scene of the midnight encounter in front of Amphitryo's palace between Mercurius as Sosia and Sosia, the real slave, who has been sent to announce Amphitryo's triumphant arrival to Alcmena. If you click on each of the bots below (start with Mercurius), the actors will tell you more about themselves, the scene, and how to eavesdrop on their rehearsal. Just don't interrupt them while they're talking! Once you see a few lines of their brawl, you'll be sure to return for the whole play!

The argumentum below is not Plautine; it is in iambic scenarii and the initial letters of each line spell out the name of the play: AMPHITRVO .

ARGVMENTVM

A MORE CAPTUS ALCUMENAS IUPPITER M UTAVIT SESE IN FORMAM EIUS CONIUGIS, P RO PATRIA AMPHITRUO DUM DECERNIT CUM HOSTIBUS. H ABITU MERCURIUS EI SUBSERVIT SOSIAE. I S ADVENIENTIS SERVUM AC DOMINUM FRUSTRA HABET. T URBAS UXORI CIET AMPHITRUO, ATQUE INVICEM R APTANT PRO MOECHIS. BLEPHARO CAPTUS ARBITER V TER SIT NON QUIT AMPHITRUO DECERNERE. O MNEM REM NOSCUNT. GEMINOS ALCUMENA ENITITUR.