Amphitruo

Amphitruo, Roman comedy by Plautus (c.195 BC), perhaps an adaptation of a Greek comedy by Philemon, on the mythical subject of the cuckolding of Amphitryon (see below) by the Greek god Zeus (in Plautus' play, the Roman god Jupiter). Jupiter takes on the appearance of Amphitruo after the latter's departure for war, and seduces his virtuous wife Alcmena. Plautus calls the play a tragico-comoedia because of the unusual blend of contrasting elements, the morally virtuous but unwittingly unchaste wife, and the burlesque situation of the outraged husband. Foils are provided by the god Mercury and Sosia, the long-suffering but cheerful slave. The theme proved popular with later comic dramatists, Molière, John Dryden (with music by Henry Purcell), and in more recent times, Jean Giraudoux.