Amphitryon

Dramatic irony rules this play. Much like Bacchae we know what is going to happen before the play occurs, as our friend Mercury graces us with his presence. The comedy of the play begins from the very beginning of the play with Mercury's introduction. We continue our journey when we are introduced to Mercury's counterpart, Sosia. The scene between these two is one of the better scenes of the play, in my eyes. It is hilarious how frightened Sosia gets and how confused he is when he sees a twin of himself. He gets aboslutly convinced that there is an actual twin of himself. It makes it so easy to laugh when we know what is actually going on, the dramatic itrony I spoke of before.

We continue to be entertained when Jupiter is leaving to "return" to war and, yet again, Mercury plays an important role in the comedy. "I'd better step in and play the crony stoog." Mercury plays an important role in this play because he talks directly to the audience. He acknowledges our presence and talks when only we can hear him. It is fun to see the interaction between Mercury and the others in the performance. When Amphitryon does return in scene 3, we are given a comical experience between Mercury, who we know looks like Sosia, and Amphitryon. It is hillarious how the interaction unfolds. The dramatic irony in this scene adds to the comedic experience.

The entire follows this same reoccuring theme and lends itself to many hillarious moments. I think Mercury plays the most significant role in the play as a character that interacts with the audience and introduces the audience to the unfolding story. Since we know what is going on in the performance, it makes the audience appreciate the comedy that much more.