Les personnages de l’Amphitruo de Plaute : des personnages tragi‐comiques ?

This article analyses the status of both tragic and comic genres in Plautus’ Amphitruo, a play defined in the prologue by the Mercurius character as a tragicomedy (tragicomoedia). Should this particular statement really be taken at face value ? The answer to this question first involves a comparison between this prologue and other comic statements of the same kind, chiefly in the prologues of Plautus’ Poenulus and Captivi. Particular attention also needs to be devoted to the characters in this play, notably the ones who derive from the tragic genre, such as gods – Mercurius and Jupiter – and noblemen and women – Amphitruo and his wife Alcumena. Should they be considered as plain stock‐characters in the Roman subgenre of the palliata, or do they clearly refer to these « tragic » origins ? Only the meta‐theatrical effects, in which the characters may be turned into actors, can give an insight into the status of the tragedy in the Amphitruo comedy.