Twice Amphitryon by Georg Kaiser. Christianization of a Greek Myth
Georg Kaiser, a major exponent of the Expressionist theatre, solved one of the main problems of the early 20th century at the end of his career. He managed to revive the myth by giving it a contemporary content. The subject of the article is the first play of his trilogy (so-called 'Hellenic dramas'), Twice Amphitryon (1943). Zeus descending on the Earth in the manner of the Old Testament punishing Christian God becomes the New Testament God of mercy, saves Amphitryon and grants pardon to all mankind. All this is due to Alcmene. Hercules is to become a 'new man', God's messenger. Besides analysing the play the article looks at its connections with the German drama tradition and examines the world premiere of Twice Amphitryon which took place in 1944 in Switzerland.