"To win a woman in the first place one must please her, then undress her, and then somehow get her clothes back on her. Finally, so she will allow you to leave her, you've got to annoy her. " -Jean Giraudoux
Amphitryon 38 is the 20th-century French playwright's farce about the legend of Amphitryon, the Theban general whose wife was seduced by Jupiter (who, in order to do so, took the form of Amphitryon himself). The above quote, spoken by Mercury, is one of the opening lines of the play, part of a back-and-forth between him and Jupiter. "It's a whole trade in itself," Mercury laments, as the two discussed the courtship of mortals. "You would agree, wouldn't you, that you must make a woman pity you in order to win her?" asks Jupiter. "Rule number two. I know that one by heart," replies Mercury.