is a thousand times more important than the truth". This quasi-almighty position Anatol assumes changes more and more in later acts – in the "Episodes" act he isn't remembered, while in the "Farewell supper" act Annie resists Anatol's attempt to enforce his position as the person with the sole right to determine the future of their relationship. In the "Wedding Morning" act, the initial position of the protagonist turns completely into its opposite: Anatol is completely at the mercy of his lover, who could ruin the planned wedding, and could thus completely sabotage Anatol's life plans – however cursory – and Anatol cannot say or do anything to resolve the crisis. Significantly, it is not Anatol who resolves the crisis – Max has to help and bring the situation under control for Anatol. However, after this act, Max finally leaves the stage with an "Oh!". In the first act, Anatol wants to hypnotize Cora to find out if she has been unfaithful to him. However, he is afraid of the truth and aborts the hypnosis. Anatol thus suppresses his fears, which according to Sigmund Freud can displace them into the unconscious. This usually leads to neuroses and psychoses. Maybe Max is the real womanizer in this play, but he does not tell. Anatol's megalomania Anatols Größenwahn ("Anatol's megalomania") was supposed to be the final act of Anatol, but was then replaced by "Anatol's wedding morning". It shows Anatol as an old man who still has not achieved more in life. This final act was never published, but was performed in 1932. This act is included in The Game of Love, the musical adaptation of the play in English. Prologue The prologue is supposed to represent the mood that prevails in Anatol. This is the shallowness and superficiality of the world as a stage in which the people play act before each other. Adaptation as English musical Anatol has been adapted in English as the musical The Game of Love, based on the translation of the play by Tom Jones. The lyrics are written by Jones, and the music is by Jacques Offenbach, with musical arrangements and additional music by Nancy Ford. It was also adapted into the successful American musical, The Gay Life, with songs by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz Film adaptation The Affairs of Anatol (1921) References Further reading Full text: External links 1893 plays Plays by Arthur