Aurélia and Eularia’s guardian, Scaramouche, has imprisoned them because he would like to get hold of their belongings and marry Eularia. Cinthio and Octave, with the help of Arlequin and Trivellin, set up a series of ploys to see the two girls. One of those ploys consists in a curiosité show. They pressure Scaramouche into forsaking his ambitions. The third act is set at the Foire Saint-Germain. There, Arlequin disguises himself as the puppeteer Brioché and performs several magic tricks.

Curiosité

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed summary

Animated object

Tutor

Wedding

Fair

Chimney sweep

Enema

Magic tricks

Toothpulling

Infant

Comical

French

Il regalo delle dame

Scaramouche

Cintio

Arlecchino

Octave

Trivelin

Brioché

Moor

Blind

Marquis

Tooth Puller

Mask (masked type)

Judge

Chimney sweeper

Metamorphosis

Theatre within the theatre

Magic act

Disguise

Imbroglio

Misunderstanding

Lazzi

Word for another

Le Régal des dames

The ladies' Treat

Punch gets his nose bitten by Toby, the dog. Its master, Scaramouche, accuses him of having abused his dog, and they fight with sticks until his head splits from his body under Punch’s blows. In the following scene, Punch asks Judy for their infant in order to take care of him. However, irritated by his cries, he hits him against the frame of the puppet booth, and throws him in the middle of the audience. In the feud that follows, Punch hits Judy to death using a stick. He then has an affair with Pretty Polly. In the second act, Punch is thrown to the ground by his horse, Hector, and ends up beating to death the Doctor who came to help him. He makes a lot of noise, ringing a bell, and fights with the neighbour who came to ask him to stop. In the third act, Punch fights with a blind man. When policemen and Jack Ketch, a hangman, come to stop him, Punch hits them but is finally imprisoned. Punch must be hung, but he manages to have Jack Ketch hung instead. At the end, the Devil intervenes and fights with Punch, but Punch emerges triumphant.

Glove-puppet

Piccini Giovanni

Collier John Payne

Great Britain

London

Printed

Stick

Animal

Marseillaise

Father

Household

Couple

Murder

Serial murder

Noise

Music

Gallows

Justice

Cruelty

Farcical

English

Punch and Judy

Baby

Doctor

Domestic servant

Police officer

Policeman

Executioner

Devil

Horse

Prologue

Versified passages

Address to the public

Off-stage voice

Song

Aria

Dance

Blow-with-a-stick

Splitting of the body

Domestic scene

Speechless character

Spectacular show acts

Bawdy equivocation

Confinement

Hanging scene

Blind character

Final intervention of the devil

Character thrown out of the scene

Animal dressé

The Tragical Comedy, or Comical Tragedy, of Punch and Judy

La comédie tragique, ou tragédie comique, de Punch et Judy

Punch gets his nose bitten by Toby, the dog. Its master, Scaramouche, accuses him of of having abused his dog, and they fight with sticks until his head splits from his body under Punch’s blows. In the following scene, Punch asks Judy for their infant in order to take care of him. However, irritated by his cries, he hits him against the frame of the puppet booth, and throws him in the middle of the audience. In the feud that follows, Punch hits Judy to death using a stick. He then has an affair with Pretty Polly. In the second act, Punch is thrown to the ground by his horse, Hector, and ends up beating to death the Doctor who came to help him. He makes a lot of noise, ringing a bell, and fights with the neighbour who came to ask him to stop. In the third act, Punch fights with a blind man. When policemen and Jack Ketch, a hangman, come to stop him, Punch hits them but is finally imprisoned. Punch must be hung, but he manages to have Jack Ketch hung instead. At the end, the Devil intervenes and fights with Punch, but Punch emerges triumphant.

Polichinelle

Police Superintendant

Constable

Mrs Polichinelle

Comical foreign accent

The Tragical Comedy, or Comical Tragedy, of Punch and Judy.

While the Countess von Eichenfels is running to the aid of her husband, who is seriously wounded at the end of a victorious campaign, their only child Heinrich is taken from his cradle by a Gypsy woman, old Juta. Eight years later, Heinrich escapes from the cave where he was held captive by the gypsy band, while the Gypsies are out robbing on the highways. He finds refuge with Menrad, a hermit and a former comrade-in-arms of the Count's squire, Hannes. In pursuit of the robbers, he stops at the hermitage and, with Menrad's help, surprises the two Gypsies who were looking for Heinrich. In the meantime, Juta has been arrested and has confessed everything to the Count. Hannes and Menrad bring Heinrich back to his parents after eight years in captivity.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Family

Gypsies

Cavern

Lost child

Thief

Dramatic

German

Count

Countess

Hermit

Story

Monologue

Running away

Transforming scenery

Heinrich von Eichenfels

Hans is a happy new father but when the infant screams, he beats it. His wife Liesel worries, but she is in denial. Then Hans wants to baptise the child in beer. They quarrel again and eventually agree to call the infant Stiefele (boot), so that it will always have good shoes. The innkeeper Schnallans must prepare a feast, but they do not agree on the menu and Hans beats him to death. A police officer grabs him and wants to hang him, but Hans hangs him instead. Liesel worries because of the double murder which weights on her husband’s conscience and, above all, because there is no one to prepare the feast anymore. Hans settles the matter by fetching a whole Swiss cheese.

Müller Alphons

Frankfurt

Feast

Party

Meals

Police

Assassination

Cheese

Beer

Hanswurst

Front cover of the collection Sechs neue Lust-Spiele für das Porzinell-Theater

Le Régal des dames

The Tragical Comedy, or Comical Tragedy, of Punch and Judy

Polichinelle

Heinrich von Eichenfels

Die Taufe

Idyllisches Lustspiel in einem Akt

Polichinelle (de Guignol)