The story takes place in Grenada at the beginning of the 16th century. Juan Ramero, a former soldier in the army of Isabella the Catholic, is now a bellringer in a church in town. On the twentieth anniversary of the Reconquista, the inhabitants of Grenada gift a bell made with gold and silver to the old mosque, which was turned into a Catholic church, so that Juan Ramero can ring it to celebrate this anniversary. But Saïd le Maure (the Moor Saïd), who fought Juan Ramero, comes back to avenge himself. He accuses him of having stripped him of his house and of having killed his son. Since then, he became a magician by making a deal with the devil Satanas, and he took advantage of the gullibility of Lola, the servant, to get into the house. In fact, Saïd’s son is not dead – on the day of the last battle between Christians and Muslims, Juan Ramero came across three men fighting over the baby’s crib. Juan Ramero saved him, baptised him under the name Andrès and raised him as his son. However, Saïd knows nothing about this and wants to kill Juan Ramero, his daughter Carmen and Andrès, whom he believes to be Ramero’s son. He makes a deal with Satanas, who grants him the power to transform humans. Saïd chases Juan Ramero and his children in the desert, where he turns Carmen into a myrtle and Andrès into a roebuck. Juan Ramero reveals the whole truth to Saïd. To redeem himself, the latter calls upon Azaël -Satanas’ enemy – who gives the children their original form back. They all make peace and go back to Grenada to start a new life.

String marionette

Not specified

France

Paris

Manuscript

Orientalism

Bell

Love

Religion

Revenge

Friendship

Foundling

Exile

Fantastic

Fantasy

Comical

Dramatic

Adolphe Joly, La Cloche du diable (title page)

French

Devil

Magic spell

Incantation

Comic distortion of language

Aside

Apparition of the Devil

Metamorphosis

Aria

La Cloche du diable

The devil's Bell

The knight Huldbrand gets lost on a stormy night by a lake and finds refuge with fishermen. He falls in love with the foundling Undine. The girl is in fact a mermaid, cursed by her people to dissolve into a wave if she is rejected by men, and to join them underwater if her true identity becomes known. Huldbrand marries Undine, but offends Berthalda, the adopted daughter of Prince Heinrich. When Heinrich visits Huldbrand, the fishermen recognise Berthalda for the child they had lost, but Berthalda rejects them with contempt. Heinrich banishes her from his presence. In despair, advised by the water genie Kühleborn, Berthalda publicly reveals Undine's identity and Heinrich curses her and Huldbrand. Huldbrand refuses, however, to abandon his wife and she takes him with her to live among her people under the waters, in a crystal palace.