Spring is cheering the birds and people up: a child is amazed to see a butterfly take flight, young boys are playing with a kite, and the gravedigger, envious, admires a heron in the sky. His neighbour, a blacksmith, tells him that his wings are ready. He tries in vain to talk him out of his dream of flying. Elsbeth despairs at her husband’s fixation and relates the gravedigger’s dream; the latter is particularly gloomy and worries Elsbeth. Meanwhile, the gardener, who is in love with Elsbeth, easily removes his naïve rival, the poet Blumenstengel (literally, Flower stem) : the latter believes that he has temporarily been transformed into an attractive sunflower. At night, the gravedigger tries over and over to take flight; he invokes the moon and stars before yielding to the devil’s proposal… A few days later, the gardener and the young Elsbeth bill and coo as they praise the flowers of springs; then, devastated, the gravedigger’s wife relates that her husband, who has been missing for some time, appeared to her during the night and ordered her to die after one final and icy kiss. Two graves were dug. At night, the gravedigger calls Death, who takes a long time to come. When the clock strikes midnight, he hurries inside his house with a knife. The following day, it is revealed that he has killed his wife and daughter; he is denounced and sentenced to hang. The gardener mourns Elsbeth and the crowd laments the gravedigger’s madness.

Shadow theatre

Not specified

Kerner Justinus

Germany

Munich

Printed

Deal with the Devil

Madness

Flying dream

Crime

Love

Spring

Counterfeit Money

Tragic

Lyrical

Fantastic

Photo of Dora Polster's scenery and shadow figures for the scene involving Death and a monk (end of the first act), 1907.

German

Gravedigger

Wife

Gärtnermädchen und Tochter des Totengräbers

Daughter

Blacksmith

Gardener

Lover (man)

Poet

Spirit

Sculptor monk

Hunter

King

Young woman

Craftsperson

Death

Skeleton

People

Apparition of the Devil

Song

Instrumental tune

Hidden character

Monologue

Love duet

Graveyard scene

Arrest scene

Der Totengräber von Feldberg

The Gravedigger of Feldberg

Theseus – duke of Athens – has just prevailed against Creon – king of Thebes. Palamon and Arcite, two Theban cousins, are found alive. Theseus imprisons them for life. The two cousins promise to never betray one another. Yet, when they hear Theseus’ sister, Emely, sing in the garden under their cell, they both fall in love with her. Their promise is then broken. In the garden, Emely finds a love letter addressed to her. She understands that it was written by a prisoner (the one whose face she has seen behind the bars of the cell, she believes). She makes a vow of chastity, promises allegiance to the goddess Diana and to the author of the letter, and then she declares that she will reject anyone that courts her. She then declines the advances of the King of India, the Duke of Brittany and the Emperor of Rome. A Theban asked for Arcite to be released. His sentence is overturned by Theseus, but he must flee Athens or be put to death. He is then seen disguised as Pentheo, who stages a masque (a sung and danced show) attended by Emely. This metatheatrical scene reproduces the story of Emely and Arcite and ends with a song. Luciana, Emely’s lady-in-waiting, has put the guards to sleep – Palamon is now free, and he meets Emely in the garden. They promise to be faithful to each other for the rest of their life. When Palamon and Arcite meet again in a forest, they start a duel – interrupted by the arrival of Theseus, who spares their lives on condition that they promise to not wage war on him. He also declares that the cousin who wins a tournament will marry Emely. Then, Palamon, Emely and Arcite respectively pray Venus, Diana and Mars, who all appear to them. Arcite wins the tournament, but he is seriously injured and eventually dies. Palamon mourns the death of his cousin, who was a friend and like a brother to him. Theseus makes a speech in his memory.