<p>Jan Klaassen meets with Langhals, whose neck inconceivably grows longer and longer. Langhals disappears when Jan Klaassen throws himself at him to break his neck. Jan Klaassen violently bangs himself. Katrijn, his wife, hears his screams and comes running: she tells him that she would have rather found him dead. Jan Klaassen wants to beat her with a stick. During their pursuit, Death appears in Katrijn’s stead. Jan Klaassen raises his stick and Death disappears. Jan Klaassen decides to go for a drink, but changes his mind at the last minute and ends the play with a song condemning alcoholism and its harmful effects.</p>

Glove-puppet

All audiences

Netherlands

Printed

Monster

Argument

Burial

Drink

Alcohol

Spousal abuse

Farcical

Dutch

Jan Klaassen

Long-neck

Death

Domestic scene

Chase

Blow-with-a-stick

Final song

Lengthening of a character

Langhals en de dood

Long-neck and Death

<p>Françoise, Babylas’s wife, complains that she is lonely, and that her husband is a drunk and a miser. She would like to see Isidore, his nephew, whom Babylas has sent away. Isidore arrives and says that he has found work as a painter of lobsters’ legs, but that he was turned out again. Françoise says that her husband beats her when he drinks. Right before Babylas goes down for dinner, Isidore hides under the table. During the meal Babylas wants to drink, but he hears several knocks from under the table, which rises. Scared, he believes that Isidore, who is covered by a tablecloth, is a devil. Isidore introduces himself as the ghost of Babylas’s late brother. He commands the latter to take his nephew back, to give him a good job, and to stop beating his wife; otherwise, his wine will turn into vinegar, and he will lose his money and be sent to prison. Babylas takes his bottle to hit the ghost. The tablecloth falls and Isodore hides. Babylas calls his wife and relates that he has seen his dead brother. Scared of being hanged, he admits that he has been neglectful and asks Françoise to go fetch Isidore. The latter arrives, and Babylas promises to stop drinking and beating his wife.</p>