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

The people are against the reign of the countess Jeanne de Flandre (Joan of Flanders) and demand the return of her father, Comte Baudoin (Count Baldwin). Sire Raoul de Mauléon (Lord Raoul of Mauléon), Jeanne’s faithful servant, asks her for an audience. He reminds her of all the crimes he committed to get her the crown, and demands a reward. Their meeting is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Sire Hubert (Lord Hubert) who announces that Comte Baudoin is alive and on his way to the court. As soon as he arrives, Jeanne will lose her crown. Determined to keep her power, she summons Burgue, another servant, and orders him to search for the man pretending to be Comte Baudoin. Shortly after, she announces that she will marry Sire Raoul de Mauléon, but she is interrupted by Comte Baudoin. The confrontation between the father and the daughter leads them to be summoned before the Court of Roi Louis VIII (King Louis VIII). During the trial, the Roi asks three questions in order to verify the identity of Comte Baudoin. The Comte fails to answer the last one. However, Sire Hubert intervenes, accompanied by Marguerite, another daughter of the Comte. Marguerite recognises her father, but it is not enough: Jeanne requires the “judgement of God”–a fight. Mauléon will fight for her, and Pierre de la Cy will defend Comte Baudoin. At the end of the fight, Pierre de la Cy is defeated and killed. Marguerite begs the Roi to let her follow her father in prison, and he accepts. Jeanne then goes to see the imprisoned Comte to force him to deny his identity by signing a document, but he refuses. Later, Sire Raoul de Mauléon is very remorseful and tries to convince Jeanne to end their criminal activity. She firmly refuses and orders Burgue to suppress him. However, Mauléon survives. Meanwhile, Sire Hubert and other Seigneurs (Lords) manage to free Comte Baudoin. Mauléon comes back and murders Jeanne before the eyes of Comte Baudoin and of the people; he is then killed by Sire Hubert.

String marionette

All audiences

France

Countess

Crown

Power

Father-daughter relationship

Justice

Jail

Freedom

Remorse

Melodramatic

French

Count

Lord

Knight

Cardinal

Guard

Soldier

Off-stage noise

Aside

False exit

Court scene

Fight to the death

Death on stage

Release of a prisoner

Jeanne de Flandre

Joan of Flanders

Two hungry lawyers are looking for clients by all means. One would like to urge Pierrot, the other Mme Bégriche to sue anyone under any pretext. But they refuse, flee and then hit the lawyers. The two lawyers join forces to create a dispute: one kills Pierrot's cat and accuses Mme Bégriche of the crime, while the other kills Mme Bégriche's parrot and blames the cat. Dragged to court by their lawyers, the two plaintiffs, victims of the Commissaire's stupidity, were sentenced to be hanged. But they escape without paying any fees and beat up the lawyers who are chasing them. The two lawyers blame each other for this failure and fight to death.

Glove-puppet

Paris

Duranty Louis Émile Edmond

Hunger

Lawyer

Trial

Judgment

Speech for the defense

Parrot

Injustice

Latin

False testimony

Discord

Comical

Satirical

Parodistic

Farcical

Pierrot

Police Superintendant

Animal

Misunderstanding

Blow-with-a-stick

Chase

Parodic trial

Hanging scene

Les Plaideurs malgré eux

The Plaintiffs in spite of themselves

Madame Pifardent (literally, Madame Fiery-snout) has been disfigured by sulfuric acid, and a trial ensues to find the culprit. The accused, Émile Belenfant-des-Dames, who is described as “the worst kind of villain, already sentenced to death in absentia nine times”, has been arrested at the Belgian border, 600 kilometres away from the crime scene at the time when it was committed. The Greffier (Court clerk) assures that Belenfant could have covered this distance thanks to the miracles of the railway. Belenfant denies any connection to Madame Pifardent and claims to be innocent. The witnesses are called. Gustave Courbet says that he only knows his paintings. He digresses and talks about the woman he would marry: a woman who could barely read and write, who would not know how to dance and who would wear a straw hat. Gioachino Rossini, who knows nothing about the case, talks about the “macaroni dell’arte”. After him, Alfred de Caston performs a magic trick with cards and dominoes. He leaves the room to the applause. Then, Émile de Girardin speaks; he talks about freedom, peace, his writing and especially his drama Le Supplice d’une femme (The Torture of a woman). He quickly disappears. Alexandre Dumas senior only talks about his accomplishments. Jules Simon, dressed as a primary school teacher, arrives. He passionately discusses the importance of education and of schools, and then leaves. Adolphe Thiers goes after him and talks about his duty. The last witness, the docteur Tardieu (Doctor Tardieu) describes his science experiments on frogs using sulfuric acid. Madame Pifardent’s lawyer, Maître Favre, starts the pleas with a grandiloquent speech filled with metaphors. Then, the accused’s lawyer, Maître Lachaud, starts talking. He accuses Belenfant by recounting his past crimes. To defend himself, Belenfant retorts that those wrongdoings date back to the time of Louis Philippe. He also tries to justify his actions with his lack of education, and explains that he comes from a poor family. The Juge (Judge) interrupts him and forbids him from giving a “philosophical” speech. M. Prudhomme, the foreman of the jury, announces the verdict: the accused is found not guilty. Belenfant demands that a lament be sung in his honour. Before this, M. Prudhomme offers him to… marry his daughter.

Lemercier de Neuville Louis

Guilty

Witness

Celebrity

Absurd

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Le Procès Belefant-des-Dames, 1868.