Isabella complains about being in the countryside to her husband Leandro. Her sister Bellinda downplays the situation. Petronio, their father, has been going through some financial difficulties but he announces that things are looking up and that they may be able to go back to the city. As he leaves, Isabella asks him to bring back clothes and jewels for her, and Bellinda only asks for a rose bush. After several misadventures, Petronio and his servant Gerolamo arrive in a nice place where a table is set, but no one is around it. They eat, drink, sleep, and find the horses ready for departure. As he walks through the garden, Petronio wants to get a rose bush for Bellinda, but thunder breaks out. The monster Azor, the owner of the place, tells Petronio that he is an ungrateful thief and that he will pay for it with his life, unless one of his daughters sacrifices herself to save him. Petronio relates what happened to his daughters. Bellinda decides to follow him and to sacrifice herself to save him. They arrive at Azor's palace and eat. Azor asks Bellinda if she came here willingly. Her father does not want her to stay, but she does anyway. A fairy reassures them. The monster is ugly but kind: he wants Bellinda to keep him company. However, she sees in the mirror that, back home, her father is ill. With Azor’s permission, she leaves but promises to be back soon. Unfortunately, Isabella, jealous of her sister’s wealth, holds her up. Sad and disappointed, Azor hides. Bellinda finds him and tells him that she wants to marry him. The curse under which he was breaks, and, thanks to Bellinda’s love, he turns back into a handsome prince. He brings Petronio and Gerolamo to his gorgeous palace, and relegates Isabella and her husband to a tower.

String marionette

Not specified

Italy

Printed

Love

Sacrifice

Honesty

Greed

Monster

Promise

Fantasy

Il mostro torchino (Tipografia Fratelli Miglio)

Italian

Father

Young woman

Sister

Wife

Husband

Prince

Servant

Gerolamo

Fairy

Thunderbolt

Aside

Dinner scene

Song

Metamorphosis

Il mostro torchino o Bellinda ed Azor ossia La Virtù premiata

The turquoise monster, or Bellinda and Azor or the rewarded virtue

After trying to rape Cécile (Cecilia), the Roi (King) wants to force Cécile to marry him. Gaymas, the Roi’s partner in depravity, is tasked with telling Cécile about the marriage, and letting her know that the man she loves, Valérien (Valerian), has been banished from the kingdom. The Anges (Angels) comfort Cécile and say that they will protect her. Cécile tells Valérien that she is a Christian and has taken an oath to remain a virgin. She makes Saint Michel (Saint Michael) appear, but Valérien cannot see him because he is a pagan. She sends him to wash the body of a leper; in the name of the Christian God, she gives him a “holy kiss”, after which he will be able to see angels. When he is back from his mission, Valérien can see Saint Michel. Like Cécile, he agrees to forsake the pleasures of the flesh; the two of them are preparing to become martyrs. When the Roi learns that they are Christians, they sentence them to death; however, he refuses to rape Cécile before – which Gaymas advised him to do. The Roi and Gaymas try to come up with torture methods for them, but Gaymas accidentally dies, and only Valérien is tortured. The Roi confesses his love to Cécile and promises that he will let her remain a Christian, even though it is against Roman law. But she demands to be sentenced like Valérien. As the Roi, furious, is about to rape her, Valérien appears, covered in blood; the ground opens and swallows the Roi up. The Geôlier (Gaoler) takes Cécile, to send her to the big cats of the circus. She reappears with Valérien; she is transfigured and surrounded by two angels.

France

Paris

Martyrdom

Eternal punishment

Virginity

Rape

Carnal love

Renunciation

Torture

Torment

Religious

Tragic

French

Saint Michael

Angel

Saint Cecilia

Proconsul

Jailer

Address to the public

Apparition

Engulfment

Spectacular turn of events

Play in verse

Ascent to heaven

La Légende de sainte Cécile

The Legend of Saint Cecilia

Iacchos (Iacchus) and Minos welcome the souls of the dead in the Underworld. Hadès has just abducted Perséphone, Iacchos’s daughter, and threatens to rape her. But Perséphone takes a solemn oath never to marry him if he forces her to. In the world of the living, peasants deplore their harvest, which Déméter’s anger has dried. Daiphantus, Tellis’s father, mourns his son, who has just died; he was about to marry Lysilla. Looking for her daughter Perséphone, Déméter learns that she was abducted by Hadès and decides to bring her back. Hadès appears; he has been transformed by love and repents. Moved by this change, Perséphone agrees to marry him, if Zeus lets her. Déméter hears her and reproaches her for her decision; because of this, Hadès gives up on his plan to marry Perséphone. Iacchos manages to pacify Déméter, who agrees to let Zeus decide. She comes back to the world of the living; the harvests have been miraculously saved and everyone is celebrating. Tellis comes back from the Underworld and announces that, from now on, the souls of the righteous—including his own—will go to an enchanting place. Zeus appears, surrounded by Justice and Pitié (Mercy), and announces his decision: Perséphone will stay with Déméter six months a year, and spend the other six in the kingdom of Hadès.

Lust

Anger

Death

Grief

Eros

Repentance

Hell

Soul

Greek mythology

Zeus

Hades

Iacchus

Demeter

Persephone

Justice

Mercy

Minos

Choir

Deus ex machina

Les Mystères d'Eleusis

The Eleusian Mysteries

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.