Lord Grey and John Bull are looking for a pretext to declare war on Germany, which is competing with England in the field of industrial development. The announcement of the murder of François-Ferdinand in Sarajevo, related by Kasperl, Grey’s servant, provides them with one such pretext, but they have to distort the event and make it seem as if Austria attacked Serbia. Grey and John Bull gather their allies from the Triple Entente, Prince Wodkasoff and Delcassé. They also join forces with the devil of lies. Kasperl lets a word of indignation slip, and he is thrown in prison. On the German side, Germania warns her husband Michel about the rapacity of their neighbours, when Kasperl, just escaped from prison, comes to warn them about the conspiracy planned by the countries of the Entente. The devil of lies tries to play Hans off against his parents, Germania and Michel, but he is struck with a stick. Wary of Italy, the Germans ally themselves with Josef (the Czech) and Janos (the Hungarian): the Triple Entente goes to war. In 1914-1915, the countries of the Entente fail to make progress against the enemy. Desperate, Grey seeks advice in hell, where King Edward VII plays cards with Pluto and Kitchener. Mammon, the devil of money, is thus sent to corrupt the countries who remained neutral. In Italy, he will even corrupt the poet D’Annunzio in order to make the people rise against Germany. In order to hasten Mammon’s return, Pluto puts the clock forward by one year: it is now 1916-1917, and Grey has been replaced by Lloyd George, a more energetic man. But Lloyd George also goes seek advice in hell. Mammon’s intervention was not sufficient to weaken Germany’s resistance. The devil of lies comes again on the stage, disguised as an angel of peace, to announce that the United States have entered the war. There is an uproar in hell. Pluto concludes the play with a reminder that he will always be the one to win, no matter what: either Germany is victorious, and he retrieves the souls of Grey, Lloyd George, Iswolski, Northcliff, Delcassé “and so on”, or England wins, and planet Earth becomes hell, meaning that Pluto could enjoy his retirement.

String marionette

Not specified

Fritz von Ostini (Friedrich von Ostini, aka Fritz von Ostini)

Germany

Munich

Printed

England

Hell

Propaganda

Conspiracy

Politics

Government

Treason

Italy

Gabriele d'Annunzio

Austria-Hungary

Bohemia (Czech republic)

United States of America

Russia

France

Trade

Industry

Money

Capitalism

Imperialism

First World War

Satirical

Title page of Grey &amp; Co, showing a caricature of Lord Grey

German

King Edward's unselige Erben

Devil

Kasperl

Black Man

Germania

Hans

Pluto

King Edward VII

Mammon

Moneylender

Fury

Ghost

Disguise

Allegory

Catastrophe

Apparition of the Devil

Political allegory

Splitting of the body

Play in verse

Personification

Pact with the devil

Caricature

Final intervention of the devil

Grey & Co