Júpiter, madly in love with Alcmena (Alcmene), sets up a stratagem imagined by Mercúrio (Mercury): while the beautiful woman laments the absence of her husband, the general Anfitriaõ (Amphitryon), who has gone to war, the god disguises himself as her husband and goes to see her. As for the servant Cornucópia, she is talking with Mercúrio, disguised as her husband Saramago. When Saramago arrives and announces his master’s return, he sees Mercúrio, disguised as him: disconcerted, he cannot guide his master when he asks him how the news was received in the house. Juno, Júpiter’s wife, decides to avenge herself for his infidelities. Calling herself Felisarda, she comes down to Alcmena’s house; Júpiter has just left. When the real Anfitriaõ returns, even Juno is fooled and believes that he is in fact her husband Júpiter. The scene also leads to a series of misunderstandings between Anfitriaõ and his wife, who believes that she saw him the day before, and between Saramago and Cornucópia, who reproaches him for his rudeness. Determined to keep the ruse going, Júpiter goes as far as deceiving the soldiers and usurps Anfitriaõ’s military victory. The nymph Iris, disguised as Corriola, attempts to find out the truth by seducing Saramago. Tirésias, in love with Juno, who is pretending to be the daughter of Anfitriaõ’s enemy, agrees to help her: they will take revenge against their husbands. The couples quarrel and reconcile: jealous when she hears the romantic conversations between Saramago and Iris, Cornucópia is forced to think about her own unfaithfulness with the other Saramago. In the meantime, Júpiter reconciles with Alcmena, who was angry with him after a quarrel about the real Anfitriaõ. Mercúrio stops Anfitriaõ from coming by refusing to recognise him: this leads to a violent struggle between the master and his “valet”; when the real Saramago arrives, he is beaten. Anfitriaõ and Saramago break through the door and force Júpiter to leave the house: Anfitriaõ comes face to face with his lookalike. The two suitors are about to kill each other, but they are interrupted by Alcmena, who faints. The scene is paralleled by a confrontation between Mercúrio and Saramago, in front of Cornucópia, who also faints and turns into a dwarf. When Saramago discovers Tirésias and Juno’s love affair, the goddess turns him into an olive tree: Mercúrio and Cornucópia knock down its fruits, then Júpiter engraves the name of his beloved on it, before giving Saramago his original body back. Júpiter meets Alcmena, who is sleeping by the fountain. He is challenged by Anfitriaõ. Mercúrio testifies on behalf of his master, against the real Anfitriaõ. The couple is in a predicament: Tirésias sentences Alcmena to death for her infidelity; doing so, he obeys Juno; Anfitriaõ is put in prison, where he beats Saramago for being the cause of his misfortune. However, the gods intervene, so that the play has a happy ending. Juno frees the prisoners; then, when Alcmena is about to be sacrificed, Júpiter reveals the truth: the stage transforms into an empyrean.

Not specified

António José Da Silva (António José da Silva, aka O Judeu)

Portugal

Lisbon

Printed

Return from the war

Double

Identity

Usurpation

Encounter

Love

Jealousy

Fantasy

Mock-heroic

Comical

Burlesque

Parodistic

Title page and summary of Amphitryaõ (1759)

Portuguese

ou Júpiter e Alcmena

Amphitryon

Husband

Jupiter (Jove)

Mercury

Tiresias

Captain

Servant

Alcmene

Wife

Juno

Maid

Iris

Music

Love duet

Chorality

Transforming one character into another

Love rivalry

Clouds

Flying machine

Misunderstanding

Blow-with-a-stick

Duel scene

Fainting

Change of head on sight

Change of size on sight

Sleeping character

Confinement

Revelation

Deus ex machina

Avista

Anfitriaõ

Martin is a man who wins every game he plays. This evening, he is preparing for his greatest gamble yet: abandoning his lover Sophie in order to go to Homburg and seduce the scandalous courtesan Eleonora Lambriani. However, his cousin, the blustering soldier Cassian, visits him; soon, the tide turns. Sophie falls in love with Cassian, Martin starts to lose at dice and is then mortally wounded by his cousin in the ensuing fight. Cassian abandons Sophie to meet with Eleonora Lambriani. Sophie jumps out of the window, but Cassian follows her and miraculously saves her; they set off for Homburg. Martin finally dies, having lost everything…

Schnitzler Arthur

Austria

Vienna

Germany

Berlin

Visit

Unfaithfulness

Dice game

Death

Journey

Loyalty in love

Sadness

Nostalgia

Seduction

Temptation

Confession

Lust

Poverty

Luck

Deception

Battle story

Duel

Suicide attempt

Femme fatale

German

Der tapfere Kassian

Puppenspiel in einem Akt

Valet

Domestic scene

Argument

Plot twist

Love story

Naive character deceived

Teichoscopy

Der tapfere Cassian

The brave Cassian

An elderly woman lives in a cabin near a wood, with a teenager who believes himself to be her grandson. Some bandits steal a case holding documents on the young man’s life. The elderly woman explains to him that he is of royal blood; he decides to go avenge his parents. With the help of a powerful wizard and of other characters he met on his way, the Prince overcomes the tyrant who had taken over the kingdom, and is acknowledged by his mother. The performance ends with a big celebration.

Glove-puppet

Nino Pozzo (Matteo Pozzo)

Italy

Verona

Typewriting

Revenge

Royals

Heroic

Italian

Old woman

Prince

Queen

Governess

Guard

Tyran

Rebel

Citizen

Fagiolino

Sandrone

Magician

Cook

Brighella

Prison guard

Facanapa

Apparition

Scene of recognition

Disappearance

Smoke

Improvised dialogue

La riconquista del regno

The reconquest of the kingdom

In Carlo Magno’s (Charlemagne) royal palace, paladins are getting ready to fight Agramante, who has besieged Paris, and his army. In a wood, while she is waiting for her lover Ruggero, Bradamante kills a snake; then she saves a soldier who was in danger because of another snake. The solider tells him that Ruggero is going to marry Marfisa and he promises Bradamante that he will lead her to Agramante’s camp, so she can challenge Ruggero in a duel. In the enemy camp, the knights are preparing to fight Carlo Magno’s army. Marfisa tends to Ruggero, who was wounded by Mandricardo. When Bradamante arrives, Marfisa goes to fight her in Ruggero’s stead. The two warriors fight in a duel. Ruggero arrives to split them up. When he learns that the knight fighting Marfisa is his beloved Bradamante, he explains that he could not meet with her at the appointed time because he was wounded. Marfisa eavesdrops on the conversation, without being seen, and discovers that Ruggero is in love with Bradamante. Ruggero and Marfisa are about to fight when the ghost of the magician Atlante appears and reveals that they are the twin children of the Chrisitan king Ruggero di Risa. Ruggero and Marfisa reconcile, decide to be christened and to go with Bradamante to Carlo Magno’s court.

Armed rod marionette

Palermo

Twins

Phantom

Epic

Furiosa e terribile battaglia tra Bradamante e Marfisa per amore di Angelica

Charlemagne (King)

Soldier

Bradamante

Paladin (female)

King

Saracen

Moorish

Agramante

Warrior

Marfisia

Warrior (female)

Empress

Roger

Knight

Skeleton

Atlante

Apparition of a ghost

Fight with an animal

Sword fight

Hidden character

Spectacular turn of events

Battaglia tra Bradamante e Marfisa

Battle between Bradamante and Marfisa

In King Agramante’s camp, where the Moorish knights have gathered to fight Carlo Magno, Rodomonte and Mandricardo decide to challenge each other in a duel for Doralice’s love. But Ruggero does not want Mandricardo to fight under Hercules’ insignias, which he claims for himself. At the end of the duel, Mandricardo dies and Ruggero is seriously injured. In a wood, while she waits for her lover Ruggero, Bradamante kills a rhinoceros. Then she kills a snake and, by doing so, saves a soldier’s life. The soldier tells her that Ruggero is going to marry Marfisa. Bradamante then goes to Agramante’s camp. She challenges Marfisa in a duel. After separating the two duellists, Ruggero chases Bradamante to explain that he has missed their rendezvous because of his injury. Marfisa hides and eavesdrop on their conversation, and so discovers that Ruggero is in love with Bradamante. Ruggero and Marfisa are about to battle when the ghost of the magician Atlante appears and reveals that they are the twin children of the Christian king Ruggero di Risa. Ruggero and Marfisa reconcile, decide to be christened and go with Bradamante to Carlo Magno’s court.