Arlequin-Deucalion is the only survivor of the Flood ordered by the gods. Taking refuge on Parnassus, he hears the voice of a parrot and meets the Muses Thalia and Melpomene, Apollo and his wife Pyrrha, who have all become mute. He tries to ride Pegasus, but fails. Out of a barrel, he pulls several papers, a pair of pistols, and then Momus in the form of a Polichinelle puppet who is the only one allowed talking to him. Polichinelle-Momus explains to Arlequin-Deucalion how to repopulate the earth, and then asks him to throw him into the sea. Arlequin-Deucalion and Pyrrha make 5 men and 4 women appear.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Piron Alexis

France

Paris

Printed

Flood

Greek mythology

Comical

French

Arlecchino

Deucalion

Thalie

Melpomene

Apollo

Momus

Polichinelle

Pegasus

Child

Sylphe

Love

Grâce

Speechless character

Catastrophe

Oracle

Swazzle

Monologue

Arlequin-Deucalion

While all poor people on the outskirts of Munich deposit their savings in Adele Spitzeder's bank, sometimes even selling their businesses to live on their income, Kasperl is looking for a job. Through his brother Baldhauser (also known as Baldes), a door-to-door salesman, he was placed as a doorman at Adele Spitzeder's house. He introduces the bank's customers to the bank office, where she receives them with her proverbial frankness. But at the end of his first day on the job, the police come and arrest the banker for fraud and close the place down: Kasperl beats down the poor people who come to claim their money. The fourth act or epilogue is a picture of country life: following a quarrel with his wife, Kasperl's other brother, Melchior, goes drinking with the town crier. Kasperl and Baldes enter the stage to conclude the play with a song.

String marionette

Gailler Gabriel

Germany

Munich

Scandal

Stock exchange

Bank

Embezzlement

Swindling

Money

Bavaria

Beer

Politics

Society

Peasantry

Popular class

People

Poverty

Misery

Bankruptcy

Satirical

German

Marionettenspiel um einen Münchner Finanzskandal im Jahre 1873

Waiter

Peasant

Shepherd

Police officer

Employé municipal

Kasperl

Flying machine

Spectacular turn of events

Inn scene

Conversation

Political allegory

Slang

Argument

Dialect as a social marker

Caricature

Brawl

Adele Spitzeder

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.

Arlequin-Deucalion

Adele Spitzeder

Marionettenspiel um einen Münchner Finanzskandal im Jahre 1873

Grey & Co

King Edward's unselige Erben