The Docteur (Doctor) mocks Pierrot, dressed in ancient clothes to play in Nitétis. Arlequin flees when Polichinelle becomes angry after not being given a role in the tragedy; then, he offers the Docteur the role of the Princesse (Princess). The king of Persia, Cambise (Cambyse), ousted the king of Egypt, Phanès (Phanes). Phanès, a relative of the old Egyptian king Apriès (Apries) asks Cambise to kill the children of Amasis, Psamménite (Psammenitus) and Nitétis, to take revenge for the murder of his wife. Cambise agrees but later learns that the stranger who saved him is Psamménite; he also falls in love with Nitétis, with whom Psamménite is also in love. The Reine (Queen), widow of Apriès (Apries), who was killed by Amasis, also asks Cambise to take revenge for her, by killing Amasis. Amasis tells Psamménite that Nitétis is not his daughter, but Apriès’. He also tells him that he was raising her to be Psamménite’s wife. Psamménite declares his love to Nitétis; doing so, he reveals that she is Apriès’ daughter. Nitétis tells the Reine, Apriès’ widow, that she is her daughter. She asks Cambise to kill Amasis. Psamménite discloses to his father Amasis that he is in love with Nitétis. Amasis tells him about his plan to have Cambise killed, but Psamménite refuses to help him. Amasis attacks Cambise, but Psamménite intervenes: Cambise kills them both. Nitétis asks Cambise to marry her, but he prefers a common-law marriage.

Not specified

Piron Alexis

France

Paris

Tragedy

Revenge

Brother-sister incest

Murder for hire

East

Theaters of the Parisian fairs

Parodistic

French

Arlecchino

Il Dottore (Commedia dell'arte)

Polichinelle

Pierrot

Queen

Swiss

Persian

Scene of recognition

Comical foreign accent

Colombine Nitétis

A Marchande (female merchant), in love with an employee of the shop (the Courtaud (Shorty)), believes that he is interested in her daughter. A Servante (female servant) arouses the jealousy of a Laquais (male servant). A drunk Musicien (male Musician) tells a Suisse (Swiss man) that his wife is unfaithful to him. Polichinelle tries to seduce a Grisette (Shop girl), meets a Peintre (male painter) who wanted to paint his portrait, and then joins a Troupe de Buveurs (a Group of Drinkers): they dance a divertissement and sing a vaudeville at the end of the play.

Printed

Love

Seduction

Unfaithfulness

Drunkenness

Wine

Cabaret

Valet

Comical

Satirical

First page of the manuscript of Polichinelle à la guinguette de Vaugirard.

Merchant (woman)

Shop employee

Maid

Musician

Grisette

Painter

Inn scene

Play with drawers

Love story

Final song

Dancing entertainment

Conversation

Aria

Polichinelle à la guinguette de Vaugirard

Polichinelle at the guinguette of Vaugirard

Punch informs Master (the stage director) that part of his company is rebelling against him even though he got rid of all competition and has been in the spotlight for the past 20 years. A lieutenant colonel meets with him; his colonel now dead, he wants to be appointed head of his regiment. Punch refuses and contemptuously reminds him that he has no seat in Parliament. He then offers the regiment to a duke who had wanted to be part of the military. He then grants a series of privileges to his peers.
Puppet Lawn, who tried to influence the inhabitants of his village to vote for Punch, ends up being scammed by the latter through a fake investment. The reservists under Punch’s supervision are on the verge of insurrection. Puppet Y- advises him to go on site. On the contrary, Punch prepares to leave the government and makes sure he can store his belongings somewhere safe.
Captain Caledon, Mr English and Mr Worcester are plotting to pressure Punch into resigning. Nonetheless, they suspect him to be preparing a comeback in politics. Punch resigns. An epilogue underlines the reality of the events that have been staged, and pre-empts criticism: the play does not follow the rules of puppet theatre because Punch is not punished by the devil but the author points out that he probably will be.

Great Britain

London

Conspiracy

Politics

Manipulation

Politicks in Miniature, 1742. (Title page).

English

The State Puppet-Show: called the Humours of Punch's Resignation.

Or, the Humours of Punch's Resignation

Public announcement

Allusion to current political events

Plot scene

Epilogue

Politicks in Miniature

Polichinelle and the Compère talk about a naval battle which has just taken place. A troupe of French and Italian comedians is attacked at sea by corsairs led by a French renegade. The latter brings them to Tunis. The actors put on a show for the Gouverneur (Governor), scare the audience with Arlequin’s mask and are sent to work in the fields. The actresses reject the Gouverneur’s advances (Governor). The renegade plans their escape, so that they can go back to France.

Manuscript

Relationship between Christians and Muslims

Tunisia

Corsair

Slavery

Treason

Renegade

Harassment

Minor news

Agriculture

Censorship

Dramatic

Actor

The Interpreter

Soldier

Messenger

Léandre

Pantaloon

Theatre within the theatre

Song

Masked characters

Avista

Prologue

Dialogue with a character in the audience

Current affairs

Naval combat

La Prise d'une troupe de comédiens par un corsaire de Tunis au mois de septembre 1740

A troupe of actors captured by a corsair from Tunis in September 1740

Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary come on, looking for a place to rest. Marie is about to give birth to the Infant Jesus, but all the doors are locked. They exit the stage. The next scenery shows the Nativity scene with the Holy Family. A choir accompanied by guitar music announces the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Shepherds, who have come to bring him gifts. They exit the stage when the Magi arrive. The latter leave the gifts and greet the child. The Choirmaster of the Angels initiates the Dance of the Angels and the play ends with a last song of praise, sung in unison.

Single rod marionettes

Portugal

Borba

Évora

Crib

Nativity

Peasant condition

Religious

Lyrical

Bonecos de Santo Aleixo: Joseph, Mary and the Infant Jesus

Portuguese

Joseph

Virgin Mary

Angel

Shepherd

Wise Men (Biblical Magi)

Melopoeia

Chorus

Board

Comical regional accent

Kicking on the ground (sound effect)

Sung scenes

Auto do Nascimento do Menino

Auto of the Nativity

The tailor Hanswurst is trying to become a spy to arrest the infamous outlaw Schinderhannes. However, he ends up becoming part of the band of outlaws and helps his partners break into the town, which they plunder. Outlaws relate that they have robbed Jewish shopkeepers. Military officials begin to chase Schinderhannes; fights break out. Schinderhannes runs away with his lover Julie. He repents his crimes and protects his future bride, who is crossing the woods with a dowry of 300 Gulden. He even kills an outlaw from his own band to punish him for gratuitous violent acts. Hanswurst is arrested by a French constable for having stolen a farmer’s pigs. Their difficulty to communicate, as they speak two different languages, leads to many amusing misunderstandings. Hanswurst manages to flee and then betrays his leader, who is finally caught by the soldiers.

String marionette

Trained animal

Geisselbrecht Johann Georg

Germany

Frankfurt

Robber

Antisemitism

Nationalism

Failure of language

German

Der große Räuber am Rhein

Julie Blasius

Mayor

Guard

Peasant (female)

Peasant (man)

Porcher

Constable

Recruiter

Tailor

Hanswurst

Address to the public

Monologue

Misunderstanding

Entering with vehicle

Schinderhannes

Punch gets his nose bitten by Toby, the dog. Its master, Scaramouche, accuses him of of having abused his dog, and they fight with sticks until his head splits from his body under Punch’s blows. In the following scene, Punch asks Judy for their infant in order to take care of him. However, irritated by his cries, he hits him against the frame of the puppet booth, and throws him in the middle of the audience. In the feud that follows, Punch hits Judy to death using a stick. He then has an affair with Pretty Polly. In the second act, Punch is thrown to the ground by his horse, Hector, and ends up beating to death the Doctor who came to help him. He makes a lot of noise, ringing a bell, and fights with the neighbour who came to ask him to stop. In the third act, Punch fights with a blind man. When policemen and Jack Ketch, a hangman, come to stop him, Punch hits them but is finally imprisoned. Punch must be hung, but he manages to have Jack Ketch hung instead. At the end, the Devil intervenes and fights with Punch, but Punch emerges triumphant.

Glove-puppet

Stick

Animal

Marseillaise

Infant

Father

Household

Couple

Murder

Serial murder

Noise

Music

Gallows

Justice

Cruelty

Farcical

Scaramouche

Baby

Doctor

Domestic servant

Blind

Police Superintendant

Executioner

Devil

Horse

Mrs Polichinelle

Off-stage voice

Dance

Blow-with-a-stick

Splitting of the body

Domestic scene

Speechless character

Hanging scene

Blind character

Final intervention of the devil

Character thrown out of the scene

Animal dressé

The Tragical Comedy, or Comical Tragedy, of Punch and Judy.

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

Crime

Trial

Guilty

Witness

Celebrity

Absurd

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