Faetonte (Phaethon) came to Italy to find the young woman whose portrait made him fall in love. He meets Egéria, the daughter of Tirreno (Tyrrhenus), who was dispossessed of her kingdom by her uncle Tages. The latter wants his daughter Ismene to become queen; he would like her to marry his nephew Albano. Faetonte does not know that he is the son of the Sun and introduces himself as a shepherd from Thessaly. Egéria falls in love with him and asks him to avenge her by killing Ismene. Faetonte meets the magician Fíton, who followed him from Thessaly. The servant Chichisbéu, who also followed his master Faetonte, is mistaken for the magician and taken prisoner by Tages’s soldiers. Albano worries because he betrayed Egéria, choosing Ismene instead. Tages announces the arrival of the great magician; he hopes that he will reveal the identity of the son of the Sun, who is known to be in the region. Faetonte arrives at Tages’s palace and reunites with Chichisbéu, who is tasked with finding the son of the Sun. On Faetonte’s suggestion, Chichisbéu pretends that his master is the son; he can therefore enter the palace. Chichisbéu tries in vain to charm Chirinola, Egéria’s maid: his nose grows longer with every lie he tells. Faetonte is about to kill Ismene when he realises that she is the young woman from the portrait. He stops his hand, and she calls the soldier, but Faetonte flees in the darkness cast by Fíton. Ismene asks Albano to avenge her. Albano asks Chichisbéu to reveal the murderer’s identity: the fake magician says that he will find him in the forest. The King admits that he would rather give his daughter’s hand to the son of the Sun rather than to Albano, whom he does not trust. Ismene goes into the forest to hunt and wounds Faetonte, believing that he is an animal. He falls to her feet and declares his love to her. Albano is convinced that Faetonte is Ismene’s murderer and tries to kill him. Chichisbéu stops him and reveals that Faetonte is the son of the Sun; the trees begin to move on orders of Apolo to signal that this is true, and he is escorted with great pomp to the King’s court. When Egéria finds blood on the ground, she believes that Faetonte has killed Ismene and been imprisoned. Faetonte declares his love to Ismene, who recognises the portrait in his hands as the one she sent to her future husband, the Prince of Rhodes. During the ceremony meant to unite Ismene and Albano, Fíton turns off the lights: claiming that this is a sign from Apolo, the King adjourns the wedding. Fíton tells Faetonte that he really is the son of the Sun, but that disclosing his identity would only cause his downfall. The King wants Ismene to marry the son of the Sun and have Egéria marry Albano. Albano and Faetonte fight, but they are interrupted by Ismene, who appeals to the gods. To curry favour with Chirinola, Chichisbéu reveals his true identity and says that Faetonte is only a shepherd. Ismene and Albano were spying on them and now believe that they know the truth: the King announces that he will marry his daughter to Albano, and Faetonte despairs. Quarreling with Fíton, he asks his father to confirm his identity. Apolo therefore entrusts his chariot to him: the horses bolt and run to the sea where Egéria is—she finds Faetonte’s lifeless body in her arms. Apolo brings his son back to life. Faetonte marries Egéria, and Chirinola agrees to marry Chichisbéu.

Not specified

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

Portugal

Lisbon

Printed

Portrait

Identity

Love

Inheritance

Metamorphosis

Filiation

Revelation

Fantasy

Pastoral

Lyrical

Burlesque

Antonio José da Silva, Precipício de Faetonte, 1759.

Portuguese

Phaethon

Shepherd

Prince

King

Magician

Servant

Niece

Princess

Daughter

Maid

Apollo

Music

Double intrigue

Love duet

Love rivalry

Set that comes to life

Apparition of a wizard

Attempted assassination

Hunting scene

Spectacular turn of events

Gunshot

Animated natural element

Scene of recognition

Scene in the dark

Warning signs

Duel scene

Spying scene

Flying machine

Clouds

Deus ex machina

Resurrected character

Final wedding

Precipício de Faetonte

The Fall of Phaethon

Truitonne quarrels with her sister Florine – she is unhappy with her own name and reproaches her for being loved by everyone while she is despised. She would like to inflict pain on others and to be loved anyway. Their godfather Enchanteur Rotomago (Sorcerer Rotomago) announces that he would like them to marry: Truitonne with Prince Charmant (Prince Charming) and Florine with himself. Gilles, Prince Charmant’s servant , comes in and announces Prince Charmant’s arrival, but at first the characters mistake him for his master. When Charmant arrives, he immediately notices Florine, while Rotomago tries to draw attention to Truitonne. A Fée (fairy) steps in to warn him that Florine is the woman he must love. Rotomago bribes Gilles so that he helps him set up a trap. He will have Charmant believe that Florine has asked to see him. But taking advantage of the dark, they will make Truitonne come to the rendezvous instead. Thus, Truitonne poses as Florine and Charmant gives her a ring as a token of his love. As he believes that he is speaking to Florine, Charmant wishes out loud that a devil would carry her sister away, and his wish is fulfilled – a devil carries Florine away, but Charmant launches himself after her. Once at the cemetery, Charmant and Gilles meet an apparition of her that tells them that Florine is still alive. Rotomago asks Charmant to marry Truitonne, and when he refuses, he punishes him by changing him into a bird for seven years. Florine is made captive in a tower under the supervision of Gilles, who has them believe that Charmant died of sorrow and of an indigestion of rum babas. A blue bird (Oiseau bleu) enters her room, and Florine understands him to be Prince Charmant. He takes hold of a cane and hits Gilles. Rotomago, Truitonne and Gilles go after Oiseau bleu. The latter comes back to Florine and receives a letter brought by a Bourdon (bumblebee), in which he is told about an attack on his kingdom. Gilles glimpses Oiseau, shoots him with a gun then puts him in a magical coach that takes him to his own castle. There, he convinces the Seigneurs (lords) of his court to let him lead an army to battle. Rotomago appears and offers to give him back his human form on condition that he marries Truitonne. Charmant agrees in order to protect his subjects. As Charmant and Truitonne’s marriage is about to be celebrated, a Génie (Genie) appears with Florine. He transforms the Enchanteur into a turkey and convinces Gilles and Truitonne to marry, while Charmant will marry Florine.

String marionette

France

Paris

Manuscript

Magic

Enchantment

Jealousy

Treason

Hunting

Wedding

Comical

L'Oiseau bleu, first page of the manuscript.

French

Gille

Fairy

Genie

Devil

Lord

Misunderstanding

Song

Disguise

Situation comedy

Off-stage voice

Graveyard scene

Dance

Talking animal

Entering with vehicle

Letter

Blow-with-a-stick

Apparition of a genie

Final song

L'Oiseau bleu

The blue Bird

Captain Caricknagat, heading a ship of pirates, beats and expels Joe Miles since he made a move on his wife. Miles promises vengeance. The Captain and his team disembark on the shore of an island to find fresh water. They are attacked by its inhabitants. Captain asks a part of his troupes to bring his wife, 'The Lolita,' to his ship while he fights with the natives. Upon return to the ship, however, she is nowhere to be found, and the majority of his men have perished in the battle. Two days later, James Broad, the boatswain, returns. He has escaped and carries a message that The Lolita etched into a piece of tree bark. She writes that her body will be burnt and her head hung at the entrance of a cave. She asks her husband to recover her head, to put it in a box, and to bury it once back on their island (The Isle of Plumes). The Captain sends the last of his men to retrieve the remains of his wife, but it's a fluke, and only the Captain and James survive. The two pirates wait for nightfall to finally steal back the skull and the vessel before returning home. James dies of thirst as Captain nears the shore. Joe Miles, who is waiting for Captain on the island since being expelled from the ship, kills him for vengeance and steals his treasure. When he opens the chest, however, he finds only a severed head.

Precipício de Faetonte

L'Oiseau bleu

The Scourge of The Gulph

Or Fierce Revenge