Aurélia and Eularia’s guardian, Scaramouche, has imprisoned them because he would like to get hold of their belongings and marry Eularia. Cinthio and Octave, with the help of Arlequin and Trivellin, set up a series of ploys to see the two girls. One of those ploys consists in a curiosité show. They pressure Scaramouche into forsaking his ambitions. The third act is set at the Foire Saint-Germain. There, Arlequin disguises himself as the puppeteer Brioché and performs several magic tricks.

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed summary

Animated object

Tutor

Wedding

Fair

Chimney sweep

Enema

Magic tricks

Toothpulling

Infant

Comical

French

Il regalo delle dame

Scaramouche

Cintio

Arlecchino

Octavian

Trivelin

Brioché

Moor

Blind

Marquis

Tooth Puller

Mask (masked type)

Judge

Chimney sweeper

Metamorphosis

Theatre within the theatre

Magic act

Disguise

Imbroglio

Misunderstanding

Lazzi

Word for another

Le Régal des dames

The ladies' Treat

In the Underworld, Plutone (Pluto) and Proserpina dispatch their armies of Erinyes on Earth, ordering them to punish Odoardo, the tyran from Thebes. Filone and Ormondo, the King's counsels, are waiting for the King to return and celebrate his wedding with the young Erminda. Ormondo confesses his love to Pasquella, Girello's wife, who turns him down: Girello says that he will beat him and, taking revenge, Ormondo sends him to prison. At Court, Doralba, the King's sister, is desperately in love with the slave Mustafa. Filone and Ormondo demand that Girello be punished, and he is sentenced to exile. Mustafa gives him a little money, before joining Doralba and singing his love to her: as he is overeager, Doralba denounces him to Odoardo. Girello, exiled in the woods, meets a magician who introduces himself as the Patriarch of the abyss. To prove his title, he shows him several diabolical creatures. Scared, Girello tries to send him off, but the magician offers to help him. The stage transforms into the entrance of the Underworld: demons are coming out of it to dress Girello with kingly clothes. If he keeps these clothes on and puts a magic root next to the King, Girello will look like Odoardo, and Odoardo will look like Girello. Girello arrives at Court in his new clothes and announces a series of harebrained laws, before calling his counsels “Governator delle galline” (governor of hens) and “Segretario maggior della brachetta” (Secretary General of the (Trousers) Fly). He arrives without his sword, is recognised as Girello, comes back with his sword and is seen as the King, even though his servants think that he has changed because he is no longer greedy. The old Pasquella prays to Girello, whom she believes to be the King, asking him to allow her to marry again so her youth is not lost in waiting for her husband. As for Mustafa, who has been accused of trying to rape the King's sister, he asks for his forgiveness. Girello throws Ormondo and Filone behind bars, chooses Mustafa as his favourite, and tells Pasquella to wait and see what is coming for her. The real Odoardo, surprised to find his counsel in prison, asks Tartaglia to release them. From this arises a first misunderstanding, as Tartaglia cannot make sense of the King's inconsistent orders. Conversely, Mustafa thanks Odoardo for his good deed; the King does not understand why, and he puts him in prison, with Doralba, who confessed that she was in love with the slave. Girello asks for the lovers to be released, then he marries them and sends Filone and Ormondo to the galleys. When Tartaglia tells him about his contradictory behaviour, Girello demands that he be beaten with a stick the next time he loses his memory. Pasquello, begging for a husband, is willing to react positively to the advances of the so-called King, who swears that she will be beaten; Erminda is getting ready to spend the night with Girello, whom she believes to be her husband. Girello manages to slip the root in Odoardo's belongings. The King, standing in front of his doppelganger, fails to understand the situation, and he despairs when Tartaglia asks him to bow before Girello. In prison, where he was sent, Odoardo asks for his wife to intervene in his favour: it is Pasquella, and not Erminda, who answers him. At this point, the magician decides to remove the veil from the mortals' eyes—he turns Tartaglia into a statue, and tells Girello that he is taking his royal status away, for he has misused it. Girello tries to have him beaten, but the magician reveals the truth to everyone. Neither Pasquella nor Erminda knows where her real husband is anymore; as for Mustafa, it is revealed that he is the son of the King of Cyprus and Erminda's brother, which makes his marriage with the King's sister acceptable. The magician sets the example of forgiveness to the King by giving Tartaglia his human form back: Odoardo then forgives Girello.

Acciaiuoli Filippo (aka Gran Burattinajo)

Italy

Ronciglione

Venice

Printed

Revenge

Magic

Apparences

Reign

Love

Social condition

Fantasy

Burlesque

Farcical

Girello, 1668 (front cover).

Italian

Pluto

Proserpina

King

Queen

Sister

Slave

Brother

Pedant

Counselor

Nurse

Gardener

Prison guard

Magician

Music

Play in verse

Prologue

Macaronism

Confinement

Avista

Demons dance

Change of social status

Apparition of a wizard

Apparition of demons

Interlude

Enchantment

Transforming one character into another

Disguised character (false identity)

Role reversal

Blow-with-a-stick

Seduction scene

Thwarted love

Love duet

Allusion to the audience

Revelation

Girello

The Wandering Man

The Roi des Pygmées (Pygmy King) worries about the coming of the Grues and the potential disorder his daughter will cause among the generals of his army. In remembrance of her fiancé Timas, who is presumed dead, Parvulie refuses to marry Picolus. As for Pichonine, she is courted by both Picolus and Belus. The king decides to offer Pichonine to whoever defeats the Grues. Ominous signs arise after a sacrifice, and the king asks Sémiandre and Homoncius to speak with the Ciel (sky/gods). Pichonine confesses to Parvulie that she loves Belus. The envoys pass on Mars’ promise to help them in their battle against the Grues. Timas finally comes back and traps the Grues in nets: the Pygmies have won, and the king is about to promise Pichonine to Picolus – who claims to be the victorious hero. Microton declares that Belus has died, when it is in fact Picolus who did, when he was about to kill his rival Belus. Belus and Timas come back and are greeted as the true champions. Pichonine believes she will have to marry Picolus, instead of Belus. Mercure (Mercury), Soleil (the sun), Mars and Jupiter appear one after the other. Vignerons (winegrowers) and Bergers (shepherds) dance.

La Grille (Dominique de Normandin, aka Sieur de La Grille)

Greek mythology

Pygmies

Relationship between man and animal

Fake news

Loyalty in love

Rivalry in love

Tragic

Title page of the original publication (BnF, Paris).

Officer

Soldier

Crane (bird)

Mercury

Mars

Jupiter (Jove)

Winemaker

Flying machine

Apparition

Les Pygmées

The Pygmy

Dorisbe arrives in Rome with her servant Lucillo: she rejoices at the idea of meeting her future husband, Dottore Grisanto (Doctor Grisanto). Clorimeno, Grisanto’s servant, refuses to be enchained by love, but his master orders him to fall in love. Outside the Colosseum, Dorisbe meets Nisbe, sister of the Dottore; she guides her to her brother’s house. On her way to announce the arrival of Grisanto’s future wife, Nisbe meets Clorimeno and falls in love with him. As for Dorisbe, she despairs after meeting the Dottore: the man she must marry is old, hoary and stupid. In the grip of her sorrow, Dorisbe meets Clorimeno: they both fall in love at first sight, and the young woman asks her lover to spare her from this gruesome marriage. Grisanto learns about his future wife’s unhappiness and dismisses his students to go comfort her; the Latinist students begin to dance. Clorimeno tells his master Grisanto that he loves Dorisbe. Grisanto laughs until he understands that he is the unfortunate husband; he decides to take revenge. After turning the old Nisbe’s love down, Clorimeno meets Dorisbe on her balcony. But Grisanto asks the cowardly Lucillo to make the lover flee and then to take revenge for him, and he scolds his betrothed; she pretends to be madly in love with Grisanto. Unfortunately, Clorimeno relates the whole story to his master when he sees him: he will come back to his beloved before the sun rises. Grisanto hides to spy on the lovers: Dorisbe has seen him, and she makes an ostentatious declaration to Clorimeno, telling him that she is faithful to her husband. In the following scenes, Nisbe comforts herself with Lucillo, while Dorisbe tries to clear up the situation with her lover, who despaired at her last words. The old pedant and future husband practices curtsying, but he falls, and young dancers begin to dance instead. Grisanto offers Clorimeno to Nisbe, who agrees. Clorimeno, who tried to kill himself, falls into Dorisbe’s arms. The lovers reconcile and agree to meet at night; Grisanto overhears them and decides to spy on them. He orders Lucillo to kill any man or woman in his garden. At night, Nisbe is waiting for Clorimeno: Lucillo arrives instead, and he is about to kill her, following the orders he was given. Grisanto stops her just before he does, and he believes that when Clorimeno talked about his lover, he was in fact talking about his sister: he arranges for Nisbe and Clorimeno to marry. Overhearing them, Dorisbe expresses jealousy, which Grisanto interprets as worry over seeing him with another woman. When Clorimeno arrives in the garden, he understands that Dorisbe is his master’s future wife and apologises; Grisanto promises to forgive him, as well as to give him his properties and the woman of the house. When the young man enters the house, Nisbe welcomes him and tells Dorisbe that she will marry him. Clorimeno protests, which comforts Dorisbe and stops her jealous feelings. Grisanto learns the truth and tries to make Clorimeno flee. But Clorimeno answers that he only followed his master’s advice.

Rome

Jealousy

Confidence

Promise

Forced marriage

Lyrical

Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga sè stesso, title page

Fiancée

Pupil

Schoolteacher

Old woman

Page

Dancer

Love story

Love rivalry

Classroom scene

Monologue

Situation comedy

Character leaning against the window

Spying scene

Hidden character

Night scene

Comic equivocation

Final wedding

Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga sè stesso

Let him who causes his own suffering blame himself

Polichinelle’s wife has just died, and he asks his Compère (Companion) if he would like to marry him. The Compère refuses and suggests that Polichinelle buy a girl from Bonhomme Tatepoule – someone who sells girls for a living. Compère blindfolds Polichinelle so that he plays blind man’ buff and chooses a girl this way. Instead, Polichinelle catches a butterfly. A demon comes, dressed as a bundle of sticks, and Polichinelle grabs him. When he recovers his sight, Polichinelle gives up on his plan to remarry. Men and women peasants dance at the end of the play.

Prospecting

Trade

Trap

Polichinelle

The Interpreter

Butterfly

Devil

Peasant (man)

Peasant (female)

Apparition of the Devil

Blind character

Ballet

Dialogue with a character in the audience

Polichinelle colin-maillard

Polichinelle playing blind man's buff

Janbroche – a cloth merchant – forbids his daughter from selling anything while she keeps the shop in his absence. To all questions, she will have to answer “really, Mister, nay”. Polichinelle, sent by his master the Marquis to place an order for a suit, takes advantage of this repeated response to take her to bed with him. When he comes back, the merchant Jambroche finds her with Polichinelle and forces her to leave the house without her breeches (“culotte” – an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down to the knees). The Marquis demands that Polichinelle marry the young woman.

Seduction

Sexual intercourse

Obedience

Ridiculous

Deception

Cloth merchant

Pierrot

Le Marchand ridicule

The foolish Merchant

A Soldat (soldier) wakes Polichinelle up: everyone is waiting for him to launch an attack on Philippsbourg. Cannons fires frighten Polichinelle, but a Vivandière (women sutlers or canteen keepers) brings him some eau de vie to comfort him. Pierrot, who was mistaken for a spy, is interrogated by a Sergent (Sergeant): he threatens to have him hanged. As he is being led into a trench, the town surrenders. The play ends with a divertissement and a vaudeville.

Carolet Denis

Manuscript

Fear

Military life

Satirical

Manuscript of La Prise de Philisbourg, Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Vivandière

Canteen worker

Sergeant

Trumpet (military man/woman)

Aria

Dancing entertainment

Final song

Hanging scene

La Prise de Philisbourg

The Capture of Philisbourg

Polichinelle wants to be loved while he is dressed as the shepherd Philemon, but is rejected by Issé. Doris accepts Pan's love for a while. Hylas is in turn rejected by Issé. Issé questions the oracle of the oaks of Dodona who tells her that she will fall in love with the god of light. Issé refuses because she prefers Polichinelle. Polichinelle reveals himself to her as Apollo.

Le Régal des dames

Girello

Les Pygmées

Chi è cagion del suo mal pianga sè stesso

Polichinelle colin-maillard

Le Marchand ridicule

La Prise de Philisbourg

Apollon Polichinelle

Anfitriaõ

ou Júpiter e Alcmena

Guerras do Alecrim e Mangerona