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.

"On foot and by rod" puppet

Marionette with counterweight

Not specified

Acciaiuoli Filippo (aka Gran Burattinajo)

Italy

Ronciglione

Venice

Printed

Revenge

Magic

Apparences

Reign

Love

Social condition

Fantasy

Burlesque

Comical

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

Misunderstanding

Blow-with-a-stick

Seduction scene

Thwarted love

Love duet

Allusion to the audience

Revelation

Girello

The Wandering Man

The play begins at the Court of Pella, with a choir of grooms seeing Ipomene, King Atrace’s sister, waiting for the return of her lover Cloridoro. When Cloridoro comes back, the couple sings their mutual love. In the woods, Atamira, daughter of the Corinthian King, is miserable as she waits for the return of her husband Acrimante. Witnessing the sinking of a ship, she saves two unlucky men, who turn out to be Acrimante and his servant Bibi. After recognising her, Acrimante rejects Atamira’s love and instead chooses to follow young shepherdesses. Atamira grieves, then falls asleep: Atrace and Cloridoro, gone hunting, find her in this state. Atrace immediately falls in love with Atamira and promises to help her. Acrimante arrives at Court and falls in love with Ipomene, while Bibi wooes the nurse Delfa. When he comes back from hunting, Atrace learns about Acrimante’s arrival and tasks Cloridoro with looking after their host, to whom he is a loyal friend. While Cloridoro reunites with Ipomene, Acrimante asks Bibi to find a cure to his love for the Infanta. During a farcical duo involving two lovers, Bibi learns from Delfa that Ipomene loves Cloridoro. Bibi asks the nurse to take the young woman to Acrimante’s bedroom, where she is told that she will meet with her lover. During another meeting between Acrimante and Atamira, Acrimante mistreats his wife, who becomes miserable again. The act concludes with a dance of Squires or Moors around the King, who is deeply in love with Atamira.
When he tries to kiss Delfa from his balcony, Bibi falls. Atrace, who sees him flee on his mule dressed in his master’s clothes, believes that Acrimante has betrayed him; he imagines that he is the lover of his sister or of the woman he loves. He decides to avenge himself and has him called. Summoned by the King when he was with Ipomene, Acrimante must leave her. Atrace and Cloridoro are jealous of him—one about Atamira, and the other about Ipomene. The King puts Acrimante in prison, which is a source of distress for Atamira: her husband rejects her love once again. Cloridoro believes that Ipomene has betrayed him and reproaches her for things she does not understand. Atrace decides to sentence Acrimante to death, and Atamira offers to carry out his order. She gives him a vial of fake poison, and he falls apart after asking his wife for forgiveness. Atamira has the body carried to her room. Cloridoro is upset over Ipomene’s betrayal, and Delfa tells him the truth: the two lovers reconcile and agree to meet at night, in the garden. Atrace, who rejoices over Acrimante’s death, proposes to Atamira; she refuses, without saying that she is already married. After dark, Bibi falls asleep while he is guarding his master’s body. Delfa, who came to meet him, caresses him and pretends to be Acrimante’s spirit. Bibi is frightened for a moment. Then, embarrassed to talk about love next to the body, he takes Delfa outside the room. The demon arrives and claims Acrimante’s soul, in a dreaming scene taking place in Proserpina’s kingdom. The monsters and spirits dance during an interlude, while the Queen of the Underworld declares her love to Acrimante. Atamira is waiting for her husband to wake up. When he arises from his lethargic state (greatly scaring Bibi), she declares her love to him. Accusing his wife of attempting to kill him, Acrimante dismisses her again. Bibi informs him of the rendez-vous planned between Ipomene and Cloridoro: Acrimante shows up instead of his friend, in a night scene secretly witnessed by Atrace. When she realises her mistake, Ipomene screams for help; Tidemo, a counsel, rushes to her rescue. Acrimante kills him and flees. Atrace is set on finding the culprit and sentencing him to death. A Corinthian ambassador informs the King that they will be at war, unless he marries Atamira: the King formally proposes to the young Princess, but she refuses to marry him; when he tells her that he will marry her whether she wants it or not, so as to avoid the war, she decides to kill herself. On the run, Acrimante arrives at the garden in Tidemo’s palace, where he finds a statue of his owner. He begins to speak with the statue, which he eventually invites to dinner. The statue tilts its head forward, then goes have dinner with its host. One table and six statues appointed by Pluto appear: Tidemo sits down at the table, as the statues dance and praise Pluto in a song. The earth opens, Acrimante sinks towards the abyss while Tidemo flies off in the sky. Once in the abyss of the Cocytus, Acrimante asks for forgiveness; Caronte (Charon) takes him to the Underworld. At court, Bibi tells Atamira about her husband’s death. She can now agree to marry Atrace. The play ends with three marriages.

Apolloni Giovanni Filippo

Rome

Jealousy

Seduction

Shipwreck

Statue coming to life

Unfaithfulness

Lyrical

Melodramatic

Dramatic

L'Empio punito (libretto, title page)

Cousin

Prince

Princess

Servant

Ambassador

Sheperherdess

Devil

Captain

Charon

Sailor

Groom

Chorus

Speechless character

Love rivalry

Love story

Shipwreck scene

Scene of recognition

Hunting scene

Character leaning against the window

Fall of a character

Comical fall of a character

Monologue

Fake death

Dreamt scene

Dream

Nightmare

Apparition of a god

Apparition of a monster

Night scene

Scene in the dark

Sword thrust

Sword fight

Duel scene

Gunshot

Messenger

Forced marriage

Ascent to heaven

Flying machine

Final wedding

L'Empio punito

The Non-believer punished

In the Prologue, Sole (the Sun) and Amore (Eros) compete over Giasone (Jason), to settle which woman, Isifile (Hypsipyle) or Medea, he will love. In Colchis, Giasone forgets himself in Medea’s company. His friend Ercole (Hercules) reproaches him for his lack of heroic diligence. Indeed, the hero left his first wife, Isifile (queen of Lemnos), to find the Golden Fleece, and he declares his love to his new mistress. As for Medea, she dismisses Egeo (Aegeus), whose love bothers her. Oreste (Orestes) came to inquire about Giasone on behalf of Isifile; he meets the stammerer Demo, who challenges him to a duel and then begs to be his friend, while still imploring him to let himself be beaten because it would make Oreste happy. Medea plays with Giasone and makes him believe that she wants him to marry Delfa, then she declares her love to him, causing bitterness on the nurse Delfa’s part. While Isifile laments the loss of her husband, Medea wards off the spirits to ensure Giasone’s success in his quest for the Fleece. Oreste learns about Giasone’s love for Medea and goes to tell Isifile, whom he finds asleep, dreaming about her husband’s return: he takes advantage of the situation and steals a few kisses from her. When she wakes up, he tells her about Giasone’s betrayal. She orders him to have Giasone killed. Giasone struggles in the Labyrinth, as part of his quest for the Fleece; then he sails to Corinth, with Medea. A love affair develops between Oreste and Alinda, Isifile’s companion. Egeo learns of the lovers’ flight from Demo and decides to follow them. When their ship sinks, Demo believes that he is dead and in a whale’s stomach. Another love affair begins between Alinda and Besso. Oreste tells Giasone that Isifile is looking for him. Giasone tries to distance Medea, who wants to meet her rival, by explaining to her that she is a visionary. Isifile walks in on the romantic duo, interrupting them. To get rid of her, Giasone promises her his love, and he arranges for them to meet in an inn. He gives in to her request for a kiss, as a token of his honesty. Once again, a romantic duo is interrupted: it is Medea’s turn to walk in on Giasone and Isifile. To pacify her, Giasone asks her to meet him too, and promises that Besso will have Isifile killed. To Besso, Giasone demands that the first person to appear be thrown into the sea, no matter if they are man or woman. Egeo, dressed up as a seaman, meets Demo who, still convinced to be dead, mistakes him for a spirit. Suspicious, Medea appears before Besso: captured by Giasone’ soldiers, she believes that her lover has betrayed her. When Isifile arrives, Besso sends her away. Thrown into the water, Medea is rescued by Egeo; she entrusts him with her revenge. Giasone, convinced that Besso carried out his mission, tries to fall asleep, and he dreams of the ghosts of the two women. Egeo tries to kill him, but Isifile prevents him from doing so. She is wrongly accused of the attempted murder, and Egeo runs away. While Besso announces Medea’s death, the latter appears and reveals the whole plot. Then, Egeo’s testimony clears up the situation. Isifile wants to kill herself out of romantic disappointment, but the depth of her feelings wins Giasone back. Everyone, including Medea, can now rejoice.