Heriwolf, son of the woodland fairy Waldminne, is forcing his attentions on Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood). He is surprised to see the sun rising, as he must only live at night, and he turns into a wolf. In the meantime, the dwarf Gübrich, who was sent by Waldminne in search of her son, is changed into a pug and finds a new owner in the person of Kasperl Larifari, a lumberjack. The wolf eats cattle, and we already fear for Rotkäppchen’s safety as she is walking through the woods from old Kathrin’s house, her grandmother. But after seeing her, Heriwolf becomes human again, and she confides in the young man she met at dawn. Unfortunately, his wolf’s appetite makes him eat old Kathrin. He is still hungry and is about to pounce on Rotkäppchen before being shot by the hunters. Waldminne appears and turns Heriwolf back into his human form. He marries Rotkäppchen.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Title page of the play illustrated by the author

German

Fairy

Dwarf

Little Red Riding Hood

Grandmother

Kasperl

Peasant (man)

Hunter

The dream genie

Wolf

Versified passages

Improvised scene

Apparition

Misunderstanding

Dream

Metamorphosis

Magic act

Comical regional accent

Talking animal

Unveiling

Transforming scenery

Double identity

Love story

Chase

Deus ex machina

Das Märchen vom Rothkäppchen

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood

A Soldier gives his only three coins to a Beggar whom he crosses path with thrice. The latter reveals himself to be SaintPeter. Saint Peter wanted to test the Soldier’s generosity, so he gives him a magical bag which can make all of his wishes come true. In a tavern, the Soldier learns that the Princess Tutu is held prisoner by the Devil in a haunted castle. Thrown out of the tavern after having stolen a turkey and some wine, the Soldier finds shelter for the night in the castle. He captures the Devil thanks to his bag and hands him over to the King. They kill the Devil together. However, the King had granted his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Panpan. The Soldier convinces the King to let him marry his daughter instead, and swears to defeat the army of Prince Panpan. Thanks to his magical bag, the Soldier prevails over the army. But Prince Panpan, the King and Princess Tutu, who has become weary of her new husband, unite so that they can kill the Soldier. The Princess tells them of the secret bag. Together, they hang the bag over the ramparts, but they get carried away by the weight of the Soldier and they all crash on the ground. The three characters knock on Heaven’s door, but they are denied access. The Soldier cannot enter Hell because the Devil is scared of him. Saint Peter refuses that he goes to Heaven because he has stolen a turkey and wine. The Soldier gives him the bag back, but he uses the magic spell which sends the four of them into the bag, thus allowing them to go to Heaven. Disconcerted, Saint Peter asks God for help, and God allows the four characters to stay in Heaven despite their misdeeds. Saint Peter wonders what his actual role is.

Glove-puppet

France

Paris

Printed

Magic object

Hell

Heaven

Reward

Rivalry in love

Punishment

Wedding

Revenge

Comical

Fantasy

Satirical

French

Soldier

Beggar

Saint Peter

Innkeeper

Constable

Devil

Valet

Prince

Army

Change of head on sight

Massacre scene

Night scene

Apparition of the Devil

Apparition of a god

Aria

Crac ! dans le sac !

Crack! In the sack!

The narrator establishes an ideal link with the figure of Don Quixote: like Cervantes' hero, he is a middle-aged man who has lost his mind in books, and who now identifies himself with the stories of the Paladins of France. So he begins to tell his ideal lady, Dulcinea del Toboso, the story of Roland. Peace reigns in Charlemagne's kingdom, until the beautiful princess Angelica arrives at his court: the paladin who manages to defeat her brother Argalia in a duel will get her in hand in marriage. During the duel, the paladin Ferraù hits him in the back, violating the rules, and flees. Angelica got lost in the Ardennes forest while trying to return to her homeland, and all the paladins, who are madly in love with her, go looking for her. The kingdom was thus deprived of its heroes, and Marsilio, King of Spain, took advantage of this to invade France. While inside the court, Gano di Magonza hatches a plot against Charlemagne, Ferraù tries to unmask him and save the kingdom. The Paladins, united under Roland’s leadership, decide to confront Marsilio's entire Spanish army on their own, without calling on the French troops, and thus they all perish.

Das Märchen vom Rothkäppchen

Crac ! dans le sac !

Roncisvalle!

Avventure d'Orlando e d'altri paladini