A young alchemist, Émile, and his assistant Guignol are preparing for their final experiment—to create a man. Instead of a man, however, a Monstre (Monster) rises out of the cauldron, scaring the two men as well as Émile’s fiancée, Amélie, the daughter of Baron de Valbreuze. Émile and Guignol go to a cemetery, where they are advised by a Squelette (Skeleton) to question an old Alchimiste (Alchemist), who can teach them how to get rid of the Monstre. The Monstre is devoured by ghosts and disappears. Guignol and Émile go back to the Baron and to his daughter, and the young couple signs a marriage contract.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Vuillerme-Dunand Victor-Napoléon

France

Paris

Manuscript

Alchemy

Monster

Double

Wedding

Cemetery

Fantastic

Comical

Le Monstre et l'alchimiste, censorship archives (first page of the text)

French

Le Monstre et l'alchimiste

Alchemist

Guignol

Skeleton

Undead

Monologue

Comedy of language

Dialect as a social marker

Aside

Pyrotechnics

Explosion

Apparition of a monster

Fausse sortie

Comical fall of a character

Fainting

Magical disappearance

Chase

Dead talking character

Apparition of a ghost

Final song

The Alchemist