In Cassara, the Roman emperor Diocletiano wishes to kill all Christians. However, a Christian woman – Dorothea – lives in his court, and her father was promised protection by the emperor. The emperor’s most prominent warlords are Duosar and Theophil. Duosar is in love with Dorothea, while Theophil wishes to execute her for being a Christian. The ambitious Theophil feels looked down on by the emperor, who he thinks prefers Duosar, and he looks for a way to get rid of his young rival. When Hano the Moor tells him about Duosar’s scheme, Theopil believes that he is close to achieving his goal. Duosar means to save Dorothea and to join the Christian army. But the emperor does not want to let his favourite major go, and he considers another solution: if Theophil’s daughter, Antafolia, could convert Dorothea, the emperor would marry Antafolia, and Duosar would marry Dorothea. But after talking with Dorothea, Antafolia knocks down the statue of Jupiter, converts to Christianity and is killed by her own father. Duosar obtains Dorothea’s pardon from the emperor, but he is too late to prevent her execution. He then stabs himself to death. When it turns out that the Moor is the devil, Theophil calls for help and is rescued by a heavenly apparition. He is unstrung and converts. The high priest follows his example and adopts the Christian faith too, so do all the priests. Only the emperor still believes in his gods and begs them to send him a sign. When the execution room collapses, Diocletiano is disillusioned and kills himself using his own sword.

String marionette

Not specified

Germany

Printed

Miracle

Christianity

Paganism

Martyrdom

Ancient history

Saints

Conversion

Religious

Dramatic

Theaterzettel von Carl Eberle, Breslau, 21.11.1834

German

Das Opferfest oder die Zerstörung von Cassara,
Das unterbrochene Opferfest,
Die Zerstörung von Cassara,
Diocletiano oder Das Braminen-Fest,
Das Braminen-Fest oder die Zerstörung von Cassara

Diocletian

Commanding officer

Martyr

Moorish

Devil

Servant

Priest

Kasperl

Angel

Asmodeus

Monologue

Apparition of the Devil

Apparition of an angel

Disguise

Beheading

Metamorphosis

Murder on stage

Suicide on stage

Fire

Thunderbolt

Glory

Die Enthauptung der Heiligen Dorothea

The beheading of Saint Dorothy

The King learns, thanks to an anonymous letter, that Kasimir, his daughter Pumfia’s fiancé, is none other than the terrible bandit Jaromir. When Jaromir appears and confirms to Pumfia that the news is true, the King challenges him to a duel. But Jaromir, victorious, cuts off the King’s head. Pumfia wants to retire to a convent. Jaromir offers to console her and they run away together: love conquers all.

Glove-puppet

Josefine (?)

Czechia

Všeruby

Treason

Gangster

Abduction

Duel

Decapitation

Convent

Seduction

Burlesque

Ein altes Puppenspiel

Slave

Robber

Letter

Bawdy equivocation

Fight

Splitting of the body

Der Sieg der Liebe

The Triumph of Love

After performing a traditional guarattelle show, the puppeteer and his Pulcinella think they won’t have anything to eat as the audience left without paying. They both decide to leave Naples for France. When they arrive at court, the King carefully examines Pulcinella with a magnifying glass, and finds him too poor, so drives him away. Pulcinella beats the King with a stick and the guards come to arrest him. The puppet escapes from the puppet booth with the Puppeteer, who explains that if the puppet wants to eat, he must “change his face”.
The Puppeteer then turns Pulcinella into Polichinelle, giving him new, luxurious clothes decorated with ribbons and little bells, two bumps (one on the belly and the other on the back) and a white mask to hide his black half-mask. Thus transformed, Pulcinella moves and speaks far more slowly, but his new lazzi with a cock amuse the King greatly. The puppet and the Puppeteer are able to eat a big plate of pasta in front of the puppet booth and go to sleep with a full belly. Woken by the Marseillaise, they enter the puppet booth, believing a party is going on. On stage, in front of a guillotine, Robespierre and Danton debate whether the King should be tried. After cutting off the heads of Danton and the King, Robespierre also wants to kill Polichinelle, who is friends with the King. First, he cuts off one bump, and then the other, and finally the white mask. Polichinelle, who has now gone back to being “Pulcinella the revolutionary”, cuts off Robespierre’s head and then, like Napoleon Bonparte, proclaims himself emperor and uses a stick to beat, one after the other, the emperor of Austria and the Pope who has come to crown him. He shows his emperor’s crown to the Puppeteer: it means he’ll be able to eat for 200 years. The Puppeteer comes out of the booth for a last monologue at the end of which he dons the black half-mask and proclaims himself to be Pulcinella.