Admeto (Admetus), ill and dying, goes to see the oracle of Giove (Jupiter) in order to learn how to stay alive: he can only survive if someone dies in his stead. His wife Alceste (Alcestis) is the only one who accepts to die for him. Ercole (Heracles) asks for the hospitality of the court of Admeto, and there he narrates his labours. He promises his host that he will bring Alceste back from the underworld. Accompanied by the servant Faggiolino, Ercole descends to the underworld, where he kills several antagonists, and asks Plutone (Pluto) to bring Alceste back to life. Because Plutone refuses, Ercole kidnaps Alceste. Back on Earth, Ercole, Faggiolino and Alceste are welcomed with a sumptuous feast, and Faggiolino is promoted Great of the court.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Italy

Bologna

Handwritten summary

Greek mythology

Death resurrected

Sacrifice

Descent into hell

Heroic

Fantasy

Comical

Angelo Cuccoli, Ercole all'Inferno (front cover)

Italian

con Faggiolino spaventato dai mostri infernali

King

Admetus

Queen

Alcestis

Prince

Héraklès

Protée

Fagiolino

Servant

Priest

Pluto

Proserpina

Charon

Death

Cerbero

Oracle

Prayer

Pyrotechnics

Fighting a monster

Change of social status

Ercole all'Inferno

Hercules in the Underworld

Christians (prince and king of Denmark) gathers his vassals and asks them to approve of his decision to marry. He has decided to propose to Églantine. She is the daughter of king Arthus of England, whom he has defeated several times. After his vassals agree, he sends his seneschal Tchantchès to Arthus to submit his proposal. Arthus rejoices at the news, but Églantine worries. She is under a spell - if the one who marries her cannot solve a riddle and save her life on the day of their wedding, she will be changed into a statue. Églantine presents the prince Christians with the riddle and he cannot solve it. On the day of the wedding, Chevalier Jasmin (Knight Jasmin), who is in love with Églantine, arrives at the castle and reproaches Églantine for betraying their love. She tries to reassure him. Then Chevalier Jasmin sees Christians, who conceals his identity and repeats the riddle presented by Églantine. Jasmin solves it, and Christians repeats the answer to Églantine. A dragon appears - only Chevalier Jasmin comes to Églantine’s aid and kills it. As Christians tries to imitate Chevalier Jasmin, he suffers a deadly fall. Arthus sends Tchantchès on the Danish camp to inform the people of Christians’ death. However, his message is misunderstood and Chevalier Guldenstern, who believes Arthus has killed Christians, sends the Danish troupes to his castle. Following the advice given by his knights, Arthus asks Jasmin to defend the drawbridge. Tchantchès offers to assist Jasmin, then Églantine joins them too. The three of them fight the Danish army and repel it. As a reward, Arthus makes Jasmin his son-in-law. He wonders at the feats the three of them achieved.

Single rod marionettes

Belgium

Liège

Typewriting

Wedding

Love

Riddle

Dragon

Misunderstanding

Female warrior

Epic

French

Chant de chevalerie en quatre chapitres et quatorze actions

King Arthur

Princess

Confidente

Female companion

Knight

Soldier

Tchantchès

Confident

Horse

Board meeting

Monologue

Apparition of a monster

Battlefield scene

Off-stage voice

Le Destin de la princesse Églantine

Princess Églantine's Destiny

A cuntista (storyteller) relates that Carlo Magno has thrown a party for the birth of his first child, gathering the paladins of France and foreign knights. Princess Angelica arrives accompanied by her brother Argalia and four giants. Angelica and Carlo Magno make a deal: the first knight to defeat Argalia in a spear duel will get to marry the princess, but those that will be defeated will be made prisoners. Every paladin and every foreign knight want to fight. Malagigi, the necromancer, discovers Argalia’s deception. He has a magical spear and Angelica has a ring that will make her invisible and will help her escape. Malagigi, however, does not manage to warn the paladins, for he too has succumbed to Angelica’s beauty and has thus been made prisoner. After Astolfo (the first knight to lose the spear duel against Argalia) comes the Spanish Ferraù who does not admit defeat and ends up killing Argalia. Astolfo and Angelica manage to flee. 
At the Royal Palace, Carlo Magno is desperate because an enemy army is besieging the city of Paris and most of the paladins (including Orlando) have gone looking for Angelica. Carlo Magno entrusts the command of the army to Rinaldo. In the meantime, Angelica falls in love with Medoro, a pagan soldier, and Orlando goes mad when he finds out that they love each other. Astolfo finds a hippogriff which takes him to the moon. The cuntista relates that Astolfo finds Orlando’s lost spirit on the moon. He then interrupts his story and announces that he will continue it later.

Armed rod marionette

Rod and string marionette

Palermo

Venice

Printed

Unrequited love

Moon

Madness

Travel in the air

Magic object

Deception

Sicilian

Angelica alla corte di Re Carlo

Storyteller

Charlemagne (King)

Angelique

Astolphe

Orlando

Renaud de Montauban

Ferragu

Paladin

Oliver

Maugis

Magician

Devil

Giant

Archbishop Turpin

Peasant

Maid

Hippogriff

Ganelon

Apparition of the Devil

Sword fight

Undressed character on stage

Scene of madness

Flying character

Address to the public

Interrupting

Dal Catai a Parigi

From Cathay to Paris. Angelica at King Charlemagne’s court

Pulcinella meets Dante in the middle of a dark forest. To get out, he has to cross Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Dante accompanies him to Hell, where Pulcinella meets Caronte (Charon) and confronts Cerbero (Cerberus) and many devils. Lucifero (Lucifer) himself then comes to chase Pulcinella out of Hell. He is now able to enter Purgatory, where he is accompanied by Diego Maradona. There he meets a number of souls who ask him to pray for them: the souls of a soldier, a priest, a prostitute and a guappo (local thug) killed by Pulcinella. He finally meets Death, who plays tricks on him with skulls. After defeating Death, Pulcinella is finally able to enter Paradise, where he is accompanied by Beatrice. In Paradise, Pulcinella wants to eat, but San Gennaro explains that holy souls do not eat. Exceptionally, San Vincenzo Ferrer serves him a meal and Sant'Antonio Abate brings him a cup of coffee. At the end, Pulcinella dances with Beatrice. The journey over, Pulcinella seeks his true Paradise: his lover Teresina.