The play begins with Colombo (Colombus) sailing the sea with his wife Anarda and their son Fernando. They meet a choir of mermaids, then of tritons, all of which are taken away by Fortuna. The ship berths at Motenzuma, the capital of Peru. Tendilla, daughter of Ginacra, the king of Peru, advocates against welcoming the foreigners. Her lover Guascarre speaks against his wife’s empty fears. Ginacra sends him to the ships to meet the strangers, who have brought presents. When the Court and the strangers meet, Colombo fears that his wife Anarda will be tempted; she assures him that she is faithful. Their son falls in love with Tendilla. The servant Giumbè is leading two camels carrying many gifts. This is followed by a dance of monkeys trying to imitate human dances. Ginacra wooes Anarda. As she rejects him, he tries to force Colombo to give his wife to him. The two husbands ask for Guascarre’s help, although he himself is jealous of Fernando. Taken to the temple to be sacrificed, Anarda accepts her coming death—to prove her love for Colombo. Trying to make her change her mind, Ginacra turns her into a goddess: faced with a renewed rejection, he takes her to prison. Colombo is set on dying for his wife. Fernando asks Tendilla to intercede with the tyrant on behalf of his mother. The interlude stages the European nations dressed in colourful costumes. At night, Anarda is waiting in her cell for her husband to save her: Colombo arrives, carrying a torch, and with Giumbè’s help manages to see Anarda. Ginacra also arrives at the prison. Anarda pretends to like him and suggests that he kills Colombo in a duel, to win her love. Colombo hears the end of the conversation, displays jealousy and tries to kill himself at his wife’s feet. She prevents him from doing so and explains her plan to fight, disguised as him. Tendilla declares her love to Fernando: as a true gentleman, Guascarre promises his rival mutual love. Colombo cross-dresses and offers to fight the duel in Ginacra’s stead: the fight now opposes Anarda cross-dressed as Colombo, and Colombo cross-dressed as the king’s champion. Hurt by Anarda, Colombo falls to the ground; When she discovers her opponent’s true identity, she faints. Learning about Anarda’s feats, Ginacra decides to leave her alone. Tendilla hesitates between her two suitors: her father decides that she will marry Guascarre, the oldest of the two.

Automaton

Not specified

Italy

Rome

Printed

Peru

Geographic discoveries

Explorer

Rivalry in love

Sacrifice

Edifying

Heroic

Fantasy

Pietro Ottoboni, Il Colombo ovvero L'India scoperta, 1690.

Italian

overo L'India scoperta

Christopher Columbus

Wife

Slave

Interpreter

Young woman

King

Prince

Dame de la suite de la reine de la nuit

Mermaid

Interlude

Chorality

Thwarted love

Love rivalry

Boat mounted on wheels

Clouds

Board meeting

Sleeping character

Night scene

Spying scene

Fall of a character

Release of a prisoner

Sword fight

Duel scene

Disguised character (false identity)

Character mistaken as a member of the other sex

Final wedding

Il Colombo

The Docteur (Doctor) and Marinette are castaways on an island, where they pretend to be mute and have been asked to guard Grazinde – a virgin girl who must be sacrificed to a monster called Endriague. Elfridérigelpot – the son of the sacrificer Caudaguliventer – lets them flee because he wants to keep Grazinde for himself. But he cannot save her in the end: the genius Popocambechatabalipa holds Grazinde prisoner in the Endriague’s stomach. The Genius turns the indigenous population to stone as a punishment for doing such sacrifices. A new castaway, Arlequin, tries to revive them, without success. The Génie (Genie) tasks him with fetching Espadavantellados the knight, who will free Grazinde and break the spell. The Endriague appears and swallows Arlequin, but he manages to escape. At Arlequin’s request, the spell is removed from Scaramouche, who was turned to stone, and Scaramouche roams the town. With the help of Arlequin, Espadavantellados the knight fights the Endriague and frees Grazinde. The islanders are revived, but in order to fully break the spell, the knight must touch the part where their hand was at the time they were petrified.

Costume puppet

Piron Alexis

France

Paris

Monster

Human turned into a statue

Enchantment

Theaters of the Parisian fairs

Knighthood

Comical

French

Arlecchino

Scaramouche

Il Dottore (Commedia dell'arte)

Marinette

Prosecutor

Daughter

Terpsichore

Metamorphosis

Speechless character

Archaic speech

L'Endriague

The Endriague

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

Bologna

Handwritten summary

Greek mythology

Death resurrected

Descent into hell

con Faggiolino spaventato dai mostri infernali

Admetus

Queen

Alcestis

Héraklès

Protée

Fagiolino

Servant

Priest

Pluto

Proserpina

Charon

Death

Cerberus

Oracle

Prayer

Pyrotechnics

Fighting a monster

Change of social status

Ercole all'Inferno

Hercules in the Underworld

Thieves threaten a young man, Pine, on a beach. James Flaunty comes to his aid. Sent by Captain Gig, Lieutenant Florry proposes to Flaunty to navigate, for a hefty sum of money, their vessel towards the Spiting Devil ship since he has good knowledge of the area. Nance, the daughter of the captain, warns of the danger of this mission, but Flaunty insists that the money will allow him to marry her. A pirate from the Spitting Devil comes across Flaunty and asks him to give him Captain Gig's men in exchange for an even greater sum of money. After a moment of hesitation, Flaunty accepts. Pine, who overheard the conversation, pleads with Flaunty to bring him back after the battle since he has been trying to return to Ireland for several years. The standoff doesn't go as expected, and Flaunty is accused of plotting against Captain Gig. He is sentenced to death and asks to be executed on the banks of a creek at sunset. Pine pretends to be responsible for the alliance with the pirates and sacrifices his life for Flaunty, who is liberated.