If only this were really the truth of men and women! Yet it may be believed of the Marionettes. They are made of such Ideal stuff, far more than we are, and is not their little life one perfect round of sleep?
The race of these dream folk is a small one; but, whether of rag or gold, rich or poor, king or peasant the marionette Is always distinguished and it is curious to note that he only loses his distinction when allied with a human being. For come across film when lie is suspended in his quiet chamber of rest and you will be awed by his distinguished manner, but let a human being but touch him and he will act in the most outrageous manner. For these human even make him copy the actors; they make him behave like a man in the street, whereas if left to himself he will do nothing wrong........ doing nothing
And it is this doing nothing, this saying nothing, this meaning nothing which raises him to an altitude that is limitless. Not many people have seen these little beings, and very few have seen them doing nothing. Those people who have been persuaded for one reason or another to enter the small theatres where the marionettes are obliged to fret their hour on the stage, have seen them under great disadvantages for they have seen them as slaves of men who are ignorant of the existence of the Holy Ghost. But of course there are some who are able to tell us of strange sights they have seen, of strange pleasures that they have tasted through Marionettes inspired by artists .... men of spiritual power.
These are the travellers who have visited China, Java and India, and even visitors to Paris, Vienna and Naples have also had something good to see at one time or another, while in England the vision of Punch and Judy whispers to us of something "once upon a time.'' But it is those who travel furthest who see more than the rest. It is they who travel in the Imagination and who realize the unlimited possibilities of that Holy Land.
In the olden days a marionette performance was called a "Motion," and this "Motion" took place in silence. The "unspoken meanings of the earth" are not to be explained by speech, for as there is always that part of nature which can be stated perfectly by words, there must ever remain some mysteries of nature which can only be expressed by movement. We may take it that the Motion is the just and best means of expression for that which lies outside beyond the province of words.
Dumb show by pantomimists (especially the modern dumb show) is but a negative kind of expression. When you have a voice, to refrain from making good use of it is niggardly and for twelve people to be wandering about on a stage continually clapping their hands, pointing, waving, struggling to express what we see could be quite simply expressed if they would but open their mouths, is foolish and no art. You have a mouth; use it. You have a voice; speak. Are you still a child .... have you no voice?,... then move .... play.
The marionette has no voice, though a degenerate public has at times begged that he shall be made to speak. His power and his expression lies in movement. By movement he can tell us of the very things that Shakespeare, with all his words, cannot tell us; and so to manufacture for him a voice is foolish and extravagant.
And now a word or two about his construction, for, he is, after all, in his private life just a little machine.
Sometimes he is made of wood and suspended by wires from above. These wires are attached to a short stick which some human machine holds from above:..... two machines, you see, the one human, the other, when constructed with art--Divine. Some marionettes are supported from beneath by a rod held by a human manipulator underneath the stage which is generally a narrow platform. Punch is one of these. In his case the arm of the manipulator plays the part of the rod and the fingers move his arms and head. Some marionettes are flat like a piece of cardboard and cut in silhouette. Some have a little more complicated mechanism as In the case of the Chinese figures. We must realize that the whole thing is a little matter of a very little mechanism. Pull a string, an arm goes up; another string and it bends, another string, and it comes round. Nowadays a man controls all this but might it not perhaps be possible that at a later date we may have these little figures brought to so great a mechanical perfection that they may not need the assistance of that human machine, man?
Bernardino Baidi, Abbot of Guastalla, who was both poet and geometrician and who wrote of Marionettes in 1589, declares a knowledge of mathematics to be essential to their construction, and the value of such knowledge to both the constructor and the manipulator is easy to understand.
We are told that in Greece a life sized figure was once made by an artist mechanic in such a way that without assistance it could move its legs and arms and advance upon the beholders to whom it gave a blessing. This movement was caused by the mercury with which it was filled, the inward construction of the figure setting the mercury in motion and this, in its turn, setting in motion the figure; while mention is made of such a figure by Aristotle, who admits that it was the mercury which she contained which gave movement to the famous wooden Venus attributed to Daedolus.
Another means of causing the figures to move was by the power of a magnet, of which was have an example in the inscription given by Diodore of the ceremonies which took place in the temple of Heliopolis. "When the god wished to deliver his oracle" he tells us, "the statue, which was of gold, moved of itself; if the priests delayed to raise it on their shoulders it struggled and moved again. When they had taken it and placed it on a litter it led them and obliged them to make several turns. At last the high priest presented himself before the statue of the god and put to him the questions on which it was wished to consult him. If Apollo disapproved of the enterprise the statue drew back; If he approved of it it pushed its bearers forward as if drawing them with reins. " And," he adds in conclusion, "the priests having taken the statue on their shoulders it left them on the ground and raised Itself quite alone towards the vault of the temple."
Now there seems no reason why my keen, clever and energetic countrymen, especially those who dwell in Berlin, should not soon master these matters of mercury and magnet and produce some figures capable of exquisite, if mechanical, movement. Though even then the difficulty would not be ended, for it is one thing to make a piece of mechanism and another to set it to its right use, and after the mechanism of these figures is made perhaps we shall have to go to France or England to find those who shall know how to extract and conjure some beauty from it all.
For what artists the young Englishmen are beside the Americans, in so many traits akin to us! By the side of these how an Englishman shines I Indeed, young England possesses probably more artists with a more virile and distinguished sense of beauty, nay, with more brains, than any other western state.
But to glance again most briefly at the history of the Marionette.
Very far back across the centuries may we trace the procession of this silent race to their remote origin in the figure of the gods in Egypt. For the little figures which It has become the custom to treat as something trivial, perhaps even rather contemptible, a diversion for children only, have a most noble ancestry. To quote Mr. Ernest Maindron, "They come from far away. They have been the joy of the unnumbered generations which preceded our own; they have gained, with our direct ancestors, many and brilliant successes; they have made them laugh but they have also made them think; they have had eminent protectors; for them celebrated authors have written. At all periods they have enjoyed a liberty of manners and language which has rendered them dear to the people for whom they were made.
Always they have touched on everything, they have directed their shafts at everything; art, poetry, politics and religions. More courageous than men, they have often attacked the powerful and have sometimes put them to confusion. "
As to their true origin theories may vary. Mr. Charles Nodier finds it in "the first doll put into the hands of a child. It is impossible," he asserts, "not to recognise the type of them in that cosmopolitan toy which we call a doll." But I would rather incline to the theory put forward by Mr. Magnin, in support of which he cites Heroditus and other ancient writers, that the marionettes are descended from those jointed statuettes which, in celebration of the feast of Bacchus, the Egyptian women bore from village to village; and in the figure of Jupitor Ammon which, carried in procession on the shoulders of eighty priests, indicated the route it wished to follow by a movement of the head.
That the Egyptians used these moving figures as means of amusement in what we today call a theatre we have no evidence, nor does it seem probable. It is true that in miniature they were used as toys for children, but their real place was in the religious ceremonies, and it was just in these ceremonies, these silent rites and movements, and not, as was once upon a time asserted, in the words of the poets, that the theatre had its birth, being born of motion, not of sound.
Both in Egypt and Greece many little jointed figures have been found, in wood, ivory and terra cotta, the heads set upon a pivot which permitted movement; the limbs Jointed that they might be moved by means of a string.
In Greece they had evidently been early adopted as a means of entertainment, since Xenophon relates, in connection with a famous banquet, that among the diversions provided by the host was a Syracusian player of marionettes.
The author of the treatise, "de Mundo" treating of these little figures, writes as follows: "The Sovereign master of the universe has not need of numerous ministers nor of complicated means, to direct all the parts of his immense empire; one act of his will suffice him, just as those who control the marionettes have only need to put in motion the head or hand of these little beings, then their shoulders, their eyes, and sometimes all the parts of their bodies, which at once obey with grace and rhythm. And, as Mr. Gordon Craig points out, it is just this passivity, obedience and responsiveness which renders the marionettes such valuable material for the artist of the theatre, which would make possible that which with the living material of the living actor's body remains impossible, . . . the creation of a work of art. In a performance in which the actors are living persons it is impossible, however well disciplined they be, that they subdue entirely their own will and personality to the will of their director, and thus the unity, the expression of but one will which is a necessary quality of a work of art, is unattainable. With the marionettes, however, those who direct the movement and the gestures of the little figures of men made of wood have, as Apulée wrote in the second century, A. D. "only to draw the string destined to move such and such a limb; immediately one sees the neck bend, the head bow, the eyes take vivacity of expression, the hands lend themselves for all the offices required; in short, the whole person shows itself graceful and as if alive."
In regard to the performances given at Athens in the Theatre of Dronyus we are told by some authorities that, since the ancient theatres were ill adapted for such a use, a kind of second little stage composed of a four sided draped scaffolding was arranged upon the thymele or orchestra, so constructed as to allow the spectators to see the little actors but not the hands which manipulated them, the piece being given without words while the story was narrated by one who stood in front. One distinguished authority, however, referring to the celebrated performances given in this theatre by Pothein, opposes the idea that the figures were small ones and puts forward another theory. "I think, " he writes, "that Pothein presented life-size figures or even larger than life, each of which contained a manipulator, and my reason for holding this view is that I do not find the Greeks lacking in a sense of proportion........" Not so unlike Mr. Craig's uber marionette, this.
Passing on to the middle ages we find the moving figures have again reverted to their original religious character and dwell once more in the churches in the form of Madonnas and crucifixes, with eyes that turn and limbs that move, and as the actors of the sacred dramas which it was customary to perform at the great festivals of the church. The introduction of those moving statues into the ceremonies met, however, with vigorous though unsuccessful opposition on the part of the prelates, and in 1086 we learn that Abbot Hugues of Cluny "refused to ordain a monk who was a mechanician, that is to say, a conjurer and necromancer."
Of the construction of the figures at this period we can find but little information, but a manuscript of the 12th century which formerly existed in the Strasbourg Library and of which miniatures were later reproduced by Ch. Marice Engelhard under the title "Hortus deliciarum" were represented two little warriors in full armour, which were caused to fight and move by two manipulators by means of a string crossed in the centre and of which each manipulator holds an end, the action thus being horizontal instead of, as is usual, perpendicular.
In England, as elsewhere, we find the moveable statuettes playing their parts in the churches, in those dramas and sacred pageants which have ever been the delight of the Catholic Church. Even today the white pigeon which in olden days, coming through an opening in the vault, represented on Whitsunday the descent of the Holy Ghost, has its counterpart in Florence in the mechanical dove which on Easter Saturday carries the Easter fire from the altar of the cathedral to the "carro" set before the wide-open western door.
But when the storm of the Reformation swept over England, and Henry VIll in his fight against the Pope despoiled the churches, the "miraculous" crucifixes, the little figures which had performed the Nativity and Passion plays, were destroyed and the new religion cast out as idols what the old religion had sheltered as saints.
Turned out from their altars we find the moving statuettes reappearing in more secular guise as marionettes upon the ordinary stage.
Many names have been given to this silent race in different ages and countries.... for a silent people we must remember that they are, their grave eyes and immobile lips having nothing in common with the squeaky tones which a more trivial age than that which saw their birth has insisted on attributing to them.
The title of puppet is perhaps the most ancient in derivation; coming through the French "poupée" from the Latin"pupa." Maumet or mammet as we find them called in France has, Mr. Maindron tells us, "as in our ancient word of marmouset in Its origin the sense of an Idol "but the modern name marionette comes from Marion the man who first during the reign of Charles IX Introduced them into France ; while the Italian title of Burattini comes from Burattino, a famous manipulator living in 1622.
The performances in which they appeared in England seem to have been generally known by the name of "motions" which, signifying "a movement" came to be applied to a show of puppets, either automatic or moved by strings; but in Shakespeare's time we often find the word "drollery" used; meaning a farce played by wooden actors.
It is a curious fact worthy of notice that in the bills passed by the Puritans in 1642 and 1647, the first for the suspension, the second for the abolition, of theatres, no mention was made of marionettes and no measures taken against them, which seems to afford a good proof that what the reformers objected to was the exposure of the human body on the stage rather than the mere representation of a drama, a reason which was probably at the root, even if unconsciously, of much of the pious horror of the stage which even to day is felt, though in a modified degree, by many.
The original performances by the marionettes in England and France seem to have been in "miracles" and "mysteries" which were held under the direction of the clergy and confraternities in celebration of the church feasts; but in the middle of the fifteenth century we find the figures of the simple old Bible narratives and the legends of the saints beginning to give place to the more theological and allegorical personifications of vices and virtues such as Vanity, Gluttony, False Doctrine, and that most celebrated personage, Old Vice, or Old Iniquity, the inseparable companion of the devil of whom two centuries later, under the rule of the house of Orange, Punch was born; and about the same time the marionette theatres began to rise to a better social standing, to afford more luxuries and to offer for the first time seats at varied prices. Indeed, the end of the 17th century seems to have seen the English puppet theatre at the height both of its popularity and its success.
In those days, Mr. Magnin tells us, "all the limbs of these little figures were jointed, and from the top of their heads came out a metal stalk which united all the strings in the hand of the manipulator" so that it was evidently not until later that Punch and his companions took the form under which we now see them, being worked, not from above, but from underneath.
In the British Museum is to be found the original of a curious advertisement dating back to the days of Queen Anne and announcing Punch as an actor together with John Spendall, an ancient and popular performer of moralities. This document runs as follows:
"At Crawley's Booth, over against the Crown Tavern in Smithfield, during the time of Bartholomew Fair, will be presented a little opera, called the Old Creation of the World; yet newly revived ; with the addition of Noah's Flood; also veral fountains playing wather [water] during the time of the play. The last scene does present Noah end his family coming out of the Ark, with all the beasts two and two, and all the fowls of the air seen in a prospect sitting upon trees; likewise over the ark is seen the Sun rising in a most glorious manner; moreover a multitude of Angels will be seen in a double rank; which presents a double prospect, one for the sun, another for a palace, where will be seen six Angels ringing of bells. Likewise Machines descend from above, double and treble; with Dives rising out of Hell ; and Lazarus seen in Abraham's bosom; besides several figures dancing jiggs, sarabands, and country dances; to the admiration of the spectators ; with the merry conceits of squire Punch and Sir John Spendall."
This curious medley was, we are told, "completed by an Entertainment of singing and dancing with several naked swords, performed by a Child of eight years of age, "
A famous English puppet showman was Martin Powell, who began to distinguish himself about this time and continued under the succeeding reigns of George I, George II, George III, and we find in film something of those powers which we look for today in the Artist of the Theatre, since he was not only the author of the pieces which he put on this tiny stage, but also the maker of the puppets, (we hear of his devoting especial care to Punch, whom he endowed with a moveable jaw) the costumier and the controller of every actions and gesture.
The subject of Punch and his fellows is, however so wide and Interesting a one as to call for a special and separate study, and the same must be said of that wonderful company of marionettes which have their homes in the East, in Java, China, Burmah and Japan.
To speak of the marionettes once more, therefore, in conclusion, in the general sense.
Two of the most salient characteristics which chiefly impress us in them are their simplicity and their calm. The gestures which seem so varied, so complicated as to necessitate the most elaborate mechanism are produced by means amazingly simple, while a marionette "greenroom" between the performances is, . . . and in this it forms a welcome contrast to the real theatre, . . . as tranquil a spot as can be found. Each little figure, strangely human in its repose, hangs upon its nail in the dim light, gazing before it with eyes as inscrutable as those which yet meet ours from under the quiet brows of the gods of Egypt and Etruria. It is their silence, their passionless gaze, their profound indifference which give so supreme a dignity to the frail little bodies tricked out in gauze and tinsel. As in the fallen descendant of a great family some one trait may yet remain to recall a noble origin, so does that impassive gaze, that air of seeing beyond all the transitory and the accidental, still proclaim for the marionette his kinship with the grave stone images of the ancient eastern world. And when, in more than his former dignity and dowered with more than his former gifts, the puppet returns to our stage in the form of that Uber Marionette whom Mr. Gordon Craig has created, bringing with him his supreme quality, that of perfect obedience to the hand and mind of the master whom he serves as material, with him will come that Renaissance of the Art of the Theatre of which the first hints are even now beginning to appear.