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Information about Punch And Judy

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A traditional Punch and Judy booth, at Swanage, Dorset
Punch and Judy is a popular puppet show featuring Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known as a Professor.

History

The Punch and Judy show can trace its roots to the 16th century to the Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure of Punch derives from the stock character of Pulcinella, which was Anglicized to Punchinello. He is a manifestation of the Lord of Misrule and Trickster figures of deep-rooted mythologies. Punch's wife was originally "Joan".

May 9, 1662 is traditionally reckoned by 'Professors' as Punch's UK birthday, for that was the first recorded date on which the figure who later became Mr. Punch was seen in Britain. The diarist Samuel Pepys observed a puppet show featuring an early version of the Punch character near St. Paul's Church in London's Covent Garden. It was performed by an Italian puppeteer, Pietro Gimonde operating as "Signor Bologna". Pepys described the event in his diary: "...an Italian puppet play, that is within the rails there, which is very pretty, the best that I ever saw, and great resort of gallants." Pepys went back several more times and continued to be amused. The puppet he saw was a marionette, not a glove-puppet, and Gimonde did his show within a tent.

In the British "Punch and Judy" show Punch wears a jester's motley and is a hunchback whose hooked nose almost meets his curved jutting chin. He carries a stick, as large as himself, which he freely uses upon all the other characters in the show. He speaks in a distinctive squawking voice, produced by a contrivance known as a swazzle or swatchel which the Professor holds in his mouth, transmitting his gleeful cackle— "That's the way to do it". So important is Mr. Punch's signature sound that it is a matter of some controversy within Punch and Judy circles as to whether a 'non swazzled' show can be considered a true Punch and Judy Show.

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character spread across Europe. In Germany, Punch is called "Kasperle" or Kaspar while Judy is "Grete". In the Netherlands it is Jan Klaassen (and Judy is Katrijn); in Denmark Mester Jackel; in Russia Petrushka; in Romania Vasilache; and in France Polichinelle.
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A Punch and Judy show attracts a family audience
In the late 18th and early 19th Century the familiar Punch and Judy hand puppet show that existed in Britain was performed in an easily-transportable booth (known as a fit-up).

Modern British performances of Punch and Judy are no longer exclusively the traditional seaside entertainments, found in holiday resorts during the summer months, but a public attraction that can be seen at carnivals, festivals, birthday parties, and all manner of similar celebratory occasions. Apart from Punch and Judy, there is usually also their baby, a crocodile, Joey the Clown (a friend of Mr. Punch), a policeman and a string of sausages. The devil and Jack Ketch may also make appearances. The story changes, but some punchlines remain the same: Punch, for example, always says "That's the way to do it!"

Story

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A stained glass illustration of Punch by Professor Ignorant
The tale of Punch and Judy varies from puppeteer to puppeteer and has changed over time. It typically involves Punch behaving outrageously, struggling with his wife Judy and the Baby, and then triumphing in a series of encounters with the forces of law and order (and often the supernatural). The classic ending of the show has him dispatching the Devil himself, exclaiming "Huzzah huzzah, I've killed the Devil!".

All is performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy and is intended to provoke shocked laughter. Whilst the Victorian version of the show drew on the morality of its day, the 20th and 21st Century versions of the tale have evolved into something more akin to a primitive version of The Simpsons – in which a bizarre family is used as vehicle for grotesque visual comedy and a sideways look at contemporary society.

The stereotypical view of Punch casts him as a deformed, child-murdering, wife-beating psychopath who commits appalling acts of violence and cruelty upon all those around him and escapes scot-free – this is greatly enjoyed by small children. Terry Pratchett draws attention to this apparent paradox in his short story Theatre of Cruelty, the last line of which is "That's not the way to do it." In actual fact, Punch has long since reverted to his origins as a clown figure whose acts of violence are in the same tradition as those to be seen in all classic cartoons. The very stick he uses is a slapstick: the knockabout device which gave its name to a whole genre of broad physical comedy.

Published scripts

In 1828, the critic John Payne Collier published a Punch and Judy script under the title The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy. The script was illustrated by the well-known caricaturist George Cruickshank. Collier said his script was based on the version performed by the "professor" Giovanni Piccini in the early 19th century. The Collier/Cruickshank Punch has been republished in facsimile several times and is now available on the web in PDF form (see External Links). As Collier later went on to have a career as a literary forger, it throws some doubt on the authenticity of the script which is rather literary in style and may well have been tidied up from the rough and tumble street theatre original. Punch is primarily an oral tradition, handed down (or copied) from live performances more than from scripts. It is thus constantly in development from many participants - exactly as Wikipedia functions. A transcript of a typical Punch and Judy show in London of the 1840s can be found in Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor.

Derived usage

  • Punch, a celebrated British humour magazine (now defunct) derived its name from Mr. Punch.
  • Riddley Walker, a 1980 novel by Russell Hoban, features as its main character a wanderer in a post-apocalyptic world where puppet shows put across the government's official message. Finding an old Punch puppet in the debris inspires Riddley to put together a puppet show opposing the government's tale and telling the true story of how civilization was destroyed.
  • The Punch and Judy Man was a 1961 movie, starring Tony Hancock as the title character.
  • Punch and Judy was the title of the 1967 opera by Harrison Birtwistle. Punch performers regard it as a humourless misreading of the traditional characters.
  • The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch: A Romance, a 1995 graphic novel by writer Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean, features a boy whose memories are triggered by a Punch and Judy show.
  • Another instance in which a Punch and Judy show is used to trigger a character's memory: the Japanese film "Soundtrack" (2002), starring Sugizo and Kou Shibasaki.
  • British musicians Marillion XTC and Gracie Fields have all recorded songs called "Punch and Judy". 'Rockney' duo Chas 'n' Dave recorded one called 'Punchinella' which encapsulated some historical information about the character.
  • American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith also released a song named "Punch and Judy" about a dysfunctional relationship.
  • Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear has two characters called Punch and Judy who fight constantly and have threatened several times to throw their baby down the stairs. They are the puppets, but are also alive.
  • Punch and Judy are the names of the hosts of the show-within-a-show, Big Shot, that regularly appears in the anime series Cowboy Bebop.
  • "Punch and Judy" is also the title of a short film by Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer. The film features two male puppets who ultimately end up beating each other to death. Punch 'Professors' consider it a humorless variant on the essentially comic Punch/Pulcinella tradition.
  • Punch and Judy are the names of two constructs in the webcomic Girl Genius. However, they are as caring (adoptive) parents without the slapstick comedy of the puppet shows.
  • In the cartoon series The Batman, Punch and Judy are the names of The Joker's two jester-themed henchmen.
  • An episode of the TV series Are You Being Served? is titled, "The Punch and Judy Affair," where the staff of the store perform a life-size Punch and Judy show for the other employees' children.
  • In the British sci-fi series Doctor Who, the story Snakedance portrays an alien variation on a Punch and Judy puppet show, in which Punch faces and is defeated by a giant snake.
  • The Magicians of Caprona, a book in the popular Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Punch and Judy puppets figure prominently in the plot about two feuding families of magicians in a fictional Italy.
  • Dark cabaret band, The Tiger Lillies have an album as well as a song named "Punch and Judy" derived from their poorly reviewed stage show of the same name
  • In American Baseball a "Punch and Judy" batter is slang for a hitting style that is not overpowering.

External links

A puppet is a representational object manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually but not always a depiction of a human character and is used in (a) play or a presentation. The puppet undergoes a process of transformation through being animated, and is normally manipulated by one, or
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Anarchism (from Greek αναρχία , "without archons," "without rulers")[1] is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which reject compulsory government[2] and support its elimination,[3]
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As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 through 1600.

See also: 16th century in literature

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1500s

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Pulcinella, often called Punch or Punchinello in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the Commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.
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The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was an officer appointed by lot at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools.
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trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, human, or anthropomorphic animal who plays pranks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and norms of behaviour.

While the trickster crosses various cultural traditions, there are significant differences between tricksters in the traditions
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May 9 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration to be the Chief
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Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden. The area is dominated by shopping, street performers and entertainment facilities and contains an entrance to the
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Anthem
Il Canto degli Italiani
(also known as Fratelli d'Italia)


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A marionette is a type of puppet with strings controlled by a puppeteer from above. [1] Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience in different forms of theatres or entertainment venues.
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worldwide view of the subject.
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A tent is a shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles and/or ropes.
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Motley refers to the traditional costume of the court jester or the harlequin character in commedia dell'arte. The latter wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif.
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Hunchback may refer to one of the following.
  • a hunchback, someone who suffers from severe kyphosis.
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a novel by Victor Hugo.

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A swazzle (swatchel) is a device made of two strips of metal bound around a cotton tape reed. The device is used to produce the distinctive harsh, rasping voice of Punch and is held in the mouth by the Professor (performer) in a Punch and Judy show.
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Kasperle is a famous and traditional puppet character from Austria and Germany. Its roots date to 17th century and was at times so popular that Kasperltheater was synonymous with puppet theater.
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Booth may refer to:

In architecture:
  • Isolation booth, device used to prevent a person or people from seeing or hearing certain events
  • Photo booth, vending machine or modern kiosk which contains an automated, usually coin-operated, camera and film processor

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A seaside resort is a resort located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.
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Developer's Image Library or DevIL (originally called OpenIL; the name was changed at a request from Silicon Graphics, Inc.), started by Denton Woods, is a cross-platform image library which aims to provide a common API for different image file format.
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John (Jack) Ketch (died 1686) was an executioner employed by King Charles II. He became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that circulated throughout the Kingdom of England.
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Punch line or punchline may be:
  • Punch line, joke component
  • Punch Dialogue, a type of dialogue in South Indian films
  • Punchline (film)
  • Punchline (band)

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Huzzah (originally huzza) is an English interjection of joy or approbation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is "apparently a mere exclamation" without any particular derivation.
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The Simpsons is an animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a soft-satirical parody of the "Middle American" lifestyle epitomized by its title family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
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Dissocial personality disorder
Classification & external resources

ICD-10 F60.2
ICD-9 301.7

Psychopathy is defined in psychiatry and clinical psychology as a condition characterized by lack of empathy[1][2]
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Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett
Born: 28 March 1948 (1948--) (age 59)
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]
Occupation: Novelist
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"Theatre of Cruelty" is a short Discworld story by Terry Pratchett written in 1993. The name derives from a concept of Antonin Artaud (Theatre of Cruelty), in which it has been known for cast members to be injured or mutilated for the sake of being genuine.
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Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities (e.g., a character being hit in the face with a frying pan or running full speed into a wall).
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John Payne Collier (January 11, 1789 – September 17, 1883), English Shakespearian critic, was born in London.

His father, John Dyer Collier (1762–1825), was a successful journalist, and his connection with the press obtained for his son a position on the
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