Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy is a popular British glove-puppet show for children, featuring Mr. Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between the anarchic Mr. Punch and one other character (the show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known as a Professor, who of course can only perform two characters at a time).

The tale is this: Punch, in a fit of jealousy, strangles his infant child, when Judy flies to her revenge. She fetches a bludgeon, with which she belabours her husband, till Punch, exasperated, seizes another bludgeon and beats her to death, then flings into the street the two dead bodies. The bodies attract the notice of a police officer, who enters the house. Punch flees for his life; being arrested by an officer of the Inquisition, he is shut up in prison, from which he escapes by means of a golden key. The rest is an allegory, showing how Punch triumphs over all the ills that flesh is heir to. (1) Ennui, in the shape of a dog, is overcome; (2) Disease, in the disguise of a doctor, is kicked out; (3) Death is beaten to death; and (4) the Devil himself is outwitted.

Mr. Punch wears a jester's motley, is hunchbacked and his 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 bizarre rasping voice, produced by a contrivance known as a swazzle or swatchel which the Professor holds in his mouth, transmitting his gleeful cackle— "as pleased as Punch".

The Punch and Judy show has deep roots; it is ultimately based on the Italian commedia dell'arte, and the figure of Punch derives ultimately from the stock character of Pulcinello. He is a manifestation of the Lord of Misrule and Trickster figures of deep-rooted mythologies. Judy was originally "Joan".

"Punch and Judy" shows are also known in various other countries. In Germany Punch is called "Kasper" and Judy is "Grete". The characters date back to the 18th century in German speaking countries. In the Netherlands Punch is called Jan Klaassen, in Denmark Mester Jackel, in Italy Pulcinello (with Pulcinella as the female part), in Russia Petruschka, in Romania Vasilache and in France Le guignol.

May 9, 1662 is reckoned the birthday of Mr. Punch, for that was the first time the diarist Samuel Pepys observed a Punch and Judy show near St. Paul's Church in London's Covent Garden. It was performed by an Italian Punchman, 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." This is considered the first written record of a Punch and Judy performance. Pepys went back several more times and continued to be amused. The Punch he saw was a marionette not a glove-puppet, and worked his show within a tent.

The simplification of the show to an easily transportable booth (known as a fit-up) with a pair of sock puppet characters happened in the early 19th century. 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.

Modern performances of Punch and Judy are traditionally seaside entertainments, found in holiday resorts during the summer months. Apart from Punch and Judy, there is usually also their baby, a crocodile, and a string of sausages. The devil and Jack Ketch may also make appearances. The story changes, but the punchlines remain the same: Mr. Punch, for example, always says "That's the way to do it!"

Featuring, as it does, a deformed, child-murdering, wife-beating psychopath who commits appalling acts of violence and cruelty upon all those around him and escapes scot-free, it is greatly enjoyed by small children.

Derived usage

• Punch, a long running British humour magazine, derives its name from Mr. Punch.
• The Punch and Judy Man was a 1961 movie, starring Tony Hancock as the title character.
• Punch and Judy was the title of a 1967 opera by Harrison Birtwistle.
• "Punch & Judy", a song about marital strife, appeared on Marillion's 1984 album Fugazi.
• The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch: A Romance, a 1994 graphic novel by writer Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean, features a boy whose memories are triggered by a Punch and Judy show.
• A song entitled "Punch and Judy" appeared on Elliott Smith's 1997 album Either/Or.
• Bitch Magnet's 1988 album Umber included a song entitled "Punch and Judy".
• Baseball players who provide very little power are sometimes called "Punch-and-Judy hitters".
• Annual awards given at the Cartoons by the Bay Festival in Positano, Italy is named the Pulcinella Award.

Many pairs of fictional characters in other works are named "Punch" and "Judy" in homage; for example:

• Punch & Judy (probably stage names) are hosts of a fictional cowboy-themed crime show (akin to America's Most Wanted) called Big Shots, in the anime Cowboy Bebop.
• Punch & Judy are a pair of characters in the Girl Genius comic books by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio.

External links

• Punch and Judy College of Professors: some history (http://www.punchandjudy.org/)
• How to make a Punch and Judy show (http://www.bimbamboozle.com/funforkids/makepunch.htm)de:Kasper