The mysterious pie
The Mysterious Pate is a play in one act written by Franz Graf von Pocci , which deals with the subject of the Fall .
content
The magician Katzenberger accidentally overhears a quarrel between the farmers Jakob and Margareth, who each have a different opinion about whether Adam or Eve is to blame for their expulsion from paradise. When they claim that something like this would not happen to them, Katzenberger suggests an exam and makes an appointment with them.
Later, Kasperl comes to the farmer's house, hoping to get something to eat from his neighbors. In the house he finds a set table with numerous dishes such as roast veal, salad, sausages and a sealed pate . With this is a note that says: "Eat and drink whatever you like, but always keep the pie covered!". Jakob and Margareth come in and suspect that it is the aforementioned sample from Katzenberger, whom they believe to be a prince. However, they think that eating the other dishes is enough and they don't care about the pie. The three of them eat from the uncovered things until Kasperl claims that it is strange to put something on the table that you shouldn't eat when pies are the best food and he is an expert at it. Stimulated by this, they decide to open the pie. But when Kasperl lifts the lid, a devil jumps out. Then Katzenberger appears and claims that the farmers failed the test and did not act any smarter than Adam and Eve. Jakob and Margareth admit this fact, but in this case Katzenberger describes Kasperl as the seducer, which is why he is gracious and wants to give both of them monthly financial support. After he disappeared, Kasperl proudly claims that Jakob and Margareth owed their happiness only to him, because if he hadn't opened the pie, one of the two farmer's men would have done it.
characters
In the context of the examination in this piece, all the people involved show parallels to a participant in the Fall .
Katzenberger
Katzenberger is a magician who does good with his skills. When he hears the argument between Jakob and Margareth, he decides to test whether they can resist the temptation themselves. In the end, he declares the test failed, but supports the farmers, believing that the Punch is responsible for finally opening the pie. In the trial he takes the place of God , who created the "forbidden fruit", in this case the pie, which he provides along with all other things and who draws the consequences after the fall.
Jacob
Jakob is a farmer and Margareth's husband. He claims that Eve was to blame for the expulsion from Paradise because she handed Adam the apple and trusted the snake. The test that Katzenberger imposes on him and Margareth shows that neither he nor she are right, as both Kasperl agree to open the pie when he raves about how delicious a pie is. At first, Jakob, in contrast to Margareth, had objections to it, since it was forbidden to open the pie. However, he also gives in, like Adam, to whom Eve gave the apple.
Margareth
Margareth is a farmer and Jacob's wife. She says that Eve was not to blame for the Fall, because Adam accepted the apple and first seduced Eve by the serpent. Like her husband, however, she claims that she would not make the same mistake herself. At first she and Jakob think they can safely ignore the pie, but after Kasperl has told them what you can put in pies, she says that they don't want to eat, they just want to look inside the pie. So, like Eve before, she is the first to give in to temptation. In the end, she admits that she failed the test on the grounds that they descended from Adam and Eve.
Kasperl
Kasperl is the couple's neighbor. He comes by to eat something and is delighted to see the table set. When he hears that a prince may have brought the food, he claims to be a distant friend of the prince to be allowed to eat. Even if he first feasts on the other dishes, he claims in his voracious nature that it is stupid to put a pie that you are not allowed to eat. He claims to be familiar with pies and raves about what can be in pies to his two neighbors. Finally, he decides to lift the lid of the pie, which is why Katzenberger's examination fails. The magician says that Kasperl acted instead of the snake and that he supports the couple because they didn't come up with the idea of opening the pie on their own. Kasperl himself ultimately boasts that if he hadn't opened the pie, one of the farmer's people would have done it and they would not have received any support, as they would then have acted of their own accord.