The Infernal Machine: & Other Plays

by Jean Cocteau

Four full-length plays by one of the greatest dramatists Europe has produced.Among the great figures who pioneered the modern movement in world literature, none showed himself more versatile than France's Jean Cocteau. Poet, novelist, critic, artist, actor, film-maker, Cocteau was also one of the greatest dramatists Europe has produced, with over a dozen plays which are frequently revived, not only in France, but in translation in many other countries. For this collection, fine translations of four full-length plays, one short play, and the "Speaker's Text" for the Cocteau-Stravinsky opera Oedipus Rex have been selected. The longer plays (The Infernal Machine, Orpheus, Bacchus, Knights of the Round Table) are re-creations of classic myth and legend-poetic and highly original interpretations of certain timeless themes which have inspired great drama through the ages. The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party is, by contrast, merely a "curtain-raiser," but remarkable as un jeu d'esprit, revealing the wit and psychological penetration for which Cocteau is famous.

Genres: Plays, France, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, Classics, French Literature

450 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright and filmmaker. Along with other Surrealists of his generation (Jean Anouilh and René Char for example) Cocteau grappled with the "algebra" of verbal codes old and new, mise en scène language and technologies of modernism to create a paradox: a classical avant-garde. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Colette, Édith Piaf, whom he cast in one of his one act plays entitled Le Bel Indifferent in 1940, and Raymond Radiguet.

His work was played out in the theatrical world of the Grands Theatres, the Boulevards and beyond during the Parisian epoque he both lived through and helped define and create. His versatile, unconventional approach and enormous output brought him international acclaim.

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cocteau has aged badly. His surrealistic retelling of Oedipus Rex now seems terribly dated. These plays show only that you don't need to go too far with Freud before you have gone too far.

I would however be tempted to see the Infernal Machine in the theatre. Clever directors can sometimes breath life into dead horses.

Lu en francais

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew Cocteau mostly from his films - La Belle et La Bete and Orfee are two of my faves. It turns out Orfee was a play first, and not the only one based on myths and legends. The Infernal Machine itself is a powerful take on the Oedipus saga (which I had read in the original (albeit translated) a few months back). Orfee as a play has no visions of the underworld, but is really good on details of life and death and aging. The Eifel Tower Wedding Party is a surrealist beauty, full of absurdities and wonder. The Knights of the Round Table is an original take on the concepts of the Holy Grail and Arthur et al; it's got some really great mischief and tragedy. Bacchus is possibly the most intriguing play here; set in the time of the Reformation, it basically questions and satirizes every point of view in religion and politics of the time, and has possibly the darkest ending of anything here. There is also a brief e.e. cummings translation of the text accompanying the Stravinsky oratorio of Oedipus Rex, music I listened to just this afternoon to get a feel for what's going on here. All this wonderful work I'd never encountered before.

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

La machine infernale? ou le destin ?

Fondée sur la pièce de Sénèque, Oedipe Roi, elle fut une excellente lecture pour préparer mes études de a pièce de Jean Anouilh - Antigone (recommandation du prof). La rencontre d'Oedipe avec le Sphinx avait donné du sens à Antigone !

Grâce à cette pièce française, j'ai pris le gout de tragédie que je ne cessais de lire après !

[Val Timke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Infernal Machine has become one of my favorite plays. It is a spin on Oedipus Rex, in conversation with The Sphinx. The symbolism and characters in here really drove the plot forward, and I would recommend this play to anyone.

[Eadweard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good:
Orpheus,
The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party

Decent:
Bacchus

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Infernal Machine presents the Oedipus myth as domestic drama. It includes events that do not appear in the Sophoclean play, perhaps most notably a long dialogue between Oedipus and the Sphinx.

Like The Infernal Machine, Orpheus also depicts events that do not appear in classical versions of the Orpheus myth. For instance, there is a horse that dictates Orpheus' poetry for him, and a glazier with knowledge of some of Death's secrets.

At eighteen pages in length, The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party is the shortest of the dramatic works included here, and would probably take up very little time on the stage, as it seems that it is intended to be acted at a rather rapid pace. The play is set on the Eiffel Tower and depicts a wedding party at which the nameless attendees (the bride, the groom, the mother-in-law, the father-in-law, the photographer, and others, including an ostrich) interact with one another, not so much communicating a plot as creating on the stage a controlled chaos that suggests to me a classic French farce, but refracted through the lenses of Futurism, Surrealism and even the Theatre of the Absurd (if I were to make a comparison, I would say that what Cocteau is doing here is reminiscent of Eugène Ionesco, particularly his The Bald Soprano).

The Knights of the Round Table is Cocteau's version of the legend of King Arthur and the Quest for the Holy Grail. Much of the focus here is on the Arthur-Guinevere-Launcelot love triangle, and on Merlin and his servant Ginifer, who is a shapeshifting demon.

Set in a small German town in 1523, Bacchus depicts an unlikely hero rising to challenge the Church and the wealthy class, who are in collusion to maintain their power over the lower classes.

The Infernal Machine, Orpheus and The Knights of the Round Table are set in realms of myth and magic, and the stage directions for these plays include descriptions of the some of the sleights employed to produce the illusion of magic on the stage.

[Manolis P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Θα ήθελα να αρχίσω λέγοντας ότι το "Δαιμόνια Μηχανή" δεν μπορεί να αντικαταστήσει σε καμία περίπτωση το πρωτότυπο έργο του Σοφοκλή "Οιδίπους Τύραννος" που ίσως είναι το αποτελεσματικότερο σωζόμενο αρχαίο δράμα. Θα πρέπει να γνωρίζεις το πρωτότυπο για να κατανοήσεις τις αντιπαραβολες του Κοκτώ .
Καταρχήν οι μαντες βλέπουν τα σημαδια που ειναι ορατα και τα ερμηνεύουν.Δεν μπορουν να ερμηνεύσουν τα μη ορατα (άλογα) σημαδια.
Η ουσια του εργου ειναι οτι οι θεοι θέτουν την δοκιμασία (την περίτεχνη μηχανή) στον Οιδίποδα παρολο που θα μπορούσε ευκολα να αποφευχθεί ετσι ωστε να φανερωθει το Είναι του.Θα μπορουσε να είναι μια παραλλαγη της Ντοστογιέφσκικης μυθοπλασίας που λεει οτι οι αμαρτίες οδηγουν στην αρετη, οι αμαρτίες κανουν τον άνθρωπο. Ενώ το έργο είναι εμποτισμένο από την Φροϋδική θεωρία του Οιδιπόδειου συμπλέγματος.
Αυτο το νοημα δεν εμφανίζεται πρώτη φορα απο το Κοκτώ αλλα ειναι δεδομενο απο την υποθεση του εργου του Σοφοκλη. Το μονο που αλλαζει ειναι η μορφή του δραματος :μια μοντερνα εκλογικευση των γεγονότων που μοιάζουν πιο πιθανα σημερα απο τις αξιες των κλασικών χρονων.
Μου φάνηκε ενδιαφέρον παρόλο που οι ήρωες δεν έχουν το ίδιο βάρος με την αριστοτελική έννοια.

[E7boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

just the infernal machine, his second version of Oedipus. It adds a lot to the front end story and takes away a lot of the ending. This shortening of the ending it speeding up relaxes some of the tension from the original from Sophocles. The adding of the sphinx, the ghost of Laius,who the principles can not see (and ghost of Jocasta at the end) is masterful. Only Oedipus can see Jocasta at the end. Also works in Antigone well at the end. And shows that Creon is falling into the trap. The pre-temporary blinding is a good stroke too. Oedipus is a lot more harsh and jagged compared to the more compassionate Sophocles version where we pity Oedipus as well as his own Stravinsky version. Oedipus does not care about Parents in Corinth while in the original he is revealed he can not harm them but ever loved them. I think I would like to reread his two versions and the original together some day.

[Ihsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently Cocteau is an acquired taste, judging by some of these reviews. But if you've got a taste for poetic, playfully mysterious, sometimes-surrealist and sometimes gnomic retellings of myths and legends, Cocteau's plays are heady champagne. It helps to be familiar with the myths Cocteau is turning inside out, and the reader must be receptive to his verbal magic.

Everyone goes on about The Infernal Machine but the real stars of the collection are The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, a quasi-Dadaist comedy; Knights of the Round Table, a rowdy and startlingly original vision of King Arthur's court that ends in praise of disenchantment; and Bacchus, a dazzling, serious deep-dive into heresy, idealism, and selling-out, set in Reformation-era Germany. And fans of Cocteau's film masterpiece Orpheus will have fun comparing it to the source play (the film is better).

[Gurldoggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modernist take on four classic dramas - three Greek plays and a tale of the Knights of the round table. All of the pieces have their charms. Familiar stories gain resonance from shifts in perspective, and it is fascinating to see famously tragic characters humanized. But Cocteau's reputation for theatrical genius is somewhat lost on these printed pages. The precise tone of the dialogue can be opaque and the clumsy stage directions don't help. No doubt all of these plays would be far more magical seen on a stage. The play set in Camelot and translated by WH Auden makes for the most enjoyable reading of the four.

[Jakub Brudny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well... przeczytałem konkretnie tytułowe The Infernal Machine i niestety nie porwało mnie. To moje pierwsze spotkanie z Panem Cocteau, aczkolwiek zdaje mi się, że ostatnie, bowiem jego język przypomina mi o horrorze przechodzenia przez lektury szkolne. Dokładnie tak się czułem czytając tę historię, którą odkryłem w spisie Dark Academia Books, niestety do mnie nie trafia, ale język jest bardzo bogaty i ponadczasowy, poza tym jest to poprawna adaptacja znanej historii z mitologii, dlatego też dam bezpieczne, zupełnie "pośrodkujące" trzy gwiazdki.

[Daniil Lanovyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monologues are pure delight.

[margot sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

jean cock toe my beloved

[Matthew]

So far I've only read Bacchus, which was great. Hoping to read The Knights of The Round Table (if nothing else) on an eventual revisit.

[molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

got to admit bacchus went over my head a little bit but i loved the silly, absurd, slapstick comedy of these plays ! knights at the round table especially :D

[Simone M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking hilarious.

[Mellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should locked in and finished my plays.....

I love Cocteau.

[Stella Jentsch]

-The Infernal Machine

[Alan Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

the infernal machine & bacchus are goated plays for sure

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Infernal Machine – ** This is an unheroic telling of the Oedipus legend. It is a bit more light hearted, but more drawn out and rambling. Ultimately it pales in comparison to Sophocles’ version. Why would anyone want to try to re-tell a story that was so well told? The comparison is unavoidable.

It was particularly disappointing (in comparison to the original) in the last act where Oedipus learns the truth. I was surprised that Cocteau even tried to present Oedipus’ discovery, knowing that regardless what he did it would pale next to Sophocles’ almost-perfect telling.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's not much to really tell about "The Infernal Machine" - a retelling of "Oedipus the King", with the addition of a few new characters, including Anubis. Honestly, there might be something lost in the reading of this play as opposed to seeing it performed, as the text fell really flat to me. The exploration of the Sphinx is the only thing that really sticks out to me, and, at times, she can come across as nonsensical. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic, either.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'aurais mieux compris ceci si je l'ai vu au theatre, mais c'etais tres interessant quand meme.

[Tora · Rating 4 out of 5]

for me, it was all about the Infernal Machine. An old story retold time and time throughout the ages, but i loved the surrealness of Cocteau's interpretation. Mmmmm.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Infernal Machine, and Other Plays. by Jean Cocteau (1964)

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm not going to finish this book. the infernal machine and orpheus were good. the wedding at the eiffel tower was not, and i can't get into arthur or bacchus.

[M.moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never have I read a greater poet--

[Terence Diamond]

Excellent.

[Denise M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in high-school. I loved Cocteau then and still love to read great quotations from his works.

[Melusine Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une fantastique réécriture du mythe d'Oedipe.

[Joan DuNard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read while a Junior in Hs in my French Class. My first Oedipus reading.