Performance, Fame, and Exclusion

The Man Who Laughs

The troupe’s success transforms a marginal livelihood into a public sensation without overcoming the stigma attached to performers.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Drama Conceived A Drama Conceived from "The Man Who Laughs". A Drama Conceived Ursus writes for the troupe Ursus creates Chaos Vanquished to combine music, shadow, and action. Gwynplaine and Dea take central roles.

A Drama Conceived from "The Man Who Laughs". A Drama Conceived Ursus writes for the troupe Ursus creates Chaos Vanquished to combine music, shadow, and action. Gwynplaine and Dea take central roles.

A Drama Conceived Ursus writes for the troupe Ursus creates Chaos Vanquished to combine music, shadow, and action. Gwynplaine and Dea take central roles. The play gives their private bond a public form. A work of mixed intention Ursus wants a literary triumph as well as income. The crowd’s response will be driven by Gwynplaine’s face. Art and commerce become entangled before the curtain rises.

The Laughing Man Appears The Laughing Man Appears from "The Man Who Laughs". The Laughing Man Appears The reveal The drama ends with light falling on Gwynplaine’s face. The audience erupts in laughter at the unexpected sight.

The Laughing Man Appears from "The Man Who Laughs". The Laughing Man Appears The reveal The drama ends with light falling on Gwynplaine’s face. The audience erupts in laughter at the unexpected sight.

The Laughing Man Appears The reveal The drama ends with light falling on Gwynplaine’s face. The audience erupts in laughter at the unexpected sight. The effect overwhelms Ursus’s intended meaning. Fame through difference The performance makes Gwynplaine known across fairs and roads. Its success improves the troupe’s living conditions. His public name becomes more famous than his personal one.

Success Displaces Rivals Success Displaces Rivals from "The Man Who Laughs". Success Displaces Rivals A crowd redirected Gwynplaine draws customers away from other entertainers. The rival booths lose income and resent his popularity.

Success Displaces Rivals from "The Man Who Laughs". Success Displaces Rivals A crowd redirected Gwynplaine draws customers away from other entertainers. The rival booths lose income and resent his popularity.

Success Displaces Rivals A crowd redirected Gwynplaine draws customers away from other entertainers. The rival booths lose income and resent his popularity. The Green Box’s success changes the economy of the fairground. Envy turns official Performers join clergy in complaining to authorities. Their arguments invoke religion, medicine, and public order. The theatre becomes a target because it has succeeded.

The Aristocrats Arrive The Aristocrats Arrive from "The Man Who Laughs". The Aristocrats Arrive A wider audience The Laughing Man’s reputation draws people beyond the local crowd.

The Aristocrats Arrive from "The Man Who Laughs". The Aristocrats Arrive A wider audience The Laughing Man’s reputation draws people beyond the local crowd.

The Aristocrats Arrive A wider audience The Laughing Man’s reputation draws people beyond the local crowd. Disguised gentlemen attend the low-priced performance. Fame begins to cross class boundaries without removing them. The duchess watches Josiana attends in a conspicuous display of wealth. She sees Gwynplaine as both performer and object of desire. The spectacle becomes a gateway from public entertainment to private danger.

The Performer Unhoused The Performer Unhoused from "The Man Who Laughs". The Performer Unhoused The stage disappears The authorities clear Tarrinzeau Field and force the troupe away.

The Performer Unhoused from "The Man Who Laughs". The Performer Unhoused The stage disappears The authorities clear Tarrinzeau Field and force the troupe away.

The Performer Unhoused The stage disappears The authorities clear Tarrinzeau Field and force the troupe away. The Green Box no longer stands where Gwynplaine expects to find it. His former livelihood and social world vanish together. Fame cannot shelter him The performer once drew crowds but cannot recover his family. Public recognition offers no protection from state power. The story separates celebrity from human security.

During the troupe’s early years with the children

During the first successful performances

After the Green Box reaches Southwark

During the troupe’s later London run

After the House of Lords sitting in 1705