Karagiozis

Greek Shadow Puppetry

Shadow puppetry spread amongst the Muslim Turks

during the 16th Century while the Ottomans covered the Balkans and Asia Minor

The Turks brought it to the Greek mainland from Asia Minor (probably China or India) during the Ottoman rule

The stories were adapted for the Greek culture, transforming them into Greek folktales and myths, relaying both the social and political life of the people

Karagiozis was particularily popular from around 1915 to 1950

Rewind

Shadow puppets are cut-out figures, held

between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim

A single puppeteer would perform behind stage, controlling the puppet from a sousta, a kind of rod or handle attached to the puppet’s shoulder

Karagiozopaihti, the puppeteer, was the singular voice behind all the puppets

Definitive

The first puppets for Karagiozis were made

from cardboard and were intricately decorated Leather was later introduced in about 1918, by

the shadow puppeteer Manolopoulos Cellophane, like cardboard, was cheaper to

make and was later used Leather and cardboard were sometimes

coupled, and today all three materials are used by puppeteers

Materials

Karagiozis: The impoverished protagonist who is always lively

and full of life. He lives with his family in a pitiful shack in a large town, across from the Ottoman "pasha's" enormous palace. He has no profession but is always willing to get involved with anything.

Hatziabatis: Karagiozi's friend who is always dressed in levantine Ottoman clothing. Sometimes he is portrayed as honest, yet in other versions he is a cunning thief.

Sir Dionysios: A character representing a fallen aristocrat prone to a western way of life who tries to act genteel and always wears a top hat.

Morfonios: a short character with a huge head and nose who thinks he is handsome and brags about his looks. He is very greedy and thinks highly of himself. He lives in a world of delusions and is one of the silliest characters.

The Characters

Barba Yiorgos: Karagiozi's uncle, a 'mountain man' with primitive

ways but with a gentle soul and true feelings. He lives in a village but comes to town on business or when he has to get his nephew out of yet another difficult situation.

Veliggekas: the pasha's "right hand" man, portrayed as a police officer. He is a Turk-Albanian and doesn't speak Greek.

The pasha or veziris: the highest Ottoman Turkish official, representing power and wealth. He is portrayed as just and kind to his subjects, who are none other than his victims. The pasha is rarely shown, rather his voice is heard giving orders.

Stavrakas: a character who pretends to be brave and courageous but who is actually a coward. Karagiozis knows this and often hits him throughout a play. In the end, Stavrakas is often liked by the audience because in his attempts to hide his cowardliness and avoid the beating, he makes jokes and reverts to trickery.

Characters