Line #21 Theatre/Coppelia


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coppelia.jpg]]
2
3	''Coppelia'' is an 1870 {{ballet}} based on "Literature/TheSandman1816" by Creator/ETAHoffmann, with choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon and music by Léo Delibes. Most modern versions of the ballet are based on the revival choreographed by Marius Petipa.
4
5	Franz is preparing for his wedding to his sweetheart, Swanhilda, when he glances into the upper story windows of the house of the reclusive Doctor Coppelius. Inside, he sees the most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes on--Coppelia, the doctor's daughter, and falls in love at once. Forgetting Swanhilda, he sneaks into the Doctor's house to woo his new love. However, Coppelius has more than a few secrets hiding in his home... and Swanhilda is by no means going to take her lover's abandonment lying down! So she decides to check on this mysterious love rival, and in her quest she finds out about more than one shocking truth--and the truth behind Coppelia and her father.
6
7	----
8	!!''Coppelia'' provides examples of:
9	* AdaptationalNameChange: Most of the cast. Swanhilda, Franz and Coppelia were originally called Clara, Nathaniel and Olimpia, respectively. Coppelius is the only character who gets to keep his original name. In the 2021 version by the Dutch National Ballet, Swanhilda's name is shortened to Swan.
10	* AdaptationalWimp: Coppelius goes from being TheDreaded to being a meek IneffectualSympatheticVillain who fails with all his plans, [[ButtMonkey gets mugged by a local gang of youngsters,]] and is intiminated by Swanhilda, [[CryForTheDevil who can't help but feel a little bad for the poor man]] once his dreams are utterly shattered.
11	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: During the cermony in Act III, when the new church bell is presented, personifications of Dawn, Prayer, War and Discord (all things the tolling of said bell might announce) appear. ([[AdaptedOut Whether or not all of them actually appear depends on the production.]])
12	* BadassLongRobe: Worn by Coppelius when he attempts his magic ritual.
13	* BrainlessBeauty: Coppelia is a literal example, [[spoiler: being a RobotGirl and all.]]
14	* BuyThemOff: In some productions, Coppelius is given money in Act III as a compensation for the damage our protagonists caused in his workshop.
15	* ClingyJealousGirl: Swanhilda is jealous. Probably justified, as her fiancé suddenly is smitten with a new girl right before Swanhilda and him are going to marry.
16	* CerebusSyndrome: {{Downplayed\|Trope}}, in that there's still tons of comedy, but the story ''does'' get more dramatic and tragic when Coppelius makes his entrance in Act II.
17	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: In some productions, Swanhilda's friends all wear the same outfit, while Swanhilda herself wears a similar costume in brighter colors to make her stand out. This is also done with Franz and the other guys in the village.
18	* CompositeCharacter: Coppelius is based on two characters from Literature/TheSandman1816: Coppelius (the BigBad), and Spallanzani (the father of [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Olimpia/Coppelia]]).
19	* CrosscastRole: In the original production, the role of Franz was played by a woman in drag.
20	* EinsteinHair: Coppelius is often depicted with this to emphasise his eccentricity.
21	* GirlPosse: Swanhilda has one. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that she's not exactly an AlphaBitch. She just wants Franz to stop his infatuation for Coppelia.
22	* GrumpyOldMan: Doctor Coppelius, though he's ''still'' an AdaptationalNiceGuy compared to his literary namesake, who was a JerkAss ChildHater and possibly a murderous HumanoidAbomination. At the very least, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes he seems to geniunly care for Coppelia.]]
23	* LifeEnergy: Coppelius tries to steal Franz's life energy to bring [[spoiler: Coppelia]] to life. It only ''appears'' to work because at this point, [[spoiler: "Coppelia" is actually Swanhilda.]]
24	* LighterAndSofter: The ballet is a light-hearted comedy, whereas the original E. T. A. Hoffmann story is a horror story and a tragedy.
25	* LoveAtFirstSight: Franz falls in love with Coppelia as soon as he first sees her. He gets over it when [[spoiler:he finds out that she's just a doll.]]
26	* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Coppelia is the daughter of Doctor Coppelius. [[spoiler: Or at least, that's what she ''seems'' to be.]]
27	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Coppelius, a hermit who slaves over his dedication to his perfectly lifelike dolls, [[spoiler: and bringing his "daughter" to life]]--at any cost. He is, however, FAR nicer than his incarnation in the original "Sandman", where [[spoiler:he was (probably) the Sandman himself, and liked nothing better than to drive men mad and [[EyeScream rip out the eyes of children]].]]
28	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The dolls just appear to be oversized toys when activated by Swanhilda and her friends, but they end up becoming actual antagonists who manage to capture Franz.
29	* PaperThinDisguise: Swanhilda successfully impersonates Coppelia by simply swapping clothes with her.
30	* PerspectiveFlip: The story is mostly told from Swanhilda's point of view, whereas Literature/TheSandman1816 followed her counterpart's fiancė. (Though the stories are [[AdaptationInspiration so different]] that the tropes usually associated with this don't really apply.)
31	* PluckyGirl: Swanhilda is unwilling to take Franz's sudden abandonment [[spoiler: and defends him when it turns out that he's in danger of losing his own soul.]]
32	* PygmalionPlot: Maybe. [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation It's possible]] that Coppelius didn't want [[spoiler: Coppelia as a daughter,]] but as a [[spoiler: RoboticSpouse.]] The 1966 film very much goes with this premise.
33	* RevisedEnding:
34	** While many different interpretations of the story exist, ''The Royal'' did one of the most drastic changes to Act III:
35	--> '''[[https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/3628-coppelia-question-2-who-is-coppelius/ Forum poster]]:''' The Royal used to have a way of softening the ending and making a "well-made play" out of the story, by, instead of having Coppelius grabbing the money and running, taking the purse upstage when he sat on a bench, glumly contemplating it. As the divertissement continued, and mostly in the breaks between numbers, byplay happened with the town children - "What's the matter, mister?" "My baby has died!" "Oh, you poor man, Mommy, Daddy, come help this poor man - he just lost a child!" After awhile, Coppelius was inviting the townspeople in, light was seen lit in the shop, happy families were admiring, and ''PURCHASING'' the Doctor's lesser former creations, and Coppelius joins in the final toast to the happy couple of Swanhilda and Franz by sending down a hook on a string to claim his glass of wine - carrying a real little girl in his arm, and the parents patting him on the back, and coveting his attention, like a favorite old uncle come back from nowhere!
36	** The 1966 film adaptation ''Dr. Coppelius'' similarly has a BittersweetEnding in which the scientist has to face the fact that his creation isn't and will never be a real person, but he still becomes beloved by the townsfolk after showing off Coppelia's dancing [[MadeOfExplodium and some chemistry tricks]] during the wedding. He ends up hooking up with CanonForeigner Brigitta, a local barmaid who has been fancying him throughout the film.
37	* RobotMaster: In the original story, Coppelius only made the eyes of one robot. Here however, he not only built [[spoiler: Coppelia]] all by himself, but she's just the crown jewel in a large collection of automatons.
38	* RoboticReveal: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged.]] In Act II, Swanhilda discovers that [[spoiler:Coppelia is an automaton. After then impersonating it for most of the act, she reveals her true identity to Coppelius; then she pulls out the real Coppelia from behind the curtain, showing Franz that his recent infatuation is... well, only a doll.]]
39	* SettingUpdate: A few modern productions have changed the setting to modern times; the most prominent examples being the Ballet Monte Carlo's ''Coppél-i.A,'' where the title character is a robot with artificial intelligence, and the Dutch National Ballet's production, where Dr. Coppelius is a plastic surgeon seeking a heart to bring his creation to life.
40	* SlapSlapKiss: Swanhilda and Franz have a rather... ''lively'' relationship.
41	* SlippingAMickey: Coppelius offers Franz a drink, and spikes it with a sleeping agent when he isn't looking. The doctor then pretends to drink, [[PoisonedChaliceSwitcheroo while secretly pouring the contents of his goblet into his drink-serving robot.]]
42	* SparedByTheAdaptation:
43	** EverybodyLives here. [[spoiler: Nathaniel/Franz]] wasn't as lucky in the original story.
44	** Franz's father also appears in some performances, clearly having avoided his literary counterpart's fate of dying in [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident what appeared to be]] a lab accident.
45	* {{Tsundere}}: Swanhilda comes across like this in her interactions with Franz.
46	* VillainExitStageLeft: In the 2021 modernized retelling, Dr. Coppelius is forced to retreat with his robot when his plans are foiled, resulting in his laboratory blowing up.
47	* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The ballet takes cultural inspiration from various countries, and while some productions ''try'' to give it a proper (inconsistent) setting, many don't make it more specific than "old rural central Europe."
48	* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: Most notably when Swanhilda and her friends all dare each other into sneaking into Coppelius's house and messing around with his stuff.

Context Theatre / Coppelia