The word puppet is of unknown origin, although its etymology is considered to be of an onomatopoeic type. As for its meaning, we can speak of two meanings. On the one hand, a puppet is a puppet and, on the other, it is a person who is manipulated by another.
The puppet, an artistic manifestation
A puppet is a human or animal representation in the form of a doll and that is moved by a person with their hands through some strings. He who moves a puppet is a puppeteer. The artist who engages in puppet performances usually tells a story aimed at children. These dolls are made of fabrics and are intended to entertain the little ones in a theatrical performance or in outdoor settings.
The materials to make puppets have evolved over time and it is known that in ancient times animal skins and pieces of wood were used. With the passage of time, fabrics and plastics have been incorporated for their manufacture.
Historical evolution
It is not possible to establish an approximate date on the origin of the puppet, but it is believed that already in prehistory rudimentary dolls were made with some procedure. In this way, the art of telling stories with puppets predates the theater itself. The first references to puppets are found in the eastern tradition about 2000 years ago, especially in China. During the Middle Ages biblical scenes were represented with puppets with the intention of explaining the content of the Bible to the common people.
On the other hand, there are written testimonies that show that in the expedition formed by Hernán Cortés for the conquest of Mexico there were two puppeteers to entertain the soldiers.
Currently, puppet performances are part of the performing arts and are an eminently popular and festive type of representation with a didactic and educational component.
Puppet in other languages
In Spanish puppet is synonymous with puppet. In this sense, it must be remembered that in the Italian tradition there are two types of puppets, the burattini (puppets moved by a glove) or the fantoccini (puppets moved by strings). In French the word guignol or marionnette is used and in Catalan the term titella is used. In English the word puppet is used and the puppet theater is known as puppets theater.
There are puppet people
If a person is manipulated by another for any purpose, he can be said to be a puppet. It is, logically, a derogatory and insulting term. Thus, someone is a puppet if another individual "pulls the strings" to make him act in a certain way. The puppet is a victim or someone who allows himself to be manipulated for lack of personality.
Photos: iStock - syolacan / Peshkova
