Curculion means "Breadworm." This is the nickname of the one-eyed freeloader-rooting, sly and glutton, which leads the intrigue in this comedy. His breadwinner and patron is an ardent young man in love; the girl this young man loves belongs to the evil pimp and needs to be redeemed as soon as possible. There is no money, and the lover does not know how to get them; all hope for a clever Curculion. The young man sent him to another city - to ask for a loan from his friend, and he secretly makes his way to his dear. The pivot is sick, the young man is met by a drunken gatekeeper, ready for anything with a jug of wine. The old woman sings the glory of wine: “Ah, wine! oh wine! the best gift for me! .. "The young man sings a serenade to the door hinges, which will now open the door and release his beloved to him:" Hey, hooks! hooks, I send greetings with all my heart! .. ”The old slave looks at the lovers kissing and grumbles:“ It’s good to love rationally, but crazy - to nothing. ” Everyone is waiting for Curculion to return - will he bring the money or not?
Kurkulion is light at a trace - he is already running around the stage: “Hey, acquaintances, strangers, off the road, off the road! / I must serve the service! Who got caught, beware / So that I would not knock him down with my chest, head or foot! / Be the king, be the sovereign, be at least the police, / Be the boss, be the stove-maker, be the idle slave, - / Everyone will fly off my road head on the street! .. "
He is seized, held, treated, questioned. It turns out that all the noise is in vain: there is no money, but there is hope for a trick. In the neighboring town, Curculion accidentally met a boastful warrior, who, it turns out, also noticed the same girl and had already conspired with a procurer about her purchase. The money for this lies with the preservation of the money changer, who will give it to the one who presents him with a sign with a signet of a warrior as a conditional sign. Curculion got involved with the warrior in company, they dined, drank, began to play dice, one got less, the other got bigger, Curculion found himself winning, pulled a finger off his drunk soldier and was like that. Here it is - for such a service it’s a sin not to feed him to the dump!
The work begins. Having eaten tightly, Kurkulion appears to the money-changer with a letter sealed by that very signet: a fighter who cuts an elephant with a sword. The letter says: I’m supposed to be such and such a warrior, I instruct the money changer to pay such and such and such and such a pivot to the pimp, and hand over the purchased girl to the sender of this letter. “And who are you?” “I am his servant.” “Well, why didn’t he come?” - “He’s busy with business: he erects a monument to his exploits - how he defeated Persia and Syria, Obzhoriya and Opiniya, Aivia and Vinokuria: half the world in three weeks.” “Well, if so, then I believe that you are from him: the other will not come up with such nonsense.” And, stopping the interrogation, the money changer pays money to the pimp, and he leaves with Kurkulion for the stage to the girl.
An unexpected pause: the Horag, the owner of the acting troupe, enters the empty stage and talks to the audience. This is all that remains of the choir, which once occupied so much space in comedies. Horag teases the audience: “Do you want to tell you where to find someone on the forum? At such a temple - liars, at such-and-such motives, at the well - impudent people, at the canal - dandies, at the trial - hookhats, and at the same time sluts ... ”Meanwhile, the pimp hands the girl to Curculion, and he, pleased, leads her to her master, anticipating a hearty dinner in return.
Suddenly a boastful warrior appears - he overslept, grabbed his ring, hurries to the money changer - there is no more money, hurries to the pimp - the girl is gone. “Where can I find Curculion, the worm that is worthless?” / “Yes, look in the grain of wheat, there you will find at least a thousand!” / "Where is he? where is he? help, dear viewers! / Whoever finds it will help - I will give a reward! .. "
And his ring — a fighter who cuts an elephant with a sword — is at Kurkulion’s, and the girl looks and wonders: her father had the same ring! A warrior breaks in, rushes to the youth: “Give me my slave!” “She is free,” the young man declares, “if you want, we’ll go to court, just say first: is this your ring?” “Mine.” - “Where did you get it from?” - "From the father." “What was the name of your father?” and mother? and the nurse? " - "So that". - “My dear brother! - the girl shouts, rushing to the warrior's neck. Didn’t you have a little sister who was lost in childhood? ” A joyful recognition occurs: what a blessing that the gods did not allow the brother to sister to marry! The wedding of a boy and a girl is a foregone conclusion; now you need to deal with the pimp - how dare he sell a free girl? He is frightened, the girl even feels sorry for the old man: “Have pity on him, he did not offend me, I both entered and left honestly!” “Okay,” the warrior says, “let him return the money, but I will not be dragging him to court, nor will I shoot them with a catapult.” The pimp pays, a feast is being prepared for the ransom, and Curculion rubs his belly, waiting for a well-deserved treat.
