Together with two subsequent plays, namely Evening in a Strange Land (1963) and The Story of the Hidden Moon (1963), The Marionettes constitutes the playwright's puppet trilogy.

[9] They include Hero, Demon, Girl and such other types as Black Man, Merchant, Poet, etc.

Both the central theme and the characters reoccur in the two subsequent puppet plays too,[9] and all the three pieces are "meant to be performed by actors as well.

Recovering a long, dormant love and sorrow at the sight of the fair girl, Hero sets out to war against the demon.

Black Man, a loyal friend to Hero, drops his gay mood and rejects master puppeteer's requests about amusing the audience.

[12] The English translation by Parvin Loloi and Glyn Pursglove was staged in England in 2004, with Jodi-Anne George as director of the British premier.