Medieval Drama
between Ancient Greek theater and Roman theater, drama survived and flourished for well over 1,000 years
the roman catholic church revived the genre as early as the 10th century
the church began using liturgical dramas to reach its mostly illiterate flock
the three major genres of medieval drama included morality, mystery, and miracle plays.
Purpose
most surviving medieval plays come from the 14th and 15th centuries when drama again flourished
the authors are unknown, but their purposes and themes were clearly religious
the authors’ primary audience was not the wealthy, educated elite
plays were aimed at the common man
Genres
Miracle Plays
○ portrayed stories from Church saints’ lives
● Almost all surviving miracle plays concerned either the Virgin Mary or St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor ● Few English miracle plays are still in existence; most were subsequently destroyed or lost.
Mystery Plays
cycles of short plays depicting biblical stories
● Most scholars agree that mystery refers not to the plays’ content but rather to their production.
● Guilds were medieval trade associations organized around particular vocations, such as goldsmiths, butchers, or merchants.
Morality Plays
told an allegorical story representing a spiritual theme or truth
● Characters were usually stock representations of man or abstract ideas.
● Allegory is a literary device in which a specific character, place, or situation stands in for a broader concept.
● Commonly called Everyman, the protagonist encountered characters such as Vice, Death, Good Deeds, Justice, or even God.
● Their interactions explored a common human problem and presented a clear moral lesson for the audience.
Drama & Community
Performed on important Church holidays (e.g., Whitsuntide or Corpus Christi)
● Acted by a combination of volunteers and professional entertainers, produced by community members, and attended by the entire community.
● The plays were staged outside.
● Mystery plays demanded the most community involvement.
○ Each play was enacted on a movable stage called a pageant wagon.
● Pageant wagons were moving stages on which a group of people would perform a section of a mystery play at different locations in town.
● Guilds often sponsored a particular pageant wagon as a way of contributing to the play while also advertising their wares.
● Notable surviving drama cycles include ones from York, Chester, and Wakefield.
● The Wakefield Second Shepherds’ Play has particularly gained notice for its hilarious mixture of farce with a serious retelling of the shepherds’ visit to the newborn Jesus.
● A farce is a type of broad, exaggerated comedy.
Everyman
Written in the late 1400s, Everyman is the most widely known and best medieval morality play.
● The play reminds the audience that life is temporary; in a final accounting of one’s life, only the spiritual matters.
● The play also reveals how even people who know better are never quite ready for Death to visit.