Miracle and Morality Plays

Religious Drama Because few people could read, the church used sermons, windows, and entertainment to teach truths and events in religion. Mystery plays: taught the creation and ending with the last judgment. Morality plays: used allegories to represent good, evil, and to present moral lessons.

Stained-Glass Windows

Medieval Drama In 692, the church had condemned plays as immoral. In the early 900s, medieval theater developed from the annual cycle of the religious rites that presented events in the life of Christ. By 1100s, the church had developed religious drama to teach Bible stories because most people were illiliterate.

Miracle Plays/Mystery Plays Short, one-act drama that presented the miracles performed by the saints. Later, the trade guilds known as “mysteries” took over. Although the dramas were based on religious subjects, elements of secular humor were included. As the plays grew, so did the elaborate presentations that the dramas had to be moved outside. The dramas also became longer in length lasting a day and some in the 1300s lasted several days. Eventually, the dramas were not limited to biblical stories.

Morality Play In the 1400s, a corps of professional actors arose who performed morality plays that dramatized points of religious doctrine. The plays centered on the moral struggles of everyday people. The characters had names such as Patience, Greed, and Good Works. The dialogue was designed to teach people important lessons about salvation and the struggles of virtue and vice. As time progressed, so did the plays. The subjects moved to from church to the secular world. This tradition of plays led to the plays of Shakespeare and others.

Everyman No known author Based on the orthodox teachings of the Christian Church but hinted at the need of reform.

Literary elements Allegory: elements such as characters, settings, and plot symbolized ideas, qualities, or figures beyond themselves. Author’s purpose: to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or to explain.

Questions Why might a speech like God’s have been familiar to the audience at an early performance? What does Death’s statement tell you about the beliefs of many Christians in the Middle Ages? What does the character Fellowship represent? How is the value of charity reflected by Goods? How is Good Deeds described, and what is the situation meant to symbolize? What moral lesson does the play teach?