1. Mystery, Miracle, and Morality Plays
Medieval England ~

2. Historical Background ~800-1200
After the fall of Rome, many historical and cultural artifacts disappeared; drama being one of them
The Roman Catholic Church became the governing force
Drama was never officially approved by the church, but drama’s rebirth occurs in the church

3. Historical Background ~800-1200
The Catholic Church is responsible for the rebirth of the theatre
The Church needed a way to educate illiterate parishioners
cathedrals, stained glass windows, sculpture, painting and drama

4. Early Medieval Drama Earliest Medieval Drama
Tropes
Liturgical Drama
Dramatic Scenes were not added for centuries
Religious Rituals
Liturgical Drama (tied to mass)
Tropes (dialogues/call and response between priests)  written in Latin, performed during mass
Baptism, Marriage, Mass etc. resemble dramatic scenes

5. Trope – a small theatrical embellishment added to the silent part of mass
these are used to “explain” the Latin text that the parishioners would not have been able to understand
tropes are performed inside the church, at the altar, by the monks

6. The “Quem Quaeritis” Introduced around 900
New form of Liturgical Drama
“Whom do you seek?”
Delivered during an Easter Mass
Composed of a question, an answer, and a command between the angels at Christ’s Tomb and the “Three Marys”
Question [by the Angels]: Whom do ye seek in the sepulcher, O followers of Christ?
Answer [by the Marys]: Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified, O heavenly ones.
The Angels: He is not here; he is risen, just as he foretold. Go, announce that he is risen from the sepulcher.
The Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, wife of Lazarus

7. As the tropes gain in popularity, performances move from the altar to mansion stages throughout the church.
Stories are presented in pieces with dialogue, costumes, etc.
Monks, choir & other church officials play the parts
Audience moves from stage to stage, as the stories are presented sequentially

8. Medieval performance spaces:
Altar
Mansion stages in the nave
On the church steps or in the churchyard (depending on the size)
Pageant wagons in churchyard or the town marketplace
Pageant wagons that traveled from city to city

9. The Main Points
Aimed to teach or reinforce Church doctrine (church laws).
2. Good rewarded; evil punished
3. God and his plan were the driving forces, not the characters.

10. Staging the Plays
Mansions - small scenic structures for indicating location. In more complex plays, there were many mansions.
Platea – open acting space, adjacent to the mansion. The church structure usually served as the mansions (the choir loft, for instance, could serve as heaven; the altar might be the tomb of Christ).
Machinery was also used: to fly Christ up to heaven, have angels come down, etc.
Costumes were ordinary church vestments or typical fashion of the times.

11. Staging the Plays STATIONARY PROCESSIONAL
Mansions or a series of stages would be set up around the town square
Anchored at either end by Heaven and Hell
Elaborate special effects such as floods, flying and fiery pits were very popular
PROCESSIONAL
Pageant wagons would
travel a set route and perform at several locations: like a parade or
would be set up around a town square and the audience would travel from one wagon to the next to see the performances

12. Staging Central Platform Drama was “cycled”  Stations of the Cross
Neutral Stage… “Platea”
Doorways at the back of the Pageant… “Mansions”
Walking out of specific mansion
onto neutral stage,
makes the neutral
stage the specific
mansion.
Pageant Wagons

13. Stationary Staging
Station

14. Pageant Wagons as Stages
Processional Staging
Used in England and Spain
Find a place on the parade route to watch the plays in sequence.
Wagons would stop from time to time to perform the play.
You could pay for the best seats, or places inside of homes lining the street.
The term "pageant" is used to refer to the stage, the play itself, and the spectacle.
Platform on wheels
Pulled by men
Small enough to fit down narrow streets
May have had second platform, pulled behind

15. Simple Pageant Wagons

17. Simple Pageant Wagons

20. Spectacle
Flying – ability to fly actors over the stage playing Christ, Angels, monsters.
Trap Doors – used in floors to allow actors to disappear below
Fire – Used to show hell, often times to dire consequences for the actors.
Costumes – Symbolic using the dress of the era. Religious garments; masks rare – for devils.
Scenery

21. The “Hell-Mouth”
The HELL MOUTH… a large machine that took up to 17 men to operate & looked like the mouth of a big fish that belched smoke & small explosions – devils would stuff their victims into the “mouth” – is was the mouth of Hell

22. Religious Vernacular Drama
Vernacular: language spoken by the people
To reach the commoners, the clergy began to translate the liturgical plays into vernacular languages
Plays were set outdoors where space permitted
As more roles were added, commoners were used as amateur actors

23. The Miracle Play
Earliest examples of drama do not exist due to their ban by King Henry VIII
First documented group were called Miracle Plays (~10th Century)
They usually dealt with reenactments of the Saint’s or other important religious figures’ lives (Noah’s Flood)
Miracle plays present an event or legend from some source other than the Bible. (i.e. Tradition)
Dramatized the lives of Roman Catholic saints ( in order to become a saint, a person had to perform 3 documented miracles)

24. The Mystery Play
Mystery and Miracle Plays developed out of earlier Liturgical Dramas
Dealt with Scriptural or Biblical Events in cycles
Pageant Wagons
Noah’s Flood, Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, Creationism, etc
Subject matter focuses on the spiritual mystery of Christ’s redemption of mankind
Dramatization of Biblical Incidents
Foretell and recount redemption by mankind through Christ
Composed in Cycles (As Many as 48), they try to tell the whole story of the Bible.

25. The Morality Play The Morality Play developed around the 12th Century
Relied more upon Allegorical connections rather than strictly Biblical reenactment
Morality Plays sought to put characters amongst the temptations of existence (the afterlife) and force them to contemplate the salvation

26. The Morality Play Purpose:
Make Christianity more real to the audience by dramatizing the meaning of religion in terms of everyday human experience
Abstract moral conflict, turned into drama in the real world.
Good versus evil…
A constant battle going on in the soul of every person
The setting of a morality play is usually the soul, and the actors are personified versions of qualities in everyman.
The Soul is turned inside out.

27. The Morality Play Allegorical Characters: Supernatural Beings: Vice:
Not real people
They are abstract qualities
Aptronym
Main character represents all of humanity
Supernatural Beings:
God, Angels, Devil
Powers outside of the soul, but interested in the outcome
Vice:
Leader of the forces of evil
Tendency towards Sin
Tries to get the main character into trouble
Sharp sense of humor- attractive to the audience, very charming
Climax is when he is overthrown

28. Characteristics Allegorical Characters
Actions both literal and symbolic
Psychomachia
Clearly stated moral
Takes on poetic form
Aptronyms
Professional Actors
The “Journey”
Focus on Free Will
Saints to Commoners
Psychomachia  Struggle of the soul from birth to death
Aptronyms  Names that are suitable to character

29. Development of Drama The Nature of the Hero (blank slate)
Fall and Redemption
Comic Relief (farce)
Staging (or lack thereof)
Debate (Stichomythia)
The nature of sin
Focus on the character
Bridge from religious to secular
Direct link to Shakespeare

30. EVERYMAN ~ Anonymous (1485)

31. Major Themes
Inevitability of death and the need for one to secure salvation before dying
Inconstancy of the transitory and worldly contrasted to the constancy of virtue,
Reaching outward for virtue in others then to self
Salvation as a “reckoning”
Life as a challenging journey or pilgrimage in order to arrive at salvation
Didactism

32. Seven……. Seven Heavenly Virtues Seven Deadly Sins Chastity Temperance
Charity
Diligence
Patience
Kindness
Humility
Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride