Medieval English Drama

Mystery Plays

A variety of vernacular medieval drama characterized by the representation of scenes from the Bible

origins in religious Latin drama dating back to the tenth century

generally composed in cycles or sequences of plays covering biblical episodes from the Creation to the Last Judgment; a cycle could consist of as many as 48 plays; popular in England in the 14th and 15th centuries

four surviving English cycles: York, Chester, Wakefield (Towneley), and one of unknown location in the East Midlands

performed in towns by craftsmen's guilds as part of summer festivals, Whitsuntide (7th Sunday after Easter) and Corpus Christi (a week after Whitsundtide)

plays staged on wagons moving as part of a pageant

education and entertainment purposes

Adam, 12th century Anglo-Norman work

Noah's Flood, part of the Chester Cycle (Cheshire in NW England); humorous scenes of Noah quarreling with his wife; last performed in 1575 (the five surviving manuscripts are after that time)

Wakefield Master, Second Shepherds' Play (c. 1475), part of Wakefield Cycle (in Yorkshire)

• the Wakefield Master was probably a friar or cleric
• play is second of two Nativity works involving shepherds
• mixture of comedy and religion; Nativity of Christ mixed with story of thieves Mak and Gill
• emphasis on ideas of forgiveness and charity
• happy ending
• 9-line stanzas with internal rhyme: (ab)(ab)(ab)(ab)cdddc:
  
  Lord what these weders are cold : and I am yll happyd
  I am nere hand dold : so long haue I nappyd
  My legys thay fold : my fyngers ar chappyd
  It is not as I wold : for I am al lappyd
  ----------In sorow
  In stormes and tempest
  Now in the eest now in the west
  Wo is hym has neuer rest
  ----------Myd day nor morow
  

Links:

Medieval English Plays: http://artemis.austinc.edu/acad/HWC22/Medieval/english_mystery_plays.html

Texts: http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/playtexts.htm

Morality Plays

A variety of medieval drama characterized by the use of allegorical figures (see Allegory) for didactic purposes connected to religious and moral ideas.

existed simultaneously with mystery plays but probably were derived from them

composed as single plays rather than in cycles

competing forces represented by allegorical figures establish a psychomachy associated with the moral and spiritual struggles of a human character or characters

Everyman (after 1485)

• probably a translation of a Flemish play
• no manuscript exists; source is a copy printed by John Skot around 1530
• moral lesson embodied in the situation of character named Everyman who, upon being summoned by Death, is gradually deserted by friends, relatives, and wealth; his good deeds alone support him in the end

Links:

Text: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/everyman.html

Terminology: http://riri.essortment.com/englishdrama_rjdz.htm

Everyman, An Introduction: http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/intro.htm