Sunday, August 15, 2010

Medieval Plays

Three types of medieval plays you gotta know:

1. Mystery Play
  • one of the earlies formally developed plays in medieval Europe
  • representation of Bible stories - tableaux with antiphonal song
  • eventually became secular and performed in the vernacular
  • taken over by guilds (mysterium, hence mystery play)
  • based on Bible - particularly concerned with stories of man's Creation, Fall and Redemption

2. Miracle Play
  • later development of mystery play
  • dramatized saints' lives and divine miracles, as well as legends of miraculous interventions by the Virgin  

3. Morality Play
  • allegory in dramatic form
  • origins in mystery and miracle plays
  • dramatization of battle between good and evil in human soul (i.e. exteriorization of inward spiritual struggle)
  • example - Everyman

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