medieval theatre
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Medieval TheatreMedieval Theatre
Time frame: 5th c- mid 16th c Secular theatre died in Western Europe
with the fall of Rome Theatrical performances were banned by
the Roman Catholic Church as barbaric and pagan
Most Roman theatre had been spectacle rather than literary drama
Roman Literary DramaRoman Literary Drama
2nd c. bc - 4th c. ce Origins in Greek drama and Roman
festivals Tragedy: Seneca Comedy:Terence and Plautus
Roman SpectacleRoman Spectacle
Gladiatorial combats Naval battles in a flooded Coliseum “Real-life” theatricals Decadent, violent and immoral All theatrical events were banned by the
Church when Rome became Christianized
Byzantine TheatreByzantine Theatre The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium)
with its capitol at Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) flourished until 1453.
The Byzantines kept Greek and Roman theatrical pieces alive and saved manuscripts and records of Classical playwrights.
Drama in the Early Middle AgesDrama in the Early Middle Ages500-1000500-1000
Small groups of traveling performers – minstrels, jugglers, acrobats, bards, mimes, puppeteers -- went from town to town entertaining.
They performed in taverns and at festivals for the commoners and at court for the nobility
Festivals usually contained both pagan and Christian elements ( e.g. Halloween and Christmas celebrations )
Hrotsvit of Hrotsvit of GandersheimGandersheim
935-1000935-1000
aka Roswitha, Hrotswitha, Hrotsvita Canoness at the convent of Gandersheim
in Germany One of the earliest European playwrights Her 6 plays, written in Latin, are based
on Roman comedies by Terence, but focus on female characters in situations that test their devotion to Christian virtues.
Her intention was to revise the negative portrayals of women that she found in his comedies.
Liturgical DramaLiturgical Drama
The Roman Catholic Church was responsible for the rebirth of European theatre in the 10th –12th century
All Europe had been converted to Christianity The Church needed ways to teach illiterate
parishioners: cathedrals, stained glass windows, sculpture, painting and drama
Liturgical DramaLiturgical Drama
Religious rituals ( the mass, baptism, etc.) embody theatrical elements.
Priests began to incorporate such elements into the gospel lessons of the mass.
The first short plays were called tropes Written in Latin, these tropes were
performed by the clergy during the mass.
Quem Quaeritis Quem Quaeritis TropeTrope
“Whom do you “Whom do you seek?seek?
Easter gospel lesson: the 3 Marys come to the tomb of Christ seeking to annoint his body and are greeted by an angel
Text in Latin from the Regularis Concordia of Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, ca. 967-75.
Quem Quaeritis TropeQuem Quaeritis TropeWhen the third lesson of the matins is chanted, let four brethren
[monks] dress themselves; of whom let one, wearing an alb, enter as if to take part in the service; and let him without being observed approach the place of the sepulcher, where, holding a palm in his hand, let him sit quietly. Set and costumes
While the third responsory is being sung, let the remaining three brethren follow, all of them wearing copes and carrying censors filled with incense. Then slowly, in the manner of seeking something, let them move toward the place of the sepulcher. These things are to be performed in imitation of the Angel seated in the tomb, and of the women coming with spices to anoint the body of Jesus. When therefore the seated angel shall see the three women, as if straying about and looking for something, approach him, let him begin to sing in a dulcet voice of medium pitch: Stage directions
Whom seek ye in the sepulcher, O followers of Christ? When he has sung this to the end, let the three respond in unison:
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, O celestial one. To whom that one: He is not here; he is risen, just as he foretold.
Go, announce that he is risen from the dead. At the word of this command, let the three turn to the choir, and say:
Alleluia! The Lord is risen today, The strong lion, the Christ, the Son of God. Give thanks to God, eia!¡ ¡hurrah! Dialogue
This said, let the Angel, again seating himself, as if recalling them, sing the anthem
Venite, et Videte locum-- Music Come, and see the place where the Lord was lad. Alleluia! Alleluia!
And saying this, let him rise, and let him lift the veil and show them the place bare of the cross, but only the cloths lying there with which the cross was wrapped. Seeing this, let the women set down the censers they carried into the sepulcher, and let them pick up the cloth and spread it out before the eyes of the clergy; and, as if making known that the Lord
had risen and was not now wrapped in this linen, Stage directions
let them sing this anthem Surrexit Dominus de Sepulchro--The Lord is risen from the sepulcher,
Who for us hung on the cross. MusicAnd let them place the cloth upon the altar. The anthem being ended, let the Prior, rejoicing with them at the triumph of our king, in that having conquered death, he arose, begin the hymn:
Te, Deum, laudamus--We Praise thee, O God.
Religious Vernacular Religious Vernacular DramaDrama
Vernacular: language spoken by the people To reach the commoners, the clergy began to translate the
liturgical plays into vernacular languages As the plays became more elaborate, they were moved
from the altar of the church to the church yard. As more roles were added, commoners were used as
amateur actors
The The 3 M’s3 M’s of Religious of Religious Vernacular DramaVernacular Drama
Mystery plays: Biblical stories
Miracle plays: saints’ lives
Morality plays: allegories
Mystery PlaysMystery Plays Mystery: from French mystere -- secret. The term could
refer to Biblical truths or to the secrets of the crafts held by the guilds who were responsible for producing the plays.
In England, these Biblical plays were produced in cycles: a series of plays depicting Biblical history from the Creation to the Last Judgement. Also known as Cycle Plays.
The cycles were usually performed at the religious festival of Corpus Christi -- in the spring or early summer.
Mystery Plays performed by Trade GuildsMystery Plays performed by Trade Guilds
While the plays were written by the clergy and overseen by the Church, the performances were produced by the guilds of each town and mostly performed by amateur actors.
Productions were considered a religious duty, and each guild invested considerable resources into productions.
Plays were often assigned to guilds associated with the subject matter of the play and became a kind of “advertisement”The Flood: Shipbuilders or Barrelmakers The Nativity: Shepherds The Magi: Goldsmiths
English Cycle PlaysEnglish Cycle Plays Each cathedral town had its own cycle:
York Chester Wakefield N-town
The cycles were very popular amongst commoners and nobility: records show that both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I attended performances.
The Protestant Reformation brought a halt to the presentation of cycle plays as they incorporated Roman Catholic theology.
Modern Modern ProductioProductio
nsnsChester Mystery Plays
York Mystery Plays
The Lichfield Mysteries
B.J. Elvgren. Quilt: depicting scenes from Chester’s 14th century dramas set against modern city landmarks – Chester Cathedral
Dramatic TechniquesDramatic Techniques English mystery plays incorporate a combination
of high seriousness and low comedy: High seriousness: the Biblical stories of the Old
Testament and Jesus’ life and mission Low comedy: the plays incorporate almost slapstick
sketches of contemporary medieval daily life. The plays are set in contemporary settings with
recognizable contemporary characters: the truth of the Biblical stories is timeless -- the divine truths revealed in the Bible are still true “today.”
Miracle PlaysMiracle Plays Miracle plays were similar to mystery plays in
dramatic techniques Dramatized the lives of Roman Catholic saints
( in order to become a saint, a person had to perform 3 documented miracles)
The most popular subjects were the Virgin Mary (plays usually written in Latin), St. George (dragon slayer and patron saint of England) and St. Nicholas ( associated with Christmas festivities)
Morality PlaysMorality Plays
Theme: how to live a Christian life and be saved. Allegory:
A story told on two levels: the literal and the the symbolic
Plot: a journey through life or to death Emphasis switches from Biblical and saintly
protagonists to the common man: Everyman, Mankind
Focus on free will First major use of professional acting companies
Staging the PlaysStaging the Plays 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
STATIONARY 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
Dramatic TechniquesDramatic Techniques
Theatre was performed in found spaces: town squares, taverns, churches, banquet halls -- no specifically designated theatres
Theatre was intimate -- audience interacted with performers
Elaborate special effects Characterization was often dependent upon
costume and makeup
Interludes and FarcesInterludes and Farces Combined elements of allegory, classical myth, and courtly
entertainment: music, dance, spectacle Interludes were short plays performed between courses at
court banquets Farces were longer plays ridiculing such human follies as
greed and dishonesty As the mysteries, miracle and moralities were censored by
Protestant authorities, secular drama became more important to all levels of society
Folk PlaysFolk Plays Often performed at such holidays as Christmas, New Year
and May Day Incorporated remnants of pagan rituals Mummers, Morris Dancers, etc. Robin Hood Feast of Fools: Fool companies consisted of . young men,
whose chief business was to play gross comedies and to execute nonsensical and often ribald travesties on the Mass. These boisterous "Feasts" antedate most of the mysteries, and may have been reverent in their origin
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