The emergence of drama as a literary art - Mindy Ploeckelmann

Summary

This script explores the evolution of drama from the 11th to 15th centuries, starting with the clergy's use of mystery and miracle plays to educate the illiterate about the Bible. As these plays evolved into morality plays with allegorical characters, they became crude and comic, leading to the church's ban. This transformation laid the groundwork for Renaissance drama, with Shakespeare's The Globe theater emerging from this tradition, highlighting the birth of drama as a literary art form.

Takeaways

• 📜 In the 11th and 12th centuries, English commoners were largely illiterate, leading to the invention of mystery and miracle plays by the clergy to convey Bible stories and saints' tales.
• 🎭 Mystery plays were designed to reveal the 'mystery of God's word' to those unable to read the Bible, while miracle plays focused on stories of the church's saints.
• 🏰 Initially, clergy performed these plays on cathedral steps, but due to popularity, they moved to public spaces like town squares and used pageants, or movable carts, for performances.
• 🚂 The pageants were large, two-story carts with a stage on top and a curtained area below for costumes and props, allowing for a cycle of stories from Genesis to Revelation.
• 🤹‍♂️ By the 13th century, the demand for actors grew, leading to guilds taking responsibility for performing different parts of the biblical cycle, often related to their professions.
• 🔍 The carpenter's guild might perform Noah's Ark, and the baker's guild The Last Supper, suggesting a potential humorous or inappropriate portrayal by the butcher's guild in The Crucifixion of Christ.
• 🎭 Over time, the plays began to deviate from their original biblical narratives, evolving into a new form of drama by the 14th century known as morality plays.
• 🤝 Morality plays featured personified virtues like Faith, Truth, and Charity, alongside vices like Falsehood and Covetousness, battling for the soul's control in allegorical stories.
• 🍎 Audience interaction became common, with spectators engaging with actors, throwing food, and even physical altercations, reflecting the plays' popularity and crude humor.
• 😈 The character of the devil would interact with the audience, pulling people into a dragon's mouth representing hell, adding a theatrical and sometimes frightening element to the performances.
• 🏛 By the mid-15th century, the church began to ban these performances, requiring theaters to be built outside city walls, leading to the construction of structures that influenced later designs, including The Globe.
• 🎭 The evolution of medieval morality plays laid the groundwork for Renaissance playwrights, inspiring works that explored the inner struggles and conscience of humans, marking the emergence of drama as a literary art form.

Q & A

What was the primary reason for the creation of mystery plays in the 11th and 12th centuries?

Mystery plays were created because most English commoners were illiterate and had no way to learn the Bible. The clergy used these plays to reveal the mystery of God's word to those who couldn't read.

What were miracle plays and how did they relate to the church?

Miracle plays were plays about the saints of the church, developed by the clergy around the same time as mystery plays, to educate the illiterate about the lives and deeds of the saints.

How did the initial performances of Bible stories by the clergy take place?

The clergy members initially acted out Bible stories on the steps outside the cathedral, which eventually moved to the streets and town square due to the audience's positive reaction.

What is the term for the movable carts used to perform cycles of stories in the town square?

The movable carts were called pageants, which were huge boxes on wheels with a stage for performance on the top platform and space for costumes and props on the bottom.

How did the pageants facilitate the performance of a complete cycle of stories?

Pageants were lined up one after the other to create a cycle of stories that would take viewers from Genesis to Revelation, moving around the town until the entire series was seen.

Why were different guilds asked to participate in the plays by the 13th century?

Different guilds were asked to participate because the plays required more actors than the clergy could supply, and the assignments were meant to reflect the guilds' professions.

Can you provide an example of how a guild's profession influenced the story they performed?

For instance, the carpenter's guild might perform the story of Noah's Ark, while the baker's guild might perform The Last Supper, reflecting their respective trades.

What changes occurred to the plays as they transitioned from being performed by the clergy to guilds?

The plays started changing from their true Bible stories, as guilds added their own interpretations and elements, which sometimes deviated from the original religious narratives.

What is a morality play and how did it evolve from the earlier plays?

A morality play is a new form of drama that evolved by the end of the 14th century, where virtues like faith and truth, and vices like falsehood and covetousness, were personified as characters battling for the control of the soul.

How did the audiences' reactions to morality plays differ from the original intentions of the clergy?

Audiences loved the immoral characters, and the plays encouraged audience interaction, including throwing rotten food and engaging in scuffles, which was contrary to the clergy's intention to teach against immorality.

What measures did the church take by the mid-15th century to regulate theater performances?

The church started to outlaw performances and required that any theater be built outside the city wall, leading to the construction of the first theaters with gallery seating around a central stage.

How did the medieval morality play influence the development of drama and playwrights like William Shakespeare?

The medieval morality play led to the emergence of Renaissance playwrights who were inspired by the inner struggles and conscience of man, with Shakespeare developing his craft at a theater that became known as The Globe.