Medieval Theatre

By bbell2
  • Period: 900 to 1050

    Early

  • 970

    Quem quaeritis trope

    Quem quaeritis trope
    Quem quaeritis trope was a musical performance of the medieval Easter liturgy, including a conversation between Christ's guardian angel and the three Marys. This may have been the beginning of liturgical drama-(Brockett, pg. 101, oxfordreference.com).
  • 973

    The first female dramatist

    The first female dramatist
    Hrosvitha was a fan of comedies by the Roman playwright Terence. But because she was Christian, she feared the influence these works could have on the world. This prompted her to write her own plays about people overcoming their earthly temptations-(Brockett, pg. 87).
  • Period: 1050 to 1300

    Mid

  • Period: 1300 to 1500

    Late

  • 1375

    Religious Plays

    Religious Plays
    Around 125 towns in the British Isles produced plays dealing with the same basic concept: God's creation and eventual destruction of Earth, and how life was supposedly a test for everyone. Medieval stages often showed heaven on one side of a long stage, with hell on the opposite side. The middle represented the physical world-(Brockett, pg. 89).
  • 1400

    Morality Plays

    Morality Plays
    Unlike religious plays, morality plays focused on the spiritual struggles of ordinary people. The most well known example of this is the play "Everyman". In this story, the protagonist must face death after years of putting the inevitability of it off. He tries to convince his companions to help him face it, but is declined by every one of them. In the end, he better understands how his earthly life affects his eternal one-(Brockett, pg. 97).
  • 1425

    The Wakefield Cycle

    The Wakefield Cycle
    The Wakefield cycle contains 32 plays; starting with God's creation and ending with his final judgement. All authors of these plays remain anonymous, as they wrote for the sake of their religion, and that alone. The production of the Wakefield cycle was a community effort involving the church, guilds, and town council-(Brockett, pg. 92).
  • 1470

    Pierre Patelin

    Pierre Patelin
    "Pierre Patelin" was on the not so encouraged farce side of the theatre spectrum. The story follows an impoverished lawyer who buys cloth from a merchant, whom he invites in to receive his payment. When the merchant shows up, Patelin is in bed; his wife swearing he hadn't been out. Patelin then fakes insanity, beating the merchant until he leaves without his payment-(Brockett, pg. 97).