Medieval Theatre (900-1500)

Medieval Theatre (900-1500)

Period: 900 to 1500

Hrosvitha

935

Hrosvitha was a female dramatist who was also a German poetess and playwright. Her work was written wholly in Latin and the examples include "Callimachus," "Dulcitius," "Pafuntius," "Gallicanus," "Abraham," and "Sapientia" (Ridpath). These six dramas are known as "Comaedia Sacrae VI" and are the most outstanding part of her productions. Hrosvitha's writings "suggest a knowledge of the world and intimate acquaintance with the human heart" (Ridpath).

"Quem Quareritis"

970

"Quem Quareritis" are the "earliest known examples of liturgical plays" (Brockett et al. 86). "Quem Quareritis" "dramatized the arrival of three women at the tomb of Christ, the announcement by an angel that Christ has risen, and the subsequent rejoicing" (Brockett et al. 86). This was a short play of only four lines and was "performed as part of Easter services" (Brockett et al. 86). Fun fact: "Quem Quareritis" translates to "Whom are you Seeking?"

Plays Inside the Church

1200

As a part of liturgy in the 1200s, most plays were still being performed inside of churches. The plays were written in latin which was "the language of the church throughout western Europe"(Brockett et al. 86). In dramas, there are two parts to the stage space, those being mansions and platea. Mansions were used to represent locales and platea was undifferentiated stage space or a general acting area (Brockett et al. 90).

"Le Miracle de Théophile"

1245

"Le Miracle de Théophile" is a religious drama about a "priest who sells his soul to the devil and is saved by the Virgin" (“Le Miracle de Théophile.”). This play was written in Langues d'oïl, which means the language of yes. It was a thirteenth-century micicale play written by Rutebeuf in 1245. French poet Rutebeuf wrote "pungent commentaries on the orders of society are [which were] considered the first expression of popular opinion in French literature" (“Le Miracle de Théophile.”).

Categories of Medieval Dramas

1400

There are three types of categories of medieval dramas, these include mystery plays, miracle plays, and morality plays. Mystery plays were stories taken from the Bible that had four or five different acts (Mr.Donn). Miracle plays were "about the life or actions of a saint, usually about the actions that made that person a saint (Mr.Donn). Morality plays were designed to teach people a lesson in how to live their life.

"The Castle of Perseverance"

1405

"The Castle of Perseverance" was a morality play in the 15th-century that had 3649 lines. This play was published in 1405 and is an ontology of a man "opening before his birth and ending after his death and his judgment before the throne of God" (Maity). The protagonist of this play is Humanum Genus or Man. "The Castle of Perseverance" is preserved in the Marco Manuscript. The playwright for this play is however, anonymous.

"The Second Shepherd's Play"

1450

"The Second Shepherd's Play" is a mystery play that is also part of the Wakefield mystery play cycle. A short summary of this play is that "three shepherds who are struggling due to their place in society, but religion ultimately redeems them" (Gonzalez). This play has some undisguised religious themes and was meant to teach lessons about Christianity. The exact date it was written and the author of this play is unknown however, some believe that is was written by “The Wakefield Master."

"Everyman"

1495

"Everyman" is the most famous morality play which was written by Petrus Dorlandus. This play is about life leading to death and in this play, "God orders Death to summon the main character" (Brockett et al. 97). Similar to John Bunyan's 1678 Christian novel "The Pilgrim's Progress", "Everyman" uses allegorical characters to examine the question of Christian salvation and what Man must do to attain it ("Everyman: Background"). Also, the conflict between good and evil is dramatised.

Pieta

1498

Pieta is a sculpture by Michelangelo that shows "the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ after his crucifixion, death, and removal from the cross, but before he was placed in the tomb" ("Michelangelo’s Pieta"). During this time, multi-figured sculptures were rare. In this sculpture, the proportions of the two figures are not natural and the female appears to be much larger ("Michelangelo’s Pieta"). This was the only work of Michelangelo to which he signed his name.

Gil Vicente

1502

Gil Vicente was a chief dramatist of Portugal and was also also a noted lyric poet in both Portuguese and Spanish ("Gil Vicente"). His first known work was "...produced June 7, 1502 on the occasion of the birth of the future John III" ("Gil Vicente"). This play was titled "Monológo del vaquero" and was presented in "Castilian" in the apartment of Queen Maria ("Gil Vicente"). Later in the year for Christmas, he produced "Auto pastoril castelhano" ("Gil Vicente").