Medieval Drama
trope
"call and response"
Aristotle's production values (how are these carried out in medieval drama)
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Review "The Creation and Fall of Lucifer," "The Resurrection," "Harrowing of Hell and the Last Judgement," "Dulcitius."
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Why did theater disappear?
1) COnstantine 2) Christianity 3)Disintegration of Roman civilization 4) Led to Dark ages
Transition from Liturgical Drama
1200-1350 Plays done inside and/or outside of churches Pageant wagons introduced Church under pressure for non-Latin Bibles Transubstantiation now recognized by church
When was everyman published?
1508
Fall of Rome
476 CE Went into Dark Ages where things just got worse Very temporary feeling Wooden buildings instead of stone
Hrosvitha (person)
935-973 AD Name means "strong voice" (Old Saxon) First playwright post-Antiquity; wrote plays in Latin Was abbess, then nun We know of 6 plays
Talk about the rebirth of drama in the dark ages. Answer how, where, when, why.
?In the medieval period, drama was reborn mostly due to the rising power of the church, which filled in much of the gap left by the Roman Empire. The church wanted to communicate the salvation message to commoners, but church services were still conducted in Latin, a language the people did not speak, so the church began to use drama to teach biblical stories.
Explain the role of drama in the dark ages.
?drama all but ceased in the wake of the dissolution of the Roman Empire. Europe went back to what it was before Roman rule- small towns and villages waging war on each other. The focus was on survival, not on art.
Mystery Plays
A medieval drama based on scriptural events especially in the life of Jesus.
Miracle Plays
A medieval drama portraying events in the lives of saints and martyrs...especially where miracles are performed
The Second Shepherd's Play
A secular play about a clever scoundrel named Mak who steeps a sheep, hides it in a crib, and passes it off as his son
Audience of Cycle Plays
All social classes Could go into the thousands In France, shows might last up to forty days
Morality Plays
Allegorical Character are representation of a greater concept (Mother=motherhood) About trials, tribulations Not tied to feast days, location Ex: Everyman, Mankind, Castle of Perseverance
Morality plays
Allegories (with characters named things like "charity," "hope," "greed," or "truth," depicted biblical principles while not being Bible stories
Actors in Cycle Plays
Amateurs, all men Compensated for expenses, not acting Could be fined for mistakes Could play more than one role
Everyman
An allegorical (a play with strong symbolism) Mortality play in which Everyman is summoned to meet Death, appear before God, and seek salvation. Other characters include Five Wits, Fellowship, Kindred, Discretion, Beauty, Strength, Knowledge, and Good Deeds.
Mystery/Cycle Plays
Anonymous authors (glory to God not author) Four surviving cycles of various lengths Many towns had smaller events (one or two plays)
Liturgical Drama-- Growth of subject matter
As subject matter expands, comic elements introduced Comedy comes in making fun of villains, moral faults
Basic LIturgy of Church
Basic Liturgy of the Church: 1. Greeting:2. Opening Hymn 3. Corporate Confession of Sin 4. Prayer of the Day.5. Reading of God's Word 6. Sermon 7.Collective Prayers 8.Offering 9.Eucharist 10. Hymn 11. Final Blessing
Basic Liturgy of Church
Basic Liturgy of the Church: 1. Greeting:2. Opening Hymn 3. Corporate Confession of Sin 4. Prayer of the Day.5. Reading of God's Word 6. Sermon 7.Collective Prayers 8.Offering 9.Eucharist 10. Hymn 11. Final Blessing
Feast of Corpus Christi
Begins in early 1300s Celebrates transubstantiation Invited lay (non clergy) participation Funded by commoners Spoken in vernacular languages
Funding of Cycle Plays
Came from trade guilds, religious guilds, church May or may not have been an admission fee, depends on location
Anachronistic Elements of Vernacular Religious Drama
Chronologically out of place Not dressing to period Not much of a sense of history Ex: talking about the crucifixion before Jesus was born
Liturgical Drama--Costumes
Church garments Symbolic touches (Mary has blue, et cetera)
Oberammergau
City in Germany Has been performing passion play on a regular basis since 1634 Promised to perform if God would spare city from plague Some take parts as anti-Semitic, has been revised many times
How was church architecture used for the benefit of illiterate people
Communion rail was around the altar. Outside the other wall of the altar was the graveyard. When we come up for communion, they were facing all the people who had died and come before them. They were in community with them because those who die are alive in Christ in heaven. We believe we are in communion with them through Christ. The real presence of Christ is there. Even the church architecture supports that.
English Mystery Plays
Covered from creation to judgment
French Mystery Plays
Covered from creation to resurrection
Why the medieval church was suspicious of drama and had previously banned it
Drama was banned in early medieval times because of its association with violence and brutality of tragedies. Church didn't like them as entertainment. What you watch or listen to affects you for better or worse. So if you watch bad things, you will become bad. So medieval mindset was just ban all of it.
Ludus
Entertainment, based around Ludi Romani
Eucharist - Transubstantiation
Eucharist - transubstantiation. It is the belief that Jesus actually is present in the wine and the bread.
Eucharist - Transubstantiation
Eucharist - transubstantiation. It is the belief that Jesus actually is present in the wine and the bread. HE SAYS It becomes a resacrifice of Christ at each Mass. What Catholics believe
Second Shepherd's Play
Farce Part of Towneley (Westfield) cycle
Quem Quaeritis
First liturgical drama
Morris dances
Folk dance that is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers.
Women in Cycle Plays
In Chester, the play Assumption of the Virgin was "the responsibility of the wives of the town" This indicates women may have funded, acted in, or otherwise participated in this play Don't know for sure
The Secrets Master
In charge of special effects Effects grew in number, complexity Flying machines (similar possibly to machina, who knows) Made effigies "Smell-o-vision" (ex: burning flesh) Water effects Animals Not much is known about how they did all these
How is the liturgical focus of medieval church different than modern evangelical church.
Liturgical focus of medieval church places the most emphasis on the eucharist. The sermon was important but the celebration of eucharist was the most important part of the Mass. In modern evangelical church, the focus and most important part of the service is the sermon.
LIturgy
Liturgy is way in which worship is conducted to guide people into worship and adoration of God.
Liturgy
Liturgy is way in which worship is conducted to guide people into worship and adoration of God.
Eucharist - Real presence
Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ. They don't believe they "become" Christ but that eating in the eucharist. That the spirit of Christ is encountered in the meal.
Reformation
Made religious drama very controversial In 1572 religious drama was banned in England Thought Catholics would overthrow the Protestant Queen
What type of play is Everyman?
Morality
What were the three types of plays?
Morality: teach a moral lesson Miracle: saints Mystery: Christ's passion
Where were mystery plays performed
Mystery plays were performed in the liturgy of the church service. Usually came after the sermon.
Fixed Stages
Number of mansions varied Center mansions (scenes) could be replaced each day Heaven and Hell always stayed there Heaven to the east, Hell to the west
Church and Theatre--General
Opposed theatre; felt it was dirty, full of lies, pokes fun at church Most art was tied to church from this period Popular theatre, theatricals unrecorded from this time
Liturgical Drama-- General
Peak--925-1200 AD Part of church service Call and response, may have developed out of music ornamentation Trope--Quem Quaeritis, used in most of Central Europe by 930 AD As liturgical drama grew, so did churches; Gothic cathedrals began to come about Dialogue in Latin, sung or chanted
Where were Morality plays performed
Performed outside the church. Similar to Carnival floats. Actors on wagon pulled through streets. They were not biblical stories. Characters would look medieval. Kind of like sermons but out in the public. Performed on feast days during celebrations.
Folk Festivals
Popular, seasonal, tied to pagan rituals Feast of Fools--winter, extreme backwards day to release frustrations Mumming--Stovetide (Fat Tuesday), New Years Sword-dances--mock ritual sacrifice May Games-- May pole, May Day Also rejection of winter and fertility rites
Pageant Master
Professional Brought in to oversee everything Producer, director, sometimes stage manager Got the big bucks Worked with Secrets Master
Pageant Wagons in Spain
Pulled up to fixed stage "autos sacramentales" Helped crowd control
Allegory (what is it and what type of drama is it related to?)
Related to morality plays, representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning using concrete or material forms
Corpus Chrisit
Religious Festival where cylce plays were born
Sacrament
Sacrament is a religious act and the means by which we receive God's grace. There are 7 sacraments.
Production of Cycles
Staged on/near feast days Church would approve/disapprove scripts Not annual events; every 3, 5, 10 years based on funding
Effigies
Stuffed figures of people Used when someone needed to be burned, stabbed, et cetera
Ordo/Officium
Subset of church service
Traits of Vernacular Religious Drama
Teach church doctrine, moral values, punishment of sin Some effort to entertain with verse, music, spectacle Episodic Driving force is God's plan Minimal characterization Mix of serious, comic elements
What killed Medieval Drama?
The Renaissance Supplanted medieval thought Did not happen everwhere Began in Italy with the discovery of Greek and Roman texts
-What happens to Aristotle's 3 unities in medieval drama-
There is definitely a unity of plot because these dramas are written about biblical stories, so they tend to follow very simple plotlines, however the fact that a Hell Mouth exists is an example of a different set, also much of Biblical stories take place over a period of many years...
Purpose of medieval drama, both morality and miracle plays.
They were acting out God's mysteries in the world. Mystery plays were performed in the liturgy of the church service. Mystery plays helped the people to understand the bible stories, helped people to worhsip and adore God. Morality plays were allegories that instruct us on how to live.
Purpose of medieval drama, both morality and mystery plays.
They were acting out God's mysteries in the world. Mystery plays were performed in the liturgy of the church service. Mystery plays helped the people to understand the bible stories, helped people to worhsip and adore God. Morality plays were allegories that instruct us on how to live.
Costumes of Cycle Plays
Typically contemporary dress Special costumes for special characters (God, angels, devils, saints, et cetera)
Who wrote everyman?
Unknown
Hrosvitha's Plays
Updated version of Terence's plays, added Christian morals Shakespeare was based on her plays Portrayed strength of women, used Christian martyrs Plays may have been closet dramas Wrote "Dulcitius"
Pageant Wagons
Used in England, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands Two levels: dressing room below, stage on top On four-six wheels Would contain all scenic elements for that play
Liturgical Drama--Subject Matter
Used to teach Bible stories to illiterate people Most important events were Christmas and Easter Featured stories: Resurrection, the Magi, Mary, conversion of Paul, Lazarus Very elaborate, limited dialogue
Secular drama (explain what it is and what motivates its development)
Was completely out of church control and had to do with what was happening to people at the time
Why did theater reappear during medieval period?
Way to teach bible stories and moral to common folk
Eucharist - Symbolic
What denominations like Baptists believe - Jesus is not present in communion. Taking Communion is symbolic. When Jesus broke bread at the Last Supper, it is symbolic of that.
World Views during Dark Ages
World seen as transitory Stopping place before heaven Creativity simply was not developed because of this
The Vice
a Fool
Passion Play
a play based on the last week in the life of Christ
Mansion
a series of acting stations in a line, including Heaven, Plate's House, Jerusalem and Hell's Mouth
Interludes
a short, humorous piece, suited for two or three, scarcely ever more than four, actors that were tastefully put together for banquets
Masque
a spectacular play glorifying the nobility
Pageant Cart
a two-storied cart that doubled as a stage
Morality Plays
a type of theater that uses allegorical characters to teach the audience moral lessons such as the seven deadly sins that are personified
Secular Pageants
any extravagant dramatic event or colorful celebration that express the shared identity of a community or religious group. EX: coronations and royal weddings; other modern examples are seen in Mardi Gras and other carnival processions.
What is a mansion?
areas where liturgical dramas were performed
Disguisings
collective names for many forms of processions, shows, and other entertainments, such as, among the upper classes, that precursor of the Elizabethan Mask in which a group of persons in disguise, invited or uninvited, attended a formal dancing party
Who produced dramas?
craft guilds
What is a quem quaertis?
earliest trope; "whom seek ye?"; easter
What is a trope
embellishments sung as a part of mass
Know the special place in history for Gorboduc by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton... How does it follow Seneca's formula?
first "real" English tragedy, it was one of the first plays ever written and performed in blank verse, it also took a very different direction from past morality plays as it focused on political dispute,
Guilds
groups of tradesmen (bakers, goldsmiths, etc.) whose common trade was jointly responsible for part of a story from the Bible
-Pageant wagon/cart and its parts and function-
machine loft: like Greek mekane, pageant cart: had actual stage in it, scaffold cart: 2nd cart that follows the pageant cart, -pageant cloth-: served as curtain on stage, tiring house: where you put on your "attire" behind stage, hell mouth: was some kind of cave-like opening that depicted hell that actors could climb into and out of
Quem Quaritis?
means "whom do you seek?" its the play that depicts the three women going to Jesus' tomb and discovering that he is alive.
Trade Guilds
medieval unions
liturgical dramas. what types were there? talk about each type
miracle: lives of the saints, mystery: about "mysteries" of God- creation, salvation, and the Holy Spirit, Saints Plays: about people from that time period who live godly lives and usually who died for their faith
What is a pageant wagon?
mobile stages where liturgical dramas were performed
Plateau
neutral playing area
Mummings
pantomimes of a story, no words, just gestures
Pageant-house
place where sets/props/costumes and other theatrical supplies are stored
Miracle and Mystery Plays
plays based on the saints' lives and Bible stories
-Types of staging-
processional staging: carts could be in a long line starting from first scene to last, Roman ampitheatre: carts are arranged in a circle around town center and you could go from one to the next
Mansion/Station
scenic facade used to locate action of the play
Morality Play
similar in theme to Miracle and Mystery, yet more concerned with the principles taught by Christianity rather than stories from the Bible
Mansions... what are the two forms?
stationary and mobile (side rooms built onto early churches in which scenes from dramas would be performed or depicted.
Cycle
the combined stories produced by the guilds
Hell-Mouth
the entrance to Hell envisaged as the gaping mouth of a huge monster
What inspired liturgical dramas?
tropes
Mummings
type of folk play that combines music, dance, and sword fighting
Liturgical Play
type of play acted within or near the church and relating stories from the Bible and of the saints
Folk Plays
were often dances but eventually mumming and disguising plays were characters were for the common people EX: Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and the Green Dragon
Trope
were sung or chanted as dialogue
Pageant Wagons
wheeled vehicles used in the staging of cycle plays