Transcript Document

MEDIEVAL
THEATRE IN
EUROPE
Introduction
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Timeframe: from the fall of the Western Roman
Empire to the beginning of Renaissance. 5th
century till the middle of the 16th century.
Secular theatre died in Western Europe with the
fall of Rome
Most medieval theatre is religious in nature.
Not well documented due to a lack of surviving
records and texts.
Society divided in:
1.Roman catholic church, which dominated
religion, education and often politics.
2.The feudal lords, who owned the land and
the serfs.
3.Serfs(peasants), who paid taxes and
served in the military whenever needed.
Theatre in the dark ages (500-1000 AD)
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At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic
Church banned theatrical performances as barbaric and
pagan.
Small groups of traveling performers – minstrels,
jugglers, acrobats, bards, mimes, puppeteers -- went
from town to town entertaining.
These were the only entertainment for the time. They
were also precursors of Commedia Dell’Arte in France
and Italy and today’s circuses.
Drama in the 10th century
Important to note that the Roman Catholic Church who
shut down classical theatre also took part in the rebirth of
the theatre in the 10th century.
Perhaps the church had little choice – it couldn't stop the
pagan rites – too popular – so many aspects of pagan
rites found their way into Christian ceremonies.
Hrotsvit of
Gandersheim
935-1000
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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.
Types of Medieval Drama
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Liturgical tropes: gospel
dramatizations
Mystery plays: Biblical plays
Miracle plays: saints’ lives
Morality plays: allegories
Interludes and farces: secular plays
Folk plays: pagan and folklore
elements
LITURGICAL DRAMA (925975A.D)
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The content was from the church liturgy and it
was performed by clergy during the church
services.
These contained some theatrical elements and
the first short plays were called tropes.
The dramas were written in Latin.
Religious Vernacular Drama
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Vernacular: everyday speech. Roman
catholic clergy switched from Latin to the
languages of the people they served to.
The plays needed more actors and
common people began acting as amateur
performers.
As these plays became more elaborate
they were performed outside the church.
The Religious Vernacular Plays
Performed in cycles
 Aimed to reinforce Church doctrine
 Melodramatic
good-rewarded and evil-punished
 God and his plan were the driving forces not the
characters.
 3 kinds of religious plays:
Mystery plays
Miracle plays
Morality plays
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The 3 M’s of Religious
Vernacular Drama
Mystery plays: Biblical stories
Miracle plays: saints’ lives
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Morality plays: allegories
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Mystery (cycle) Plays
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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 (cycle) Plays
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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 last supper: Bakers
• The Magi: Goldsmiths
Mystery Plays
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Stationary stage
Mansions set up in row, side by side
Heaven is “stage right”
Hell is “stage left”
Platforms covered with cotton (the "glories")
held angels.
“Hellmouth” - a fire-breathing monster
representing hell
Dramatic techniques
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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”.
Continued…
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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
In France even women were allowed to perform.
English cycle plays
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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.
Cycles were performed every 2-10 years.
Some became huge spectacles. “The Acts of the Apostles”
performed at Bourges, France in 1536 lasted 40 days and involved
over 300 performers.
Staging
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Mansions - small scenic structures for indicating
location. In more complex plays, there were many
mansions.
Platea – open acting space, adjacent to the mansion.
The church structure usually served as the mansions
(the choir loft, for instance, could serve as heaven; the
altar might be the tomb of Christ).
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Machinery was also used: to fly Christ up to heaven,
have angels come down, etc.
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Costumes were probably ordinary church vestments.
Staging the Plays
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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
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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
PAGEANT WAGONS
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The term "pageant" is used to refer to the stage,
the play itself, and the spectacle.
Platform on wheels
Pulled by men
Small enough to fit down narrow streets
May have had second platform, pulled behind
Simple Pageant Wagons
Morality Plays
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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
Miracle Plays
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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)
Interludes and Farces
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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.
The Decline of Medieval
Theatre:
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Increased interest in classical learning – affected staging
and playwriting
Social structure was changing – destroyed feudalism
and "corporate" nature of communities
Dissension within the church led to prohibition of
religious plays in Europe (Queen Elizabeth, the Council
of Trent, 1545-1563 – religious plays outlawed.)
By late 16th century, drama of medieval period lost its
force.
CONCLUSION
Medieval rebirth of the theatre gives us a
lesson:
“Whenever a society is sufficiently developed to
allow its members freedoms of time and
expression, the celebration of theatre will be an
important way to explore and expand those
freedoms.”
The End