MEDIEVAL THEATRE 400 AD 1400 AD Medieval Theatre

MEDIEVAL THEATRE 400 AD – 1400 AD

Medieval Theatre • After the fall of Rome the 600’s A. D. , came a period known to • • • us as the "dark ages. " Much political turmoil – no reliable political structure The Church was the only stable "government" The church exerted increasing influence. In the 4 th Century, the Bishop of Rome, claiming to be the successor to St. Peter, established supremacy in church matters and in secular concerns. Feudalism – the manor was the chief non-church political entity. The manor (large estate), headed by a nobleman, had absolute authority over the serfs, (peasants) who worked the land. Lords of manors were vassals, or subjects, of a king. The king’s knights protected the lords and their land. Serfs (servants) owed allegiance to their lord.

• Medieval drama seems naïve if we don’t understand the period. • They have little sense of history – reflecting the limited knowledge of the people. • Comic elements appeared in plays that were otherwise quite serious, and had as their purpose to teach Biblical stories and principles to the people. • The medieval mind looked at the temporal world (Earth) as transitory; Heaven and Hell were the eternal realities.

Playwrights • Most plays were signed anonymous

Mummings: • a theatrical drama in which people represent the order of vegetation. • Many of the performers dressed in costumes that signified that they were a plant of some sort. • These drama's had a short plot and were often preformed in the basement of a bar. • They were humorous in which there was always a clown. In other words, there was always a character within the plot that was the butt of every joke and often gets fooled to cause havoc. • These performances were performed during the dark time of the year. In each plot the hero dies, but is always brought back to life.

Mystery Plays: • a drama that explores the most known stories within the bible. • Mystery plays were extremely prevalent in the 15 th century. • They were heavily religious and were the heart of the Corpus Christi Festival in medieval times. • These dramas became obsolete when the focus of dramas were no longer religious.

Miracle Plays: • a drama that accounted the life of a saint • Sometimes the drama was focused on the martyrdom of the saint; sometimes the drama focused on the miracles the saint either witnessed or performed. These dramas could either be real stories or fictitious ones.

Morality Plays: • characters within the drama personify moral qualities to teach moral lessons • In these dramas the plot led to teaching the audience how to be a good Christian, or how to be a person worthy of heaven. In other words, these dramas were allegories of correct Christian behavior.

Manners: • the first secular dramas • These dramas were the beginning of breaking the tradition of keeping a religious purpose in theatre world during the Medieval time period. Because of this genre of drama mummings, mystery, miracle, and morality plays began to become obsolete.

RENAISSANCE 1400 AD – 1600 AD

• Around 1300 (had beginnings in 1200’s) the Renaissance, founded primarily in Italy. • Renaissance = rebirth. • There were new ideas, based on classical teachings. • By the 16 th century, the Renaissance had permeated most of European thought.

• Religious and political controversies. • Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, Puritans • Medieval Influences: dramas and interludes • Acting became a legal profession in the 1570’s. • Males performed female roles.

The Playwrights • Christopher Marlowe (1564 -1593): Marlowe was indisputably the foremost English playwright preceding Shakespeare • His influence on Shakespeare seems as personal as it was professional; Shakespeare pays tribute to him in As You Like It when Rosalind quotes a line from Marlowe's unfinished poem, Hero and Leander.

• John Fletcher (1579 -1625): Fletcher is the only playwright on this list known to have partnered with Shakespeare (Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen). • In fact, Fletcher basically took over as principal dramatist for the King's Men upon Shakespeare's retirement. • The majority of his work was collaborative; as sole author, he is best known for The Faithful Shepherdess and Valentinian.

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