MEDIEVAL DRAMA
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domanda 1

MIRACLE and MYSTERY PLAYS

USE OF ENGLISH - Part 3 - Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form A WORD that fits in the gap in the same line.

If the 15th century was poor in poetry and prose, it was rich in plays. COMPARE
It saw the of medieval drama, which would pave the way for the FLOURISH
great Elizabethan theatre.
" Medieval drama developed from ceremonies: at first music was LITURGY
introduced into churches in the 6th century, words were later fitted to the melodies,
then sung dialogues between priest and choir began to emerge.
This helped the clergy convey the chief events of the Christian religion to an
illiterate populace by means of dramatic performances.


" Little by little, processional and effects and stage properties were added; SCENE
this produced a evolution from liturgical drama to real plays: Miracle GRADE
(on the Gospel and on Christ's life) and Mystery Plays (on the lives of saints).

In addition, Latin was slowly replaced by the vernacular, and secular elements became
common. INCREASE

" As the Miracle Plays grew in and the audience grew in size, the plays POPULAR
were removed from the churches and began to be performed out of doors, first in the
church courtyard and then in other open spaces of the town.
So that as many people as possible could see it, each play was repeated several times
in different parts of the town, with the help of a structure called a pageant. MOVE

A pageant was a carriage on six wheels in the form of a small house with two vertical
rooms: in the lower room the actors prepared themselves, and in the one, which UP
was open on all four sides, they acted their roles.
Thus, Miracle Plays had become a form of popular art characterized by:
o realism,
o of diction in the vernacular language, English. SIMPLE
o a contemporary setting, i.e. typically medieval with several characters, acted by
townsmen.
o a comic touch: devils were comic, and even a character like Noah was turned into
a comic figure by the presence of his domineering wife. This made these plays
less "elevated" and thus they better suited the taste of a generally ILLITERACY
audience.
" Little by little the of the plays was taken over by the guilds under the PERFORM
management of the municipal authorities and the actors were professionally trained. PROFESSION
The second great literary product of the time, the Morality Play, which was less STRICT
religious: whereas Miracles were concerned with events, the Morality Play BIBLE
focused on the conflict between good and evil.
It aimed less at teaching the scriptures than at improving people's moral conduct, and
was therefore intended for a more learned audience No longer inspired by episodes from
the Bible, now began inventing their own plots, albeit stereotyped, which DRAMA
were didactic in content and allegorical in form.
In with the medieval love of allegory, in fact, the Morality Play presented ACCORD
personifications of vices and virtues (Avarice, Luxury, Gluttony, Anger, etc.) and
characters (Everyman, Mankind). GENERAL
The lines were rhymed, as in the Miracles, but the atmosphere was more melancholy.
domanda 2

MIRACLE and MYSTERY PLAYS - OVERVIEW

15th century: in poetry and prose, in plays.

STEPS OF DEVELOPMENT
1.
To teach

2.
scenic effects and stage properties (props)
Latin replaced by English,English replaced by Latin
secular elements :
creation of Miracle on
and Mystery Plays on

3.
each play repeated in different parts of the town, with :
a carriage on wheels with two rooms:
in the lower room the actors ,
in the upper one the actors ,

Miracle Plays characterized by:
o realism,
o simplicity of diction .
o setting
o
o financed by guilds and became professional
domanda 3

MORALITY PLAYS & INTERLUDES

USE OF ENGLISH - Part 3 - Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form A WORD that fits in the gap in the same line.

The second great literary product of the time, the Morality Play, which was less STRICT
religious: whereas Miracles were concerned with events, the Morality Play BIBLE
focused on the conflict between good and evil.

It aimed less at teaching the scriptures than at improving people's moral conduct, and
was therefore intended for a more learned audience No longer inspired by episodes from
the Bible, now began inventing their own plots, albeit stereotyped, which DRAMA
were didactic in content and allegorical in form. ALLEGORY

In with the medieval love of allegory, in fact, the Morality Play presented ACCORD
personifications of vices and virtues (Avarice, Luxury, Gluttony, Anger, etc.) and
characters (Everyman, Mankind). GENERAL

The lines were , as in the Miracles, but the atmosphere was more melancholy. RHYME


Moralities continued to be performed throughout most of the century and were
replaced by Interludes. GRADE

Although they became popular in the middle of the 16th century, the origin of interludes
can be traced back to earlier times, when independent comic dialogues were
inserted into Miracle Plays ("inter Ludos") to enliven their atmosphere. OCCASION

Interludes were distinguished from Morality Plays by their brevity, the rare use of allegory,
the of abstractions by real characters, the introduction of humour or satire, REPLACE
and the relative lack of didactic purpose.
The best example of the Interlude is The Four Ps (1545?) by John Heywoood (1497?-1580?),
in which a Palmer, a Pardoner, a Apothecary and a Pedlar discuss which of them can tell
the biggest lie: the is the Palmer, who swears that he has never in his life seen WIN
a woman lose her . PATIENT
domanda 4

MORALITY PLAYS & INTERLUDES - OVERVIEW

MORALITIES
" religious: based on
" aimed less at
" but
" .

of vices and virtues (Avarice, Luxury, Gluttony, Anger, etc.)

characters (Everyman, Mankind).

Lines: as in the Miracles,
atmosphere -



INTERLUDES
" gradually replaced
" Popular in
" Origin:

Features:
" than Morality Plays
" use of allegory
"
" .

best example:

a bet on the : the winner is the Palmer, who swears that he has never in his life seen a woman lose her patience.