Dr. Eric W. Trumbull, Professor, Theatre/Speech

Last Update: January 28, 2004

Resource:  Wilson and Goldfarb, Chapter 11
 

Objectives for this lesson:

Students will examine:

Medieval History

Liturgical Drama

Drama Outside the Church

Medieval Staging

Medieval Drama - Plays

The Decline of 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.

There are many church edicts against mimi, histriones, ioculatores – terms for secular performers.

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Little is known about the theatre between 600-1000 A.D.

There are references to actors (histriones), jugglers, rope dances in nomadic tribes, remnants of Roman mimes, popular pagan festivals and rites.
Teutonic minstrels or troubadours ( scops [pronounced "shope] ) became the primary preserver of tribal histories, but the Teutonic tribes converted to Christianity after the 7^th or 8^th century, and the scops were denounced, branded as bad as mimes.
But there was little written drama; none that survives, and almost no other surviving references to it.

        Hrosvitha of Gandersheim (246), a nun, wrote religious plays based on Terence's plays, but they were
        probably "closet dramas."

Between 925 and 975, drama becomes re-introduced into the church services.
Theatre was "reborn" within the very institution that helped to shut it down.
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. (Christmas the birth of Christ, not celebrated in December till the 4^th century, to take advantage of the winter festivals; Easter supplanted the spring festivals).

"Liturgical drama" –  (248) -- within the church liturgy, the service
Other religious dramas extended outside the church, in the vernacular [native language] (246)

Earliest extant drama from the middle ages:

a four-line dramatization of the resurrection, with direction for its performance.
Comes from an Easter trope (interpolatation into existing text, originally lengthened musical passages with words eventually added). – 925 A.D.
Sung by a choir at first
called the "Quem Quaeritis"
    "Whom seek ye in the tomb, O Christians?
    Jesus of Nazereth, the crucified, O heavenly beings,
    He is not here, he is risen as he foretold;
    Go and announce that he is risen from the tomb."
 
• The Three Marys (Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany; and Mary Magdalene) come to the tomb of Jesus, and the angel asks them who they are looking for.

The practice blossomed – many playlets developed dealing with biblical themes—mostly Easter, Christmas, the 12^th Night (Feast of the Epiphany).
Usually serious, but at the Feast of Fools and the Feast of the Boy Bishops, much dancing and foolishness and parodies of church practices.

At first, the church had control of the drama outside of the church, but then it gradually became more controlled by secular groups.
The Guilds [252] (tradesmen or Confraternaties) took over in some cities, and it was common for certain Guilds to retain control over certain plays / stories, all of which were based in some way on the Bible or religious teachings.
For instance, the Bakers’ Guild would control the play about the Last Supper, and Shipwrights’ Guild would get plays about Noah, etc.

Municipalities took over in some cities. But the church still needed to approve the scripts, even when its role diminished.

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Drama inside the Church – Liturgical Drama (248)

Before 1200, most were still being done inside the church as part of the liturgy. Most were probably still in Latin, the language of the Church.

Staging:

There were two main areas for the performances to take place:
    Mansions -- (250) -- small scenic structures for indicating location (for instance, a throne might equal the palace of Pilate).
In more complex plays, there were many mansions.
    Platea – general acting area, 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).
Machinery was also used: to fly Christ up to heaven, have angels come down, etc.
Costumes were probably ordinary church vestments.
By 1200, some of these plays were being performed outdoors.

The stories began to range even further than when they were part of the liturgical services.

The church seemed to support these dramas.

Why did they begin to move outdoors? Probably because of the expanding needs of the plays.

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Medieval Drama outside of the Church:

With diminishing church control, secularization led to some changes.
Sometimes the plays were very complex – in cycles – that someone was hired to oversee.
The master copy of the script was called the Register – sometimes the producing company / guild could monopolize or censor it or ban it --
The Keeper of the Register was an importsant position and had much control.
The Master of Secrets – was in charge of the machines (secrets) – the special effects.
Often very intricate (need 17 people to operate Hell machinery in Belgium in 1501).
Flying was a major technique.
Quite common – almost all the scenes had Heaven on the right, Hell on the left, and Earth on the middle.
Therefore, angels, resurrection – had to use flying.
Platforms covered with cotton (the "glories") held angels.
Trap doors – appearances and disappearances (Lot’s wife turning into salt, etc.)
Fire – the hellmouth – a fire-breathing monster representing hell.

Two major kinds of stages in the medieval theatre: Fixed and Moveable

These technical tricks would be more extensive on fixed stages.

The mansion and platea were borrowed from the church services.

Simultaneous display of several locations also borrowed from liturgical drama-

Simultaneous staging was a distinctive characteristic of medieval theatre.

Fixed Staging: on the Continent (except Spain and parts of Italy) (252-- W&G call them "platform stages)

• Mansions set up in available spaces (courtyards, town squares, etc.), usually arranged in straight lines or rectangles or circles, depending on the space.
• Heaven and Hell were at opposite ends, if possible.

1. aimed to teach or reinforce Church doctrine
2. melodramatic: good rewarded, evil punished
3. God and his plan were the driving forces, not the characters

Latin comedies and tragedies were studied in schools and universities

1. Farce – very popular (250)

Particularly in France, where it was well-developed.

Pierre Patelin – 15^th century France – clever knaves outwitting each other.
Moralities – secularized – allegories based on classical gods and heroes, often with some political content
Mummings and disguisings – given at wealthy homes on holidays – pantomimes, danced and narrated stories
Interludes and Masques – between courses at a banquet, masques were allegorical compliments to the guests – with intricate dances and spectacle.

Secular plays were most often performed by professional actors attached to noble houses.

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The Decline of Medieval Theatre:

1. Increased interest in classical learning – affected staging and playwriting
2. Social structure was changing – destroyed feudalism and "corporate" nature of communities
3. Dissention within the church led to prohibition of religious plays in Europe (Queen Elizabeth, the Council of Trent, 1545-1563 – religious plays outlawed.).

Professional actors still needed, but not amateurs.
Professional theatre rose, became commercial (no longer a community venture).
No longer religious plays – returned to the classics for new ideas for stories.

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