Medieval Mystery and Miracle Plays
Theater in Medieval Times – Stage Productions in the Middle Ages
Medieval mystery and miracle plays began as serious church performances and developed into colorful and theatrical spectacles involving the whole community.
The miracle and mystery plays of the Middle Ages were among the earliest forms of theater in Europe. Mystery plays began in the 10th century as serious church plays which were performed by the clergy. In an age when few people could read, these performances were a way to explain biblical stories simply.
Theater Moves out of Church Control
Mystery plays increased in popularity after they moved out of church control. In 1210, Christian clergy were banned from acting in public. Performances of the plays passed to the control of the wider community and they were performed in outdoor public spaces.
The way mystery and miracle plays have been categorized has varied. Broadly speaking, mystery plays concentrated on bible stories and could contain a whole cycle of plays, from creation to doomsday. Miracle plays developed once mystery plays moved out of the church. These concentrated on the lives and miracles of saints.
Involvement of Town Guilds in Medieval Plays
The involvement of town guilds (groups of specialist craftspeople) ensured valuable financial support for the productions. A particular guild would have control of a section of the play, often something which related to the guild’s speciality. For example, a guild of bakers could stage a performance of the Last Supper, or a shipbuilders’ guild would be in charge of the story of Noah and the Flood.
The involvement of the guilds was actually a form of early advertising. The props and costumes which the guilds supplied could be viewed by thousands of people and were a good advertisement of the quality of the guild’s work.
One of the most striking props in the plays was the large cart which was often used to transport the actors between locations. The audience would gather at a pre-set meeting point and wait for the first wooden cart to appear. The cart would stop, the players would be perform and then move in the cart to the next location and another cart would arrive to continue the play.
Slapstick and Comedy in the Mystery and Miracle Plays
There are aspects of the plays that are closely related to today’s pantomimes. The devil in these medieval plays was often a comic character, similar to today’s pantomime villain, whom the crowd loved to boo and hiss. Good always triumphed over evil and the devil would be put through trials, such as being suspended upside down, or hit with weapons by other actors, cheered on by an excited audience.
As well as a villain, there was often a comic element to keep the spectators interested. An example is from the Wakefield cycle, in England, about the shepherds at the nativity. In this version of the nativity, someone stole one of the sheep, took it home, hid it in a cradle and pretended it was a baby girl.
The pageant master oversaw the whole play and the actors were usually paid, although there are records in some towns of actors being fined for bad acting or turning up late. Acting in the plays was a big commitment, with main-part actors having to learn hundreds of lines. The character of Christ sometimes had thousands of lines in passion plays, which depicted the trials and crucifixion of Jesus.
Medieval mystery and miracle plays were often performed on special occasions, such as Easter or Corpus Christi, and in this at least, they kept their religious traditions. Before the popularity of formal theatres and professional actors, they were a lively and colorful part of the medieval year and a real high-point in the calendar of the Middle Ages.
Sources
Cawley, A.C (Ed), Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays [JM Dent & Sons,1993]
Happe, Peter (Ed), English Mystery Plays [Penguin Classis,1975]
