Medieval theatre and Christian liturgy

(i) The theatrical dimension of liturgy:

- the Christian liturgical ritual made use of the legacy of the classical theatre

- the celebrant of the liturgy (like an actor) described the life of Christ in ritualic gestures to the congregation (the audience)

(ii) The pedagogical aim of early medieval representations:

- in the beginning, the plays were meant to familiarize the illiterate people with the main aspects of Christian religion and its basic text, the Bible, and thereby to complement the sermon

- short plays [tropes] were performed by clerics inside the church on Easter

- initially their topics focused on Crucifixion, later on Nativity and then on topics from both the Old and the New Testaments

- a change in the performance occurred with the institution of the celebration of the Corpus Christi, in the 13^th c., which took place after Easter, in the first Thursday after Trinity (May or June) and which was marked by a solemn procession during which the Holy Sacrament was displayed. On this occasion, after the passage of the procession, on each station, theatrical performances were held by members of the various guilds on pageants [wagons] which followed one another

- subsequently these pageants came to be assembled together in the town square, which was often before the church and the audience could move from one play to another.

3. Staging and actors:

- the plays were acted on large wagons or pageants

these had three levels representing: hell, earth and heaven, a central place [loca], where a throne was usually placed, and an extending scaffolding for additional acting area [platea]

- the actors were initially members of the clergy; later, they were craftsmen belonging to various guilds [weavers, dyers, etc.];

afterwards the players came to be specialized actors paid by the guilds

4. Main themes and types of plays:

(a) Mysteries:

Themes

- mysteries are concerned with subjects that cover the interval between the Creation of the World and the Last Judgment

- these are inspired from major events from the Old and New Testaments: the Genesis and the Fall of Lucifer, the Creation and the Fall of Man, the Flood [Noah], Abraham and Isaac, as well as scenes from the Gospels: the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Last Judgment

- initially acted inside the church, in preparation for Easter liturgy, the oldest, original plays [tropes], were short dialogues, between the priests or deacons representing between the three Marys and the Angel at Christ’s empty tomb

- afterwards the subjects were extended to other celebrations, and became diversified and the places of performance moved to streets [procession stations] or town squares

- the quem quaerities plays [tropes] derive from Mark 16: 1-7; Mathew 28:1-7

(b) Miracles:

(c) Moralities: