Name: Baraiya Saryu D.
Subject: The Renaissance Literature
(Paper-I)
Topic: Miracle, Mystery and Morality
Plays
Roll no: 30
Study: MA
Year: Semester – I
Guided By: Dr. D. Baradsir
Submitted
To: Department of
English
University: MKBU
Mystery,
Miracle and Morality Plays
Introduction:
Play is very old form of literature. It started form many
hundred years ago. But very rich development of play we can see in ‘The Age
of Elizabeth’. The age of Elizabeth is known on the name Queen Elizabeth,
who contributes her whole life for just sake of literature and England. So, in
honor of her that age is known as ‘The Age of Elizabeth’. That era of
time is known as Golden Era of Literature in England. That time period is
written in Golden Words in history of England. That era was started in 16th
Century, approximately in 1550, when Queen Elizabeth came as Monarch of
England. Before it England was known as Dark Place. Era before, Elizabethan Era
is known as Dark Ages of England. But Queen Elizabeth came as ruler and in mean
time fall of Constantinople happened and scholars reach at England. They get
life and people of England get education and knowledge. So, this is beginning
of development of play in Elizabethan Era. But this development takes lot of
time. All development of play is divided into three periods of Drama. Because
of illiteracy of people, Priests of Church use to make people fools. Priests’
words ware the last words and no one can make even a single change in it. That
is the time of Dark Era. But after it everything was changed. Drama plays vital
role in development of society. So, here we are going to discuss these three periods
of development of drama:
1. The Religious Period
2. The Moral Period of the
Drama
3. The Artistic Period of
the Drama
Development of drama is considered
as very natural process. This development takes place in very simple form as
per my understanding. That time era has great treasure of scholars, who
contributes a lot in development of drama. Most of them write play on old
stories, myth, and history. And for children it is very enjoying to see a story
performing on stage which they listen during bedtime. Story and drama gives
them a chance to imagine them self as hero for some time. Drama gives them
chance to create their own dramatic and utopian world. So, because of these
points drama becomes more and more popular among children, youth and old generation
of that time. It means that drama is most popular entertainment among all the
class and generation of the society. And as we all know that, in that time
drama performance is the only entertainment for the people so, it developed
powerfully is natural.
1. The Religious Period:
In
Europe and Greece drama is invent for the purpose of humanity and moral values.
Entertainment was considered as very cheap word for drama. Basic motive of
drama performing is to give moral lessons, moral values to the people. And main
and hidden rezone to perform drama is religion. Drama was performed in the church in olden
times and it is performed on Sunday in prayer to give morals, lessons and
knowledge of religion to the people. At another side performance of play make
the church service more impressive. Priests make use of play to show good and
evil and they know that performance create a perfect and powerful impact on
mind of the people. But corruption enters into play and level of play goes
lower and lower. Because of corruption and cheap style of play all kind of play
is prohibited in church but mankind love to watch plays an it is usual that
mankind loves a spectacle and so, soon the Church provide replacement itself.
They turn plays into the renowned mystery and miracle plays.
Miracle
Plays:
Miracle
plays are almost absent in discussion of literature of England. But past of
France’s literature is full of Miracle Plays. These plays stories are almost
common. All those plays who talk about life of any saint are known as Miracle
Plays in France. Many plays are also based on short stories of the Bible,
so those all plays are known as Miracle Plays. In short the word miracle was
used for all those plays who has story from the holy book Bible or which
contains life and incidents of any saints only. So it shows that basic purpose
of showing plays in the Church is to give moral values, knowledge of religion,
knowledge of good and evil and hidden meaning was to keep all people in control
so priests can rule over them very easily.
But
these miracle plays are very old form of literature so we have weak record of
it. The earliest Miracle of which we have in record is from England. That play
was named as ‘Ludas de Sancta Katharina’. It was performed first in
Dunstable about the year 1110. This play’s original writer is unknown but this
version, which was performed first time in England, was prepared by Geoffrey.
This play contains story of St. Catherine.
After
performing first Miracle Play, Miracle Play’s popularity increases steadily in
numbers for next four centuries, in England. In that time plays are use to
performed in the Churches and plays are performed after Sunday prayer. It gives
moral to people and it makes the Church more impressive and interesting. That
all plays were performed by Priests of the Church. But because of popularity of
plays they have to perform many times so they take common people as an actor in
plays. And after some time number of actors were increasing. And because of
popularity, liveliness and mixture of common actors plays were overflowed to
the Churchyards. By the year 1300
Miracle Plays were eagerly adopted and becomes handy by the people of England
and town guilds, too. These types of plays were performed by priests and common
people together in ground of the Church.
In
the following two centuries the Church started preaching against the abuse of
the religious drama which had introduced by the Church itself, which was
introduced with the purely purpose to spared religion and to give right vision
to the society but afterwards it was spoiled and turned into forbidden plays,
with the help of Miracle Plays. Because of all these things Miracle Plays
becomes more popular among the society and people and as the same Miracle Plays
had taken strong hold upon English People. Those plays were immensely popular
till the sixteenth century. And after half 16th century Miracle
Plays position was changed. The Miracle Plays were replaced by the drama of
Elizabethan Era.
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Mystery
Plays:
This type of play is different than
Miracle Plays. These plays were contains story of life of Jesus Christ or these
plays were based on stories from old myth, Old Testament and which are
associated with the coming of Messiah. The plays which contain the theme like
this were identified as Mystery Plays. These type of plays shows that
kind of story that once a god or a messiah will be take re-birth on the Earth
for saving the Earth from sin and many other bad deeds. At some extent the main
theme of these plays were also connected with the story of the Bible. As most of
the people believe that Bible is words of the God and in the Bible we can find in
written form that when the Earth becomes like hell, means full of sin and bad
deeds he will be take re-birth for save life of innocent people and to give
punishment to the people who makes the Earth a hell. So, the Bible or any
religious epic gives mental peace to the people and hope that when something
happens the God will be with us and the God will be take rebirth for the
mankind. So these plays’ themes are also
related with the Bible. So we can say that Mystery Plays are related with
Miracle Plays but at some point and some extent. Otherwise it is also an
individual part of play writing in olden times.
Stories
based on rebirth of the Christ
Cycles
of Plays:
At
the very beginning the Miracle Plays of England were divided into two classes:
The first one at the Christmas. They all were performed on the celebration of
the Christmas. These types of plays were performed on the Christmas and all the
plays were related with the life of Christ, on the birth of Christ. In short
all plays were connected with Christ’s life and birth. These all plays were
containing incidents related with the birth of the Christ. The Miracle Plays
means a play based on life of any saint because of that time and culture. So,
this first type of plays were related with Christ, who is main saint of
Christianity.
The
second one is related with the death and triumph of the Christ. How the Christ
worked for the society but society misinterprets him. Very famous incidents
from the work and success of the Christ’s life were interwoven in this type of
plays. By the beginning of 14th century all these plays were, in
various localities, united in single cycle of plays. The cycle of play is
beginning with the creation and ending with the final judgment.
But
so here we can have a question that what is this Cycle of Plays? As we
know that all incidents and plays were very lengthy and in that olden times fox
lights and many other facilities which we can easily find in theaters now days
were not there. Even we can say that in that time theaters were not there.
People were never use to go to the theaters for enjoyment but theaters were use
to go to the people. All people leave
rural life and they have no special time to go to the theater and to watch a
play. So, we can find a group of people which was performed plays in village
and after that moved towards another village. One group cannot stay in a
village for long time. So, they created a cycle of play. Like one group played
a single part of an incident from the life of the Christ and that group moved
towards another village. Then another group came into that village and
performed another part of the same incident. And like this the cycle moved on
and on, one village to another village. This type of group of performers and
plays were known as Cycle of Plays. The complete cycle was presented in
every spring. As the presentation of so many plays were there in spring. The
people enjoyed it as a festival. They enjoyed so many plays in a single week.
That week becomes holyday for them. They were eagerly waiting for that week
whole a year and this day was look forward to as the happiest of the whole year
for which they were waiting. All plays were collaborated in a cycle and that
was very different and new idea in that time.
Some
big and important town of England had its own cycle of plays and its own guilds
to perform but now all have been lost. At the present day only four cycle exist
and these four cycle have furnish an interesting commentary on the times and
add very little to our literature. These four cycles still saves old culture of
play and performance.
Cycle
of play
The
Stage and the Actors:
In
olden times plays were only performed by Priests of the Church. But because of
popularity of play and after some time Priests allow common people to performed
in the play with them. But the actors from the common people selected by
Priests very carefully and trained. The actors were the authors of the Miracle
and Mystery plays were the priests and their chosen assistants as we know.
At
the very beginning of drama performance plays were use to play in the Church
but after some time plays were performed in the yard of Church. And after it
movable theaters were came in existence. All of the performers should be very
punctual about time and they should have to be present at 4 O’clock in the
morning in the movable theaters. All of these theaters consisted of a two-story
platform set on the wheels; the lower story was a dressing room for actors and
upper story was a dressing room. These theaters were square and open places. When
the play performance was over the platform was dragged away and the next play
in the cycle took its plays and this how a cycle was operated.
These
plays and cycle contain subject and theme of religion and that’s why the plays
were distinctly religious in character but not a single of them is without
elements of humanity or humor. That is the specialty of all Mystery and Miracle
Plays.
As an example,
·
In the play of Noha, for example, Noha’s
wife makes fun for the audience by internal strife with her husband, Noha. It
gives enjoyable element to the play.
·
In the Crucifixion play Herod is a
prankish kind oppressor. He leaves the stage during the play and performance
was going on because he takes round among the audience. And because of his this
habit to “out-herod Herod” became a common proverb.
In
the entire play devil is a favorite and also important character because it is
the only character, which becomes victim or target of every humor and joke.
Devil also leaves the stage during the play to make practical joke among the
audience. For the diversion and decoration of stage, they use many things which
audience can see on the stage. Most of the time audience can see a huge
dragon’s head on the stage and it was with gaping red jaws, belching forth fire
and smoke, out of which poured a troop of devils. They were punished because of
their bad activities. Now days all that play performance becomes disappear but
a true Miracle Play is given every ten years at Oberammergau.
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Structure
of the stage
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Movable Stage of Cycle
2. The
Moral Period Of the Drama:
This
is second phase of drama and it is known as moral period of the drama and it is
shown by the increasing prevalence of the Morality Plays. Writer uses
allege in this type of play. It is the main characteristic of Morality Plays.
All our feelings like,
·
Love
·
Greed
·
Goodness
·
Repentance
·
Death
·
Life
·
Other
virtues and vises
are played roll as a character in
these plays.
The Moralities may be regarded and
therefore writers used feelings as a character to show the real concept and it
makes a literary work very special. That specialization is known as the
Morality Plays. The most famous and noticeable allegorical work is ‘Romance
of the Rose’. This is the allegorical poetry which is exemplified allegory
perfectly. It did not occur to our first, unknown dramatists to portray men and
women as they are until they had first made characters of abstract human
qualities. These Morality Plays makes distinct advance over the Mystery and Miracle
Plays. The Morality Plays give writer free scope to imagine and create a new
world through his work of writing. The writer can fill any type of colors and
feelings in his/her literary work. It gives him/her free style of writing. The
writers can create new stories, new plots, and new incidents in writing. In
Spain and Portugal these types of plays are known as Auto. Calderon and Gill
Vicente were very famous writers of Spain and Portugal who contributes lot in
Auto Literature. But in England situation of Morality plays are different. In
England the Morality Plays were dreary kind of performance, like the
Allegorical Poetry which preceded it.
Conclusion:
Drama
is very important and main part of poetry during the Elizabethan Age. Drama is
the richest form of literature of that era. Drama is the only literary work
which developed a lot during Era of Elizabeth. Drama as a form of literature is
the most noticeable part of literature of that time. And here we discussed
parts of drama. Mystery, Miracle and Morality Plays are the most important and
basic parts of drama in which whole portion of drama of Elizabethan Era are
divided. It helps us for better understanding of drama as literary work. But
after this phase the most and very important phase of drama started and it was
known as Shakespearean Era because Shakespeare is the only name in play writing
is just enough. An Era from time duration of Elizabethan Age is known as Shakespearean Era and Shakespearean dramas are the only drama which can replace
Miracle Plays.
After
these Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays the phase of drama was changed and it
leads us towards artistic period of drama. This third phase is totally differs
from the phase of Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays. The Miracle, Mystery and
Morality Plays were written for the sake of society. Main purpose of all the
Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays are to give moral values, principals to the
society. In olden times all themes of plays were based on life of saints, The
Christ because all plays were performed by priests only in that era because
plays were only performed in the Church and on the life of the Christ. Most of
them plays have story from the Bible and in that time the Priest is just like a
God for common people and the Priest was the only authority and they think that
the Christ and the Bible was very powerful, pure and holy topics and only
special and pure person can only perform in the play, on the story based on the
Bible and life of the Christ. So, they never allowed to common people to
perform on it and only priests had performed on the Miracle, Mystery and
Morality Plays. But after plays become popular they allowed to common people to
perform on the Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays. But then even they trained that
entire common people who performed in the Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays
and take part in the Miracle, Mystery and Morality Plays.
(3,029)
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