MORALITY PLAYS
Morality Plays
Only five medieval English morality plays still survive:
1. The Pride of Life (a corrupted Anglo-Irish text)
2. The Castle of Perseverance
3. Wisdom
4. Mankind
5. Everyman (translated from a Dutch original.)
Two other plays similar to Morality Plays still exist:
1. Second Sheppard's Play
2. Hickscorner
These are all that are left of an influential dramatic
genre.
The understanding of style has been developed
based upon the influence these plays had on
surviving literature and art
Morality Plays
• An attempt to educate via entertainment
• Dominican and Franciscan monks developed the morality play
in the 13th century by adding actors and theatrical
elements to their sermons.
• They hoped the (mainly illiterate) masses could more easily
learn the basics of Christianity through dramatic spoken word.
• The plays made complex topics such as original sin and
atonement more easily understood.
• By personifying Vices, Virtues, the Devil and the
Good Angel, stories of temptation were made accessible
to those who were unable to read.
Morality Plays
• The main theme of the morality play is
this:
1.Man begins in innocence
2.Man falls into temptation
3.Man repents and is saved.
• The central action is the struggle of Man against the seven deadly
sins that are personified into real characters
• It is believed that the allegory of vices and virtues fighting
over Man’s soul goes back to the 4th century Roman epic,
• The allegorical application of theatre to Christianity
is intended to help the audience understand sin and virtue
Morality Plays
• The three greatest temptations that Man faces in morality
plays are
1. The World
2. The Flesh
3. The Devil
THE MESSAGE:
“Sin is inevitable”
“Repentance is always possible”
• Morality plays were not holiday-specific
• Performed at any time of the yearRepentance occurs at any time of the year.
Morality Plays
Characteristics
1. A protagonist who represents either humanity
as a whole or a smaller social structure.
2. Supporting characters are personifications of
good and evil.
3. Provides the audience with moral guidance.
4. Morality plays encourage men to live a
righteous life
Everyman
The archetypal morality play
Characters represent broad ideas
Characters in Everyman are:
1.God
2.Death
3.Everyman
4.Goods (Riches)
5.Good-Deeds
6.Angel
7.Knowledge
8.Beauty
9.Discretion
10.Strength
11.Doctor
The personified meanings of these characters are not hidden
Everyman
PLOT:
God, believing that the people on
earth are too focused on wealth and
worldly possessions, sends Death to
Everyman to remind him of God's
power and the importance of
upholding values.
EVERYMAN is a concrete example of
a Morality Play because of…
1. The emphasis put on morality
2. The vast difference between
good and evil
3. The strong presence of God
However, most morality plays focus
more on evil, while Everyman focuses
more on good, highlighting sin in
contrast.