Medieval Theatre Flashcards

0
Q

What four types of entertainment did medieval theatre rise from?

A
  • Roman mimes
  • Teutonic minstrelsy
  • Popular pagan rites and festivals
  • Christian ceremonies
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1
Q

What does liturgical mean?

A

Public worship - in this case related to the church.

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2
Q

Why did the church use plays?

A

Most people were illiterate around this time and couldn’t understand Latin. Using plays with. Heavy symbolism conveyed the message well enough.

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3
Q

What was the first secular character?

A

A merchant!

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4
Q

What is a secular character?

A

A chAracter non-related to religion.

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5
Q

What is feudalism?

A

Superiors owning the land wherein peasants work to keep living there.

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6
Q

Where were the plays performed in churches?

A

The plays were performed in little MANSIONS around the church.

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7
Q

What are mansions?

A

They were little performing areas laid out around the church, sometimes big enough to contain several people. The actors would walk to each mansion every time a scene changed.

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8
Q

What are some of the reasons plays left the church?

A
  • lack of space
  • use of evil characters were deemed inappropriate
  • plays that were performed in vernacular meant that anyone could take part
  • performance outdoors meant more space and freedom
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9
Q

What are mystery cycles?

A

They were plays derived from the bible performed by various TRADE GUILDS. There were also miracle plays, which were shorter and more about Christ.

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10
Q

The town council was assigned to designated different plays to different guilds. What were these guilds made up of?

A
  • the guilds were made up of tradesmen
  • they carried the financial and work weight
  • it was up to the guilds to do the staging; pageant wagon, props, scenery, costume etc.
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11
Q

What is a pageant wagon?

A

A pageant wagon is a movable stage or cart used to accommodate the mystery and miracle play cycles.

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12
Q

What are some example of tradesmen plays?

A

Adam and Eve - by the grocers
The Last Supper - by the bakers
Noah’s Ark - by the shipwrights and water bearers
The Three Kings - by the gold smiths.

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13
Q

Name two types of staging;

A

A static booth stage - easily dismantled stage that remained in one place.
A pageant wagon - also fairly easy to dismantle because it was movable.

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14
Q

What are secrets?

A

Stage machinery to aid in the authenticity of the play.

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15
Q

What was a pageant master?

A

He/ She was director or stage manager.

16
Q

Who were the actors?

A

Mainly men and boys of the working class actors normally played the same character for years on end.

17
Q

What costumes would the actors wear?

A

Contemporary medieval clothing.

18
Q

What did the daemons and devils wear?

A

Sometimes huge headdresses that looked like birds of prey with claws and hideous masks. They were normally very agile actors who played these parts.

19
Q

What were medieval special effects like?

A

Special effects were taken very seriously in order to make the oaky as authentic as possible. Often times they would need multiple people to handle one secret.

20
Q

What does didactic mean?

A

Plays that are didactic are normally plays that TEACH LESSONS.

21
Q

What are the Seven Deadly Sins?

A

Pride, covetousness, sloth, gluttony, envy, lust and anger.

22
Q

Secular morality plays are closest to _________ and were meant to teach _______________.

A
  1. The cycle plays

2. Didactic lessons

23
Q

What is allegory?

A

A popular form of both secular and religious literature.

24
Q

Define an allegory more :

A

Normally a play wherein the character goes on a moral journey and sometimes a physical journey. The main character will learn lessons and be challenged morally or religiously.

25
Q

What are the seven cardinal virtues?

A

Faith, hope, clarity, fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance.

26
Q

EVERYMAN-: what does Everyman symbolism?

A

It symbolizes literally every man.

27
Q

Summaries Everyman

A

Everyman is visited by gods messenger, Death.
He has to give an account of all his good deeds and then go on a physical spiritual journey.
He has to reach confession before he dies.
Characters were highly symbolic - Fellowship symbolizing his friends
All the characters desert him during the journey except good deeds.