The Medieval Theatre and Drama

1. It is raised in The Dark Ages, after the fall of Roman Empire until fifteen to the early sixteenth C before Renaissance.

2. The age of the liturgical or church drama of Western Europe.
3. Acted in Latin and utilizing the whole Church building. With the introduction of the vernacular and the removal of the performance to an area outside the church, the way was open for the growth of national theatre in each country.

4. Liturgical drama: enacted as part of the liturgy of the Catholic Mass.

   ¨ It is an antiphonal performance (back and forth, in dialogue) between monks and boy choristers to accompany liturgy of the Mass.

   ¨ It has a progressive plot, the involvement of specific characters, conflict and resolution.

   Cycle Plays: Illustrating scriptural history and performed by craft guilds on the feast of Corpus Christi.

   ¨ The scenes were taken from the Old Testament and the New Testament events, such as Noah and the Flood, Abraham and Isaac, The Annunciation, Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocent.

   Morality drama: enacting the symbolic structure of Christian life; and plays written and performed in schools and universities, sometimes, imitating classical plays

– It emphasized the individual’s struggle with sin. It provided a flexible device for representing psychological and moral conflict. It is also used for describing difficulty of political choice

– The Castle of Perseverance, Mankind, Everyman