4.7 Drama - Mystery and Passion Plays

Question 1

What are mystery plays?

Answer 1

• Mystery plays were medieval dramas produced by travelling actors and the local town guild.
• They tried to put across the message of Christianity (the creation, the Fall of man, the nativity and baptism of Jeus, the Passion and resurrection, and the assumption and coronation of Mary)

Question 2

How did mystery plays try to put across the message of Christianity?

Answer 2

• The plays were in the language of the people (the vernacular), and not Latin.
• They used humour, including slapstick
• They put real-life situations into the plots so people could emphasise.
• They make the spiritual message clear and simple

Question 3

What are passion plays?

Answer 3

• Passion plays are produced by many Christians throughout the world.
• They tell the story of Christ’s last days, from Palm Sunday, through to the resurrection.
• They are performed by local actors
• They try to put across the message of the Passion of Christ (forgiveness, atonement, God’s love, eternal life)

Question 4

How do passion plays try to put across the message of the Passion of Christ?

Answer 4

• The plays are in the language of the people (the vernacular)
• They make the Passion a spectacle (there are at least 500 actors)
• They bring the drama of events of life.
• They put in ordinary events so that the events are relevant to people’s lives.

Question 5

How is drama used to express belief in the church and other settings?

Answer 5

• Mystery plays express Catholic beliefs about Creation, the Fall of Man, the incarnation, the crucifixion etc. The beliefs are brough to life through play play and characterisation.
• Mass is a drama where the priest re-enacts Christ’s sacrifice, the Last Supper and Eucharistic prayers to express Catholic beliefs about transubstantiation and atonement.
• Catholic beliefs about the Passion are expressed in the dramatic events of passion plays.
• At the Venetration of the Cross, Catholics take part in drama to express beliefs about Christ’s sacrifice by filing up to kisss the cross.
• At the Easter Liturgy, the Gospel of the Passion is broken down into different voices of the different characters and so expresses belief about the Passion through dramtic readings.
• At the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, the Paschal Candle is lit, from the new fire of Easter, which expresses Catholic beliefs in the resurrection as the light of the ressurected Christ, and is brought into the darkened church

Question 6

SOWA

What does the Cathechism describe the relationship between God and humans as?

Answer 6

a “covenant drama”