Medieval Theatre

Question 0

What four types of entertainment did medieval theatre rise from?

Answer 0

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

Question 1

What does liturgical mean?

Answer 1

Public worship - in this case related to the church.

Question 2

Why did the church use plays?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What was the first secular character?

Answer 3

A merchant!

Question 4

What is a secular character?

Answer 4

A chAracter non-related to religion.

Question 5

What is feudalism?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Where were the plays performed in churches?

Answer 6

The plays were performed in little MANSIONS around the church.

Question 7

What are mansions?

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

What are some of the reasons plays left the church?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

What are mystery cycles?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

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

Answer 10

• 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.

Question 11

What is a pageant wagon?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What are some example of tradesmen plays?

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Name two types of staging;

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What are secrets?

Answer 14

Stage machinery to aid in the authenticity of the play.

Question 15

What was a pageant master?

Answer 15

He/ She was director or stage manager.

Question 16

Who were the actors?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What costumes would the actors wear?

Answer 17

Contemporary medieval clothing.

Question 18

What did the daemons and devils wear?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What were medieval special effects like?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What does didactic mean?

Answer 20

Plays that are didactic are normally plays that TEACH LESSONS.

Question 21

What are the Seven Deadly Sins?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

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

Answer 22

1. The cycle plays

2. Didactic lessons

Question 23

What is allegory?

Answer 23

A popular form of both secular and religious literature.

Question 24

Define an allegory more :

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

What are the seven cardinal virtues?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

EVERYMAN-: what does Everyman symbolism?

Answer 26

It symbolizes literally every man.

Question 27

Summaries Everyman

Answer 27

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.