Revision Flashcards
Who took over drama after the fall of the Roman Empire?
The catholic church
What was the period of time called where there was no clear political structure and lots of fighting in Western Europe?
the “Dark Ages”
After the popularity of performance grew and moved outside of the church, what language started to gain popularity over Latin in drama?
vernacular language
In what year were all plays played in vernacular?
1350
What groups of people started taking control over drama outside of the church?
Secular (non-religious) groups
What were “The guilds”?
A union of tradesmen from the same trade who supported each other.
What did guilds do?
Took control over religious plays / stories, such as how the Bakers’ guild controlled the play about the Last Supper.
All the actors were ____ and ______
male, unpaid
Where did they perform? Why?
Outside the church in a large square, to have more space and better attract large crowds.
What sort of acting was needed to grab attention?
Loud vocal projection and lively, exaggerated movements.
There were two major kinds of stages in medieval theatre: _____ and ________
Fixed and moveable
Where was fixed staging most popular?
Europe (except Spain and certain parts of Italy)
What was used for fixed staging?
Stages called Mansions usually arranged in straight lines, rectangles or circles, depending on the space. Heaven and hell were often set at opposite ends.
What was used for moveable staging?
Wagons, called Pageant Wagons, which moved through the streets while the audience stayed in one place - like parade floats.
What does the term ‘pageant’ refer to?
The stage, the play itself and the spectacle.
“Plays were performed in sequence” What does this mean?
Each play was performed several times.
Religious plays were performed in cycles, what are the three different types of religious plays?
Mystery plays, miracle plays and morality plays
Mystery plays
stories from the bible, usually performed in cycles
Miracle plays
Lives of saints
Morality plays
plays which often explored common man’s struggle to live a Christian life, the central character representing humanity.
Two morality plays were ________ and _______
Everyman and Mankind
What was the special feature of Morality plays?
They often personified abstract qualities such as sins (greed, lust, etc.) or Goodness
What were the characteristics all the different types of plays had in common?
Aimed to reinforce church doctrine, melodramatic (Good rewarded, evil punished), God and his plan were driving the forces, not the characters.
Mummings (Mummer plays)
Non religious plays - like pantomimes, danced and narrated stories
