Medieval Mystery Plays

1. Medieval Mystery Plays Contexts for The Miller’s Tale

2. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free!

3. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free!

4. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free!

5. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free!

6. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free!

7. What is a Mystery Play? • A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English • Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment • Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring • Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding • Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters • No price of admission --- they were free! All estates could attend.

8. In The Miller’s Tale “Somtyme, to shewe his lightnesse and maistrye, He pleyethHerodesupon a scaffoldhye” (ll. 3383-4) “’Hastounat herd,’ quod Nicholas, ‘also, The sorwe of Noe with his felaweshipe Er that he myghtebrynge his wyf to the shipe? Hymhadde be levere, I darwel undertake…, That she hadde had a shipehirselfallone’” (ll.3538-43)