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Everyman

Page history last edited by lindsay.peifer@... 15 years, 2 months ago

Everyman (15th Century)

 

v    Mystery/Morality Plays—grew out of liturgical dramas called tropes—done on holidays, often in churches

v    Frequently in cycles—from creation to judgment day

v    Plays eventually were performed in open-air places—meadows, public greens, streets and markets of cathedral towns

v    Religious fraternities and guilds sponsored them

v    Two forms: stationary—like theater in the round, ambulatory—pageant wagons.  A series of stations—lays in cycles were brought to them.  Emerging destiny of mankind progressively displayed.

v    Wagons had two-levels: dressing rooms on first level, open stage on second. Street in front—open ground for activity.

v    Some realistic scenery, stage effects and properties, which were produced by guilds.  Smoke, fireworks, rattling of pots and kettles for appearance of the devil.

 

v    Color symbolism:

o      Devil—black leather with horns and tail

o      God—white leather, white hair and beard, gilded burning altars

o      White: mercy

o      Red: righteousness

o      Truth: green

 

v    Who performed:

o      Tradition from Roman times.  Mimes, traveling actors.  Church tired to suppress, could not—so they used it.  Contains some elements of folk drama, pagan worship

o      Mystery plays—refers to Latin ministerium—church service:

o      Eventually plays were performed by guilds

o      Cycles—from 24-48

o      4 preserved ones: Chester, York, Wakefield, and N-Town (generic)

o      Sense of humor as well as profane elements of everyday life co-existing with sacred scenes from the life of Christ

 

v    Morality plays:

o      Describes lives of everyday people facing temptations of world

o      Gives warning

o      Soul is always in jeopardy—life is a test of one’s moral condition

 

 

Everyman—the play

v    Allegory—succession of scenes

v    Dramatic effect by progressive disillusionment of main character.

v    Basically optimistic—important (not medieval)

v    Central focus is death the Summoner.  Play moves around the idea of a pilgrimage or journey taken by Everyman.  He embodies a disposition to repress or ignore his approaching mortality.  Respective gifts of external things (fortune, beauty, goods) and more interior (kindred, fellowship)—growing awareness of value of good works.

v    Progressive disillusionment with values of Fortune—halfway mark: illumination with knowledge—increasing hoe and comfort—second disillusionment with gifts of nature—salvation

v    Many productions used an hourglass to represent control of morality

 

 

Everyman.doc

 

Everyman assignment: http://tinyurl.com/ckap5s

 

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