Summary
Highlights
In the 11th and 12th centuries, clergy introduced 'mystery plays' to teach illiterate commoners Bible stories and 'miracle plays' about saints. These performances began on cathedral steps and soon moved to town squares, using movable carts called pageants, which were two-story structures with the staging platform on top and dressing areas below. Spectators would gather in different parts of town to watch the pageants move in a cycle, showing stories from Genesis to Revelation.
By the 13th century, the demand for more actors led guilds to take over different parts of the play cycles, often aligning stories with their professions. This shift, away from clergy control, resulted in biblical stories changing, sometimes dramatically, with humorous or crude interpretations emerging.
By the end of the 14th century, morality plays evolved, featuring allegorical characters representing virtues (e.g., faith, charity) and vices (e.g., falsehood, the devil) battling for the human soul. Audiences enjoyed these plays and often interacted with the actors, even scuffling with other spectators. The character of the devil would often roam the crowds, pulling people into a depiction of hell through a dragon's mouth. Ironically, while intended to teach against immorality, these plays made vices seem more popular than virtues.
By the mid-15th century, the church started outlawing these performances. Theatrical venues were then built outside city walls. These early theaters, like the Globe where a young William Shakespeare honed his craft, resembled larger versions of the pageant carts with tiered seating. The medieval morality play, with its focus on inner struggles and conscience, directly inspired Renaissance playwrights, leading to the emergence of drama as a literary art form.