The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre

411 Pages·2008·24.038 MB·English

by  Richard Beadle, Alan J. Fletcher

the cambridge companion to
medieval english theatre
ThedramaoftheEnglishMiddleAgesisperenniallypopularwithstudentsand
theatre audiences alike, and this is an updated edition of a book which has
established itself as a standard guide to the field. The Cambridge Companion
to Medieval English Theatre, second edition, continues to provide an author-
itative introduction and an up-to-date, illustrated guide to the mystery cycles,
morality drama and saints’ plays which flourished from the late fourteenth to
themidsixteenthcenturies.Thebookemphasisesregionaldiversityintheperiod
andengageswiththeliteraryandparticularlythetheatricalvaluesoftheplays.
Existingchaptershavebeenrevisedandupdatedwherenecessary,andthereare
three entirely new chapters. After a new general introduction there are chap-
tersdevotedtotheYork,Chester,Towneley(Wakefield)andN-Towncyclesof
biblicalplays.Attentiontothecontributionofdifferentregionsisdevelopedin
a chapter on East Anglia, and continued in essays on the morality drama and
the saints’ plays. Two illustrated chapters are devoted to the performance of
medieval plays, both in their own time and in recent modern revivals. A new
chapter on the cultural significance of early drama has been added. A thor-
oughly revised reference section includes a guide to scholarship and criticism,
anenlargedclassifiedbibliographyandachronologicaltable.
Richard Beadle is Reader in Medieval English Literature and Historical Bibli-
ographyattheUniversityofCambridge.Heisco-editor,withColinRichmond,
ofPastonLettersandPapersoftheFifteenthCentury,PartIII(2006),andheis
currentlypreparingatwo-volumeeditionofTheYorkPlays,duetobepublished
in2009–10.
AlanJ.FletcherisProfessorofMedievalandRenaissanceEnglishLanguageand
LiteratureatUniversityCollegeDublin.HismostrecentprojectshavebeenThe
PresenceofMedievalEnglishLiterature,andaforthcomingbookonmedieval
preaching in Great Britain and Ireland. He is a member of the Royal Irish
Academy.
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THE CAMBRIDGE
COMPANION TO
MEDIEVAL ENGLISH
THEATRE
SECOND EDITION
EDITED BY
RICHARD BEADLE and ALAN J. FLETCHER
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,Sa˜oPaulo,Delhi
CambridgeUniversityPress
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb28ru,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521682541
(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityPress1994,2008
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithout
thewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished1994
Secondedition2008
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
TheCambridgecompaniontomedievalEnglishtheatre/editedby
RichardBeadleandAlanJ.Fletcher.–2ded.
p. cm.–(Cambridgecompanionstoliterature)Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-0-521-86400-8(hardback)–isbn978-0-521-68254-1(pbk.)
1.Theater–England–History–Medieval,500–1500. 2.Englishdrama–To
1500–Historyandcriticism. 3.Christiandrama,English
(Middle)–Historyandcriticism. 4.Bibleplays,English–Historyand
criticism. I.Beadle,Richard. II.Fletcher,AlanJ. III.Title. IV.Series.
pn2587.c362008
792.0942(cid:3)0902–dc22 2008008606
isbn978-0-521-86400-8hardback
isbn978-0-521-68254-1paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto
inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch
websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
CONTENTS
Listofillustrations page vii
Listofcontributors x
Preface xi
Listofabbreviations xvi
Systemofreferenceandlistofeditionsofplayscitedinthetext xvii
Chronologicaltable xix
1 AnintroductiontomedievalEnglishtheatre 1
alexandra f. johnston
2 ThetheatricalityofmedievalEnglishplays 26
meg twycross
3 Theculturalworkofearlydrama 75
greg walker
4 TheYorkCorpusChristiPlay 99
richard beadle
5 TheChestercycle 125
david mills
6 TheTowneleypageants 152
peter meredith
7 TheN-Townplays 183
alan j. fletcher
8 Thenon-cycleplaysandtheEastAngliantradition 211
john c. coldewey
v
contents
9 Moralityplays 235
pamela m. king
10 Saintsandmiracles 263
darryll grantley
11 ModernproductionsofmedievalEnglishdrama 287
john mckinnell
12 AguidetocriticismofmedievalEnglishtheatre 326
peter happe´
361
Selectbibliography
389
Authorindextothebibliography
393
Generalindex
vi
ILLUSTRATIONS
1 StreetmapoflatemedievalYork,showingtheroutetakenbythe
processionalproductionoftheCorpusChristiPlay.Drawingby
MegTwycross page28
2 PageantstagefortheroyalentryofMaryTudor(sisterofHenryVIII)
intoParis,1514:biblicalandallegoricalfigures(BritishLibraryMS
CottonVespasianb.ii) 39
3 PageantstagefortheroyalentryofMaryTudor(sisterofHenryVIII)
intoParis,1514:allegoricalandmythologicalfigures(BritishLibrary
MSCottonVespasianb.ii) 40
4 Shiponwheels,withdevils;German,earlysixteenthcentury(British
LibraryMSAdditional15707) 41
5 Annunciationpageantwagon,Brussels,1615.DetailfromDenisvan
Alsloot,TheTriumphofIsabella,theTheatreMuseum,London.
ReproducedbykindpermissionoftheTrusteesoftheVictoriaand
AlbertMuseum 42
6 Nativitypageantwagon,Brussels,1615.DetailfromDenisvan
Alsloot,TheTriumphofIsabella,theTheatreMuseum,London.
ReproducedbykindpermissionoftheTrusteesoftheVictoriaand
AlbertMuseum 42
7 JeanFouquet,‘TheMartyrdomofStApollonia’,fromTheHoursof
EtienneChevalier.Photograph:Giraudon.Reproducedbykind
permissionoftheMuse´eConde´,Chantilly 47
8 StagingplanforTheCastleofPerseverance(Washington,DC,The
FolgerShakespeareLibrary,MSV.a.354).Reproducedbykind
permissionofTheFolgerShakespeareLibrary 51
9 Floorplanofagreathall.DrawingbyMegTwycross 56
10 ThegreathallofGray’sInn,London.Reproducedbykindpermission
oftheHonourableSocietyofGray’sInn 57
11 TheBaldesArdents(Ballofthosewhocaughtfire),fromFroissart’s
Chronicle(BritishLibraryMSHarley4380) 58
vii
list of illustrations
12 RegisteroftheYorkplays,theDrapers’pageantofTheDeathofthe
Virgin(BritishLibraryMSAdditional35290) 107
13 TheYorkOrdoPaginarumof1415(York,CityArchives,A/Y
MemorandumBook).ReproducedbykindpermissionofYorkCity
Council 112
14 TheN-Townplays:TheMarriageofMaryandJoseph,intheMary
Play(BritishLibraryMSCottonVespasianD.viii) 190
15 TheN-Townplays:TheEntryintoJerusalem,fromPassionPlayI
(BritishLibraryMSCottonVespasianD.viii) 192
16 TheN-Townplays:TheConspiracyandTheLastSupper,from
PassionPlayI(BritishLibraryMSCottonVespasianD.viii) 196
17 EastHarling,Norfolk,parishchurchofSSPeterandPaul,
fifteenth-centurystainedglass,ChristamongtheDoctors.Photograph
bycourtesyoftheRoyalCommissiononHistoricalMonuments 202
18 MapofEastAnglia,showingplacesmentionedinthetext 214
19 DressrehearsalforDoomsday:YorkMysteryCycle,1951.Photograph
fromNorahLambourne’sarchive,UniversityofLancaster. 289
20 TheYorkAssumptionoftheVirgin,LowPetergate,York.Durham
MedievalTheatreCo.,1988.PhotographbyJohnMcKinnell 292
21 TheYorkCrucifixionatanoriginalstationinStonegate,York.Bretton
HallCollege,Wakefield,1992.PhotographbyRosemaryPhizackerley 293
22 TheYorkDeathofChristinStonegate,York.YorkLordsofMisrule,
1992.PhotographbyEileenWhite 294
23 TheYorkHarrowingofHellatYork.DurhamMedievalTheatreCo.,
1992.PhotographbyJohnMcKinnell 295
24 TheYorkResurrection:Stonegate,York.Joculatores
Lancastrienses,1992.PhotographbyMegTwycross 296
25 TheYorkDoomsdaywagon:PoculiLudiqueSocietasplayingside-on
atToronto,1977.PhotographcourtesyofPLS 297
26 ChristappealstomankindintheYorkDoomsday:Durham
MedievalTheatreCo.playingend-onatOdense,1998.
PhotographbyJohnMcKinnell 298
27 TheYorkFirstFiveDaysofCreation:BirminghamUniversityDrama
DepartmentatToronto,1998.PhotographbyJohnMcKinnell 300
28 TheChesterPurification:JoculatoresLancastriensesatChester,1983.
PhotographbyMegTwycross 301
29 Moses(RichardRastall)alarmsPharaoh(PeterMeredith)by
transforminghisstaffintoaserpent:theTowneleyPharaohat
Wakefield,1977.PhotographbyMegTwycross 303
30 JudasreceiveshismoneyintheN-TownPassionPlay,Toronto,1981.
PhotographbyMegTwycross 305
viii