Middle Ages

476 AD - 1450s AD

Fall of the Roman Empire

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Early Middle Ages

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High Middle Ages

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The Feudal System

King

Lord

Vassal

Serfs

Crown Church

IlliterateLiterate(Latin)

Late Middle Ages

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Medieval Theatre

A Light in the “Dark Ages”

The Roman Leftovers

• Mime• Pantomime• Dance• Musicians• Tumblers• Wrestlers• Gladiators

The Church

• The Germanic conquerors tried to suppress all remnants of Roman theatre, but what remained were pagan festivals

• The Church tried suppress pagan festivals and failed

• The Church then took these festivals and gave them Christian significance

The Church Uses Theatre as a Tool

• Around the 11th or 12th century, the Church began to use theatre to teach its members about moral law and the life of Jesus

• Feasts like Christmas, Corpus Christi, and Easter had festivals which used theatre as a tool to instruct

Types of Plays

• Liturgical Drama (Easter)

• Mystery Plays (Corpus Christi)

• Saint’s/Miracle Plays (Local Festivals)

• Morality Plays (Everyman)

• Farce (Late Medieval in France)

• Humanist Drama (Very end of Medieval)

Liturgical Drama

• Performed in Latin• Mansions - small scenic structures for

indicating location (could be several of these)• Platea - general acting area• Church structure usually serves as the

mansions• Machinery was also used• Costumes were probably church vestments

Staging of Plays

Theatre and Community

• Fraternities (Chambers of Rhetoric)

• Festivals

• Civic Pride

• Social Institution

Other Types of Theatre

Mumming

Mimicry

Sword Dances

Maying

Interludes

Fall of Medieval Theatre

• The Protestant Church• The Printing Press• Rise of Learning in University• Advances in Science