York Mystery Plays  

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-'''Medieval theatre''' refers to the [[theatre]] of [[Europe]] between the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the [[Renaissance]] in approximately the 15th century A.D. Medieval theatre covers all drama produced in Europe over that thousand year period and refers to a variety of genres, including [[liturgical drama]], [[mystery plays]], [[morality plays]], [[farce]]s and [[masque]]s. Beginning with [[Hrosvitha]] of Gandersheim in the 10th century, Medieval drama was for the most part very religious and moral in its themes, staging and traditions. The most famous examples of medieval plays are the English cycle dramas, the [[York Mystery Plays]], the [[Chester Mystery Plays]], the [[Wakefield Mystery Plays]] and the [[N-Town Plays]], as well as the [[morality play]], ''[[Everyman (play)|Everyman]]''. +<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:York Mystery Plays.jpg|thumb|left| {{Deletable image-caption|date=May 2012}}]] -->
- +The '''York Mystery Plays''', more properly called the '''York Corpus Christi Plays''', are a [[Middle English]] [[play cycle|cycle]] of forty-eight [[mystery play]]s, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the [[Genesis creation myth|creation]] to [[the Last Judgement]]. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]] (a movable feast occurring the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, between May 23 and June 24). They were performed in the city of [[York]], from the middle of the fourteenth century until 1569. It is one of only four virtually complete surviving English mystery play cycles, with the others known as the [[Chester Mystery Plays]], the [[Wakefield Cycle|Towneley/Wakefield plays]] and [[N-Town|N-Town plays]]. In addition to these, two long, composite, and late mystery pageants have survived from the [[Coventry Mystery Plays|Coventry cycle]], and there are records and fragments from other similar productions which took place elsewhere. A [[manuscript]] of the York plays, probably dating from some time between 1463 and 1477, survives at the [[British Library]].
-Due to a lack of surviving records and texts, a low literacy rate of the general population, and the opposition of the clergy to some types of performance, there are few surviving sources on medieval drama of the [[Early Middle Ages|early]] and [[High Middle Ages|high]] medieval periods. However, by the [[Late Middle Ages|late]] period, [[drama]] and [[theatre]] began to become more secularized and a larger number of records survive documenting [[play (theatre)|plays]] and performances.+
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-==Texts and Authors==+
-Many texts survive from this era. Some of the most important ones are:+
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-*''[[Quem Quaeritis?]]'' - the piece of the liturgical Easter mass that eventually grew into a huge body of religious drama+
-*"[[The Second Shepherds' Play]]" from the Wakefield (also called Towneley) Cycle+
-*The York cycle - the longest mystery cycle in existence+
-*''[[Everyman (play)|Everyman]]'' - this Flemish play is the most famous morality play+
-*''[[The Castle of Perseverance]]'' - from 1440, it's the earliest known full-length vernacular play in existence. It's especially important because a stage drawing is included, which may suggest [[theatre in the round]].+
-*"[[La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin]]" - a French farce that was very popular for over a century.+
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-Most authors of medieval plays are anonymous. Important ones are:+
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-*[[Hrosvit]]ha - the first female playwright, a nun from [[Bad Gandersheim|Gandersheim]]+
-*The Wakefield Master - contributor to some of the plays of the [[Wakefield Cycle]], including "The Second Shepherds' Play." His real name is not known.+
-*[[John Bale]] - English churchman+
-==See also==+
-*[[Wakefield Mystery Plays]]+
-*[[The Second Shepherds' Play]]+
-*[[History of theatre]]+
-*[[Medieval French literature]]+
-*[[Oberammergau Passion Play]]+
-*[[Carnival]]+
-*[[The Vice]]+
- +
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The York Mystery Plays, more properly called the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of forty-eight mystery plays, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgement. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi (a movable feast occurring the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, between May 23 and June 24). They were performed in the city of York, from the middle of the fourteenth century until 1569. It is one of only four virtually complete surviving English mystery play cycles, with the others known as the Chester Mystery Plays, the Towneley/Wakefield plays and N-Town plays. In addition to these, two long, composite, and late mystery pageants have survived from the Coventry cycle, and there are records and fragments from other similar productions which took place elsewhere. A manuscript of the York plays, probably dating from some time between 1463 and 1477, survives at the British Library.



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