The drama of medieval England grew out of religion; and two of its most important forms were miracle plays and morality plays. Both were intended to instruct as well as entertain, but they differed in subject matter and method.
Miracle
plays were
based on stories from the Bible or on the lives and legends of saints. They
depicted events such as the Creation, Noah’s Flood, the Nativity, the
Crucifixion and the Resurrection, as well as the miracles and martyrdom of
saints. These plays were usually staged during religious festivals like Corpus
Christi and were often organized by town guilds, who would perform them on
pageant wagons in public spaces. Written in the vernacular, miracle plays made
sacred stories accessible to the common people. They combined religious
devotion with elements of spectacle, humour and music, making them both
engaging and instructive. Famous collections of miracle plays include the York,
Chester and Wakefield cycles. Miracle plays brought sacred stories to life for
ordinary people who could not read the Bible. They laid the foundation for a
popular dramatic tradition in England.
Morality
plays, on the
other hand, were allegorical dramas that focused on the life and soul of the
common man. Instead of retelling Biblical episodes, they used personified
abstractions such as Virtue, Vice, Fellowship, Knowledge, Good Deeds and Death
to dramatize the struggle between good and evil in human life. Their central
character often represented humanity as a whole, faced with temptations and
guided towards moral salvation. Works like Everyman, The Castle of
Perseverance, and Mankind are among the most celebrated examples.
Though primarily didactic, morality plays also contained humor and lively
dialogue, which kept them popular from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Morality
plays moved English drama beyond Biblical narratives. They acted as a bridge
between miracle plays and the more secular Renaissance drama.
Together,
miracle and morality plays prepared the ground for the flowering of Renaissance
drama. Miracle plays familiarized audiences with religious stories, while
morality plays introduced allegory, psychology and the exploration of human
character. Their combined influence gradually moved English drama away from
purely religious concerns toward more secular and human-centered themes, paving
the way for the achievements of Marlowe, Shakespeare and their contemporaries.
