Medieval Plays and Drama

Plays and drama during the Medieval time greatly reflected people's personal experiences and stories of their own lives. Due to the broad sharing of the story teller's life this only reflected the limited knowledge of the people in their villages. These performances were produced by the common people living in England, involved in the Christian Church. Along with religious views, more subtle political, economical aspects were often woven in to the plays.
There were three defined types or cycles of plays that were created. Among the three was 'mystery' plays which were mainly centered around Christ and various aspects and theories relating to the topic. 'Miracle' plays were performences which included lives of saints, often historical and legendary. And lastly, 'Mortality' plays which often included the common man's struggle through life and hopes of salvation. Though some performences branched off from these three main catigories due to personal experiences and preferences, the majority of Middle Aged drama were centered around these three religious aspects.
Due to the involvement of members from the Christian church the plays were chiefly focused on Christian views. Religion was a main focus due to the extreme involvement citizens had in the Christian community. Often the plays were held in churches alongside large stained glass windows which portrayed religious figures and scenes to the, primarily, illiterate crowd. Often large religious celebrations such as Christmas and Easter were reasons to conduct larger productions.
Often the more educated members of society and community leaders would make use of plays to advise the illiterate with a better understanding of key concepts in the Christian church. The speaker would dramatically perform the important aspects of certain significant concepts. Not only would the crowd gain better understanding of the concept but they would also acquire more appreciation for their surroundings.
A very well known celebration that included large Middle Age plays was the ‘Corpus Christi Pageant’ (Latin for the Body of Christ). This was a feast held in celebration of the body of Christ which included outdoor theatrical performances in the city of York, England. Numerous religious plays were presented that came together to signify the story of Christian salvation. This gathering of costumes, music, and choir of voices was often held on a Thursday in late spring, nearly two months after Easter. This celebration of the real presences of Christ was a yearly happening and included large decorative wagons from which the plays were performed.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/resources/PSim/yorkintro.html#feast

http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medievaldrama.htm

Inquisition and the Ecclesiastical courts.

Inquisition is an official investigation, especially one of the political or religious natures. Inquisition can also be considered as a severe interrogation often violating the rights or privacy of an individual. Ecclesiastical courts are tribunals set up by religious authorities to deal with disputes among clerics or laymen. In the early periods in history, the ecclesiastical courts often had a degree of temporal jurisdiction and in the Middle Ages the courts of the Roman Catholic Church competed with the activist courts in power. Ecclesiastical courts had jurisdiction over issues like marriage, separation, wills and legitimacy. The courts also claimed authority over clergy accused of most types of crimes. The church courts had jurisdiction over all disputes concerning discipline or administration of the church property claimed by the clergy or ecclesiastical corporate bodies, taxes, questions touching on oaths, vows and heresy. The special ecclesiastical court of the Inquisition was employed, and lay rulers were obliged under pain of exclusion from the Christian community, to pass the most severe sentences. In England today the ecclesiastical courts exercise jurisdiction in civil cases concerning church buildings and in criminal cases in which clergymen are accused of ecclesiastical crimes.

Medieval Arms and Armor

Warriors from the early Middle Ages of Europe wore equipment derived from the late Romans. A short-sleeved mail shirt was worn over their body made of interlocking iron rings. Underneath the metal armor the knight would wear a padded garment known as an "aketon" or "gambeson". Late in the Middle Ages plate armor began to appear because of the more powerful weapons being used. However, the use of gunpowder was becoming effective and even the plate armor was ineffective. The most commonly worn helmet was called a Spangenhelm. Shields were round or oval and usually made of wood covered in leather. The shields were painted with symbols to distinguish friends from enemies. Around the rim were metallic mountings and in the center was a hole for the hand grip. The weapons they carried were most likely a spear, sword, ax, or bow and arrow. In the height of the middle-ages horses may have been used. At the end of the 12th century a new helmet type was used. It was flat on top with side plates that allowed the face of the warrior to be hidden.

Helmet (Spangenhelm) http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/ho/06/eust/ho_42.50.1.htm


Two Shield Bosses http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/ho/06/eust/ho_1984.184.1,2.htm

Arms & Armor http://tudorshoppe.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=AA

Feudalism

In Medieval times, the specific government that England ran by was Feudalism. After the invasion and conquest of William the First, Feudalism was introduced in 900AD (1). The controller of this system of government was the King. Basically, he ruled over all the land with the help of this advisors.
The system was very effective and simple. The King would grant land to the Barons, who would grant land to the Knights, who would grant land to the Serfs. In return, the Serfs would provide the Knights with food and any services when demanded. The Knights would provide the Barons with protection and the Barons would provide money and knights to the King. Everyone got something out of the system(1).
Feudalism ended because family ties and the social atmosphere changed. Protective and territorial concerns became more important than family and also, inheritance importance became less important as well. Feudalism slowly ended by the 14th century in England(2). Feudalism is not active now in modern day England.






(1) http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/feudalism.htm
(2)http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d10/asb/anthro2003/glues/feudalism.html

Monastic Orders

Monastic orders are a group of people living under a religious rule. The basic building block of it is seclusion and withdrawal from society for the people who choose to be a part. It is literally the act or “dwelling alone”, when the word is Monasticism is broken down in the Greek language. Monks take a religious vow, and the ultimate goal is to be above the rest of society. It is a lifetime commitment to spiritual work, and are actually present in multiple religions. In the time of Chaucer’s novel, The Canterbury Tales, there were many monastic orders in Britain. They include: Augustinians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Carthusians, Cistercians, Cluniacs, Dominicans, Franciscans, Gilbertines, Premonstratensians, and Tironensians. Between 1536 and 1541, Henry VII closed all British monasteries. Eventually, during the Victorian times, they were re-opened in Britain, along with convents.
The more recognized monastic order is Benedictines, as it is the oldest British monastic order and had more monasteries than any other kind in all of Europe. The biggest communities in this order were Abbeys (rules by Abbots), and Priories (rules by priors). There are also monks and nuns, who may also be known as monastics. Monks in this monastic order worked with education, books, copying old manuscripts, and starting new schools and universities around where they lived and worked. Monks here were also known for wearing black. An example of a current Benedictine monastery is the Downside Abbey.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10459a.htm
http://www.request.org.uk/main/history/middle/monastery02.htm
http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/MONASTICORDER

Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer, also known as the father of English Literature, was a medieval poet, who wrote one of the most famous of English texts, The Canterbury Tales. Born around the year 1342 to a wine merchant and a heiress, he was well educated, although it is unknown if he received any higher education. As well as knowing several languages, he was also educated in astronomy, medicine, physics, and alchemy. He later became a servant to the Countess of Ulster in 1357, where he traveled to France. He was captured in France while fighting. King Edward III paid 16 million pounds toward Chaucer’s ransom, and after a year or two, Chaucer entered royal service to the king. It is thought that it was in France where Chaucer found his passion for writing. It is during this time that he wrote the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer died in 1400 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. What makes Chaucer’s style so unique is that it is much different from previous English texts, such as those of the Anglo-Saxon period. Chaucer’s work is much more detail oriented, and it is more subtle in the messages that it gets across to its audience.

http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucer.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03642b.htm

Bubonic Plague

The Bubonic Plague also known as The Black Death, hit Europeans strongly during the mid-ages. The plague was a disease that was thought to originate in China. After two Italian merchants came back from China, and docked in Sicily it was said that was the start of the terrible disease. After one year the disease spread as far as England.
The Plague attacks the blood stream, after direct contact with someone who has the plague or after being bit by fleas that have the disease. There was no cure for the plague and after five consecutive years of death one third of Europe died from the Bubonic Plague.
Since the plague did kill about one third of Europeans, it affected the economy heavily, and the way people lived. People living in Europe at the time did one of two things. They either abandon their families, homes, cities, or ran off to cities that were not infected, or many people sheltered themselves in their houses with uninfected family. It was not uncommon for mothers to abandon their sons, and fathers to abandon their daughters. Social order in the cities was lost. Like many might think ministers, nuns, and enforcers of the law all were sick also, causing every man to fend for themselves. Social order in the cities within Europe was lost. There were no longer any servants that would care for the sick who were rich, and there was no communication between neighbors, and family. After millions were dead the Catholic churches no longer had any more space in the cemeteries. The deceased were bared in large ditches that were covered with dirt. If you had died from the plague you may be buried with up to three hundred other men, women, and children.
Many might say that the plague caused generations to be lost, and a culture that would never be the same.

By: Tiana Farina


http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/fleas/bdeath/
http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/renaissance/Globe/BlackDeath.html

Medieval Visual Art

Medieval society was a theocentric society, and as a result, symbolic representations of religious figures can be found throughout the time period's art work. The first period of Medieval art is called the Byzantine. In this period, mosaics were a very prominent art form, and could be found built into the walls of the churches. However, other art forms were present, and the Medieval artists created a new painting technique, involving egg yolk and a wooden support. This style of art lacked three-dimentional qualities, but was very symbolic. This artwork includes gold backgrounds, representing a heavenly atmosphere, halos to represent religious stature, and sometimes Roman political figures such as Emperors to represent a unification of church and state (debatably the opposite of today's society). Also, the way in which Christ was represented on the cross was symbolic. He had been represented on the cross with his eyes open, showing his victory over death, but this later changed, and he was drawn with his eyes closed. It is possible that this was done to show an empathetic view of Christ.

For many centuries, people of the medieval ages lacked the knowledge of architectual styles that the Romans had had. This knowledge was rediscovered, however, during a period of time in which religious pilgrammages gained popularity, and thus more churches needed to be built to satisfy the new amounts of worshipers. The technique that was rediscovered was called vaulting, in which mortar was used to hold stones together. This is called the Romanesque style, and this style, along with the Gothic style, were the common forms of architecture of the Middle Ages. The difference between designs was that the Romanesque style had one tower, and was not as decorative as the ornate Gothic Style. One very prominent aspect of Gothic architecture is the use of gargoyles. Originating from the french word "gargouille," meaning throat or pipe, gargoyles served symbolic as well as functional purposes. They were found on the roofs of buildings done in the Gothic style as guardians of the building, and serves as gutters, guiding water away from the sides of buildings. "Gargoyles" that did not serve as gutters were referred to as chimera.

http://www.eyeconart.net/history/medieval.htm

http://www.gargoylegothica.com/

Dragons

Dragons and dragon related deaths were a huge problem in the middle ages. Dragons frequently went around burninating cottages and peasants. They mostly came in the niiiiight. One of the most notorious dragons of these period was Trogdor(1).

(1) "Trogdor." The Homestar Runner Wiki . 22 October 2007. . Goleman Networks.. 7 Nov 2007 .

Terpsichore (Medieval Dances/Music)

For any/all of you who like classical music, this is a link to a four movement piece entitled Terpsichore. Terpsichore (one of the nine muses of Greek Mythology, she was of music) is actually a collection of many medieval dances and songs (there have been hundreds written down and recorded, Terpsichore just samples some) shaped into a four-movement 24 minute (around there piece).

It's an absolutely fantastic piece of music, and the SWHS Wind Ensemble is playing it at this winter concert coming up.

Anyway, check it out if.

http://www.manhattanbeachmusic.com/html/terpsichore2.html

-Connor