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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A paper which describes the Pageant, or Cycle Plays of the early medieval period and the Commedia del’Arte of the sixteenth century, with reference to their similarities and differences and the themes of the two types of drama.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLcyclepl.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the need to convey Biblical teachings to a mainly illiterate populace, and began as dramas enacted on a stage consisting of a plain wooden platform; at the end of the
narrative the good characters exited through "heavenly gates" at one end of the stage, and the bad ones through "gates of hell" at the other. The aim was to enact
scriptural stories and principles in a way which would convey basic theological concepts, and be easy for the audience to follow.
The pageant wagons came about through the simple expedient of placing wheels on these basic stages, so that the
actors could travel around the country and present the cycle plays in different towns. Although one might assume that these plays, having a religious theme, would be somewhat sombre in
tone and resemble the preaching which took place inside a formal church setting, this does not seem to have been the case as the Cycle Plays evolved. Modern revivals would
seem to indicate that they were lively and entertaining, and involved a considerable degree of interaction with the audience.
Noah, for example, might exhort the men on the audience to establish control over their wives whilst Noahs wife would
be warning the women that the wisest course was not to marry at all. In addition, the characters who ended up being sent to Hell at the end of the
drama were generally regarded by the audience as rather more interesting than those who were more virtuous. Because of the appeal of the pageants, innkeepers would encourage the players to
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