MORALITY PLAYS

What is Morality Play? A morality play is an allegorical play popular especially in the 15th and 16th centuries in which the characters personify abstract qualities or concepts (as virtues, vices, or death)

Morality Plays Only five medieval English morality plays still survive: 1. The Pride of Life (a corrupted Anglo-Irish text) 2. The Castle of Perseverance 3. Wisdom 4. Mankind 5. Everyman (translated from a Dutch original.) These are all that are left of an influential dramatic genre. The understanding of style has been developed based upon the influence these plays had on surviving literature and art

An attempt to educate via entertainment Dominican and Franciscan monks developed the morality play in the 13th century by adding actors and theatrical elements to their sermons. They hoped the (mainly illiterate) masses could more easily learn the basics of Christianity through dramatic spoken word. The plays made complex topics such as original sin and atonement more easily understood. By personifying Vices, Virtues, the Devil and the Good Angel, stories of temptation were made accessible to those who were unable to read. Morality Plays

The main theme of the morality play is this: 1.Man begins in innocence 2.Man falls into temptation 3.Man repents and is saved. The central action is the struggle of Man against the seven deadly sins that are personified into real characters The allegorical application of theatre to Christianity was intended to help the audience understand sin and virtue Morality Plays

Seven Deadly Sins Pride - I am so awesome, no one’s better than me. Envy – I want what they have. Lust – wanting someone physically. Greed – wanting material things. Anger –being negative or furious at unnecessary things. Sloth - laziness Gluttony – consume more than that which one requires

Seven Heavenly Virtues Humility - modesty Kindness – being nice to others Chastity- Purity Charity – Generosity Patience – believing that if you do good things, good things will happen. Diligence – Hard working Temperance – abstain, get what is needed not what you desire.

Create Your Own Morality Play 1.Create 4 characters, a Main Character who is considered Everyman, one who is the personification of a Vice, one who is a personification of a Virtue and another person that the Everyman character wrongs, the Angel. 2.Create a scenario that involves Everyman succumbing to the Vice and hurting someone else. 3.Solve the conflict so that Everyman is forgiven. 4.Write your play. 5.Make sure each character has at least 8 lines.