Medieval Mystery Plays, Morality Plays, And Interludes

MEDIEVAL MYSTERY MORALITY PLAYS PLAYS AND INTERLUDES EDITED BY V I N C E N T F. H O P P E R and G E R A L D B. L A H E Y New Tork University B A R R O N ’ S E D U C A T IO N A L S E R I E S , IN C . WOODBURY, NEW YORK Medieval Mystery Plays AfcRApAM ANt) iSAAC NOAp’S FLOOt) gP g secoNt) s P g p P gr P s ’ pLA? Morality Plays ^Pg cast Lg of pgrsgvgrancg GVGRVMAN AND Interludes jOpAN, TpG PUSfeANt) g P g four pp. (c) 1962 by barron ’s educational series, in c ., All rights strictly reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form , by mimeograph or any other means, without express permission in ivriting from the publisher. This version of Medieval Mysteries, Moralities, and Interludes may not be acted by professionals or amateurs icithout written permission of the publisher. A ll rights including professional, amateur, stock, radio and television broadcasting, motion picture, recitational lecturing, public reading are resented. All inquiries should be addressed to Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. 113 Crossways Park Drive Woodbury, New York 11797 PRINTED IN T H E UNITED STATES OF A M E R IC A Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 61-18362 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 M 1 T H E A T R E CLASSICS FO R T H E MODERN R E A D E R T o reproduce the values and effects of the theatre on the printed page is the ambitious aim of this series of the classics of the stage. Although good plays have al­ ways been read as well as acted, few playwrights before the era of Ibsen and Shaw have ever; written with any public other than the theatre audience sharply in their minds. In consequence, the reader of older plays is usu­ ally required to supply his own visualizing of the staging and his own interpretation of stage action and even the manner of the delivery of the lines themselves. Fre­ quently he is also required to put up with abbreviations and other space-saving printing devices. This modern reader's edition of theatre classics vital­ izes the outstanding plays of the past with the kind of eye-pleasing text and the kinds of reading and acting guides to which today’s reader is accustomed in good published editions of twentieth century dramas. The text itself has not been altered except for occasional modernizations of spelling and punctuation (common to all modern editions of earlier works) and the rare use of italics for emphasis when the reading of a line is not immediately clear. Essentially, that is, the author’s text is as he wrote it. Added to it are descriptions of scenes and costumes, indications of expression and action, and explanation of words and references not readily compre­ hensible. The illustrations should aid immeasurably in visualiz­ ing the play. A description of the original staging, stage conditions, and stage techniques is provided partly as still another aid to visualization but principally to show how the playwright adapted his materials to suit the par­ ticular stage conventions of his time. Companioning each play are also a sketch of the author’s life, an analy­ sis of the play, and a selective bibliography to make this as much an all-in-one edition as possible. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION j A B R A H A M AND ISAAC 70 70 The Story as Told in Genesis The Brome Version of the Play n o a h ’s yi 90 flood The Story as Told in Genesis The Play 90 93 T H E SECOND SHEPHERDS’ P L A Y The Story as Told by Luke The Play THE 10 8 108 109 C A S T L E OF P E R S E V E R A N C E 147 EVERYMAN 196 JO H AN JO H AN 2J 1 T H E FOUR