Medieval Blog Entry Ten



This is another way productions were set up in Medieval times



For my primary document I chose English Pageant Cars by Archdeacon Robert Rogers. He left a description of the pageant cars used in the Chester Whitsun plays.

Rogers describes them in old English. He describes them as having 2 “rowmes”. One higher and one lower, they were placed on four wheels. The lower one was used as a backstage to “apparel” themselves. The higher one was used to perform. It was raised so all could see and hear them. Rogers says “The places where they played them was in every streete.” So the cars were wheeled from place to place to perform in different locations around town.



This is one interpretation of a pageant car



According to Nagler in his book The Medieval Religious Stage the main source that we have to support the procession theory for the Chester Cycle is in David Rogers’ description. However, he wrote his history 34 years after the last performance in Chester, since we do not know how old he was when he wrote his history we cannot assume that he was an eyewitness as previously thought. His father is the same Robert Rogers mentioned above; so some believe that David got his information from his father, who would have been an eyewitness. Rogers listed five points within the city for performances: at the Abbey Gate, at the High Cross, in Watergate Street, Bridgegate Street, and Eastgate Street. Rogers also stated that the wagons followed each other smoothly without interruptions. (Nagler)

Nagler, A.M. The Medieval Religious Stage. New York, NY: Yale University, 1976. 55-56. Print.

Rogers, Robert . "English Pageant Cars ." A Source Book in Theatrical History. Comp. A.M. Nagler. New York: Dover
           Publications, 1952. Print.

"Stage Design in the Middle Ages ." THR 100: Drama Appreciation. Web. 7 Dec 2010. http://www.uncg.edu/aas/itc/thr100/unit14/part2.html

Medieval Blog Entry Nine

Lin, Erika T. "Popular Festivity and the Early Modern Stage The Case of George a Greene." Theatre Jounal Volume 61.2 (2009): 271-97. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.

The following scholarly article discusses the Cycle plays and their commonality (or lack of) in English theatre.

Popular Festivity and the Early Modern Stage The Case of George a Greene

Erika T. Lin

Theatre Journal, Volume 61, Number 2, May 2009, pp. 271-297 (Article)

Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press

"Recent work associated with the Records of Early English Drama (REED) project, however, has demonstrated the persistence of popular festive performance. Although the demise of the biblical cycle drama certainly took place, it has become increasingly evident that these plays were, in fact, never as widespread as has been generally assumed and were enacted only in urban centers such as Chester and York. Far more common across the whole of England were various kinds of theatrical and paratheatrical activity at the parish level." (Lin 271- 272)

This was new information to me. I did not realize that more study had been done, and that scholars were finding that the cycle plays were actually not as common as people originally believed.

Lin goes on to say that the parish festivals were generally unscripted. While cycle plays have more textual traces. Because of this the cycle plays are more studied and there is more known about them. The Festivals were given much less critical study than the Cycle plays.

  

"Yet if regular participation in amateur performance was commonplace in early modern England, its impact on the growth of professional theatre must have been significant." (Lin 272) How did the other festivals impact the growth of theatre in England? Lin states examples where later plays had festivals in them. Such as The Winter's Tale where there is a sheep shearing festival.

I thought that Lin brought up a subject that could be a whole blog in itself.  

Medieval Blog Entry Eight

The passage of the Bible that the second Chester Cycle play is written from is Genesis 1-3. The opening speech by God follows almost exactly the same order presented in the Bible. The serpent's speech in the play is similar to that of the Bible. Both convince the women that she will become more God-like if she eats the fruit.

In the Bible it says "She took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (Genesis 3:6) This goes back to the discussion about Eve being the first sinner. If Adam was there with her why did he not stop her? After sinning they both realized that they were naked and then they made clothes out of fig leaves.

In the play it calls the fruit an "apple" in the Bible there is no mention to what kind of fruit is on the tree. For all we know it could be a fruit that no longer exists.

At the end of the play God puts cherubim and flaming swords at the entrance of the garden. This is Genesis 3:24, which is the end of the chapter.

Chester Cycle 1572/2010 A.F.Johnston, ed. (from Mills) Play 2

Chester Cycle 1572/2010

Play 2

Adam and Eve

Holy Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Print.

Medieval Blog Entry Seven

In the book Eve by John A. Phillips while talking about Eve as the "original sinner" Phillips states that the women dominates the story of the Garden of Eden. It is true. She is the one who talks to the serpent (Devil) and the one who takes the first bite. Then she "assumes the role of the serpent... in providing her husband with the fruit." (Phillips 55) Many people blame the woman for bringing sin into the world, but in Phillips book he argues that Adam fell with even less persuasion than Eve. If the serpent had talked to Adam first, would he have eaten the fruit faster than Eve?

There is no way that we could ever truely know the answer to that question. We cannot go back in time to see what Adam would do. People have discussed whether sin is Eve's "fault" or not for centuries. I was raised in the Christian church and I have heard many sermons, speeches, and discussions on the story of the Garden of Eden. As far as I can see we are no closer to having an answer now than they were 50 years ago. Phillips has some good points in his book Eve, and I would reccomend it to someone looking for someone's point of view on it.

Photograph. Christ Church of Peach. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. http://christchurchofpeacejacksonville.org/services.

 

Phillips, John A. Eve: The History of an Idea. 1st ed. New York: Library of Congress, 1984. Print.

                     

While I was searching for a video of medieval cycle plays I found this video of the Everyman Play with Legos. It thought it was a creative and interesting way to portray the Everyman Play. I then began looking for "Lego Medieval Plays". I did not find anymore plays, but I did find this video of a Lego Medieval Villiage:

                     



The second video has music set to pictures. I looked up other clips of Medieval music and it seems to match up with the music in the above video.

Medieval Blog Entry Five

Oxford Reference Online defines cycle as:  “A group of works, usually narrative poems, that either share a common theme or subject (e.g. the Trojan war, Charlemagne, the Knights of the Round Table), or are linked together as a sequence. In addition to epics , sagas , romances , and chansons de geste , which scholars have categorized into different cycles, the mystery plays of the Middle Ages that were performed as a sequence during the same festival at a particular place are referred to as the York Cycle, the Chester Cycle, etc. The term is also applied to sequences of sonnets by the same author, and sometimes to sequences of novels or stories”

This definition came up when I searched “Chester Cycle”. I was fascinated that the definition that came up was just “cycle”. When reading the entry one can see that the definition is for a mystery play cycle. Not just a cycle in the dryer. The other definitions that I have seen of cycle plays are similar and line up with the ORO definition.

"cycle"  The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Chris Baldick. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  5 December 2010  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t56.e281>

The second Chester Cycle Play is about God creating the world, man, and woman. The first monologue is all God speaking as he creates the world. Adam wakes up and asks the Lord where he has been, and why he has been sleeping. The Serpent and Devil were played by the same person and were considered the same. This is because in the Bible the Devil becomes a serpent to tempt the woman.

Both Adam and Eve eat the fruit and realize that they are naked. They become ashamed and attempt to hide from God. God is disappointed with them and banishes them from the garden.

While searching for a picture of Adam and Eve I found these pictures of "Lego Adam and Eve". I thought it was entertaining.

Chester Cycle 1572/2010 A.F.Johnston, ed. (from Mills) Play 2 1

Chester Cycle 1572/2010

Play 2

Adam and Eve

Exposure Is the Great Evil » Lego Adam and Eve. Photograph. Coromandal. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. http://coromandal.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/exposure-is-the-great-evil/lego-adam-and-eve/.

The Serpent Tempts Adam and Eve. Photograph. Faith and Family. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. <http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/more_biblical_bricks>.

Medieval Blog Entry Three

The Chester Plays are Mystery plays. Often times Mystery plays and Miracle plays are used interchangeably. “A play that dramatises an episode from the Old or New Testament is called a mystery; one that dramatises the life of a saint is a miracle.” The word “mystery” is derived from the French word mystère. Mystère means craft.

The plays became known as mystery plays because guildsmen began working on them. They would work on plays that involved their craft in some way. The drapery guild would use fabric and drapery in their pageant wagon.

The above picture is an interpretation of a dying guild

"Chester Mystery Plays." Chester Mystery Plays , 2008 . Web. 4 Dec 2010. <http://www.chestermysteryplays.com/background.html>

"Medieval Dyeing." Ciba Review 1: Medieval Dyeing. Web. 4 Dec 2010. http://www.elizabethancostume.net/cibas/ciba1.html

Medieval Blog Entry Two

The Chester Cycle plays started because in services in Roman Catholic Churches much of the service was in Latin. Many common people could not understand the services so monks began to perform plays based on Bible stories in the common language. The Chester Cycle is thought to have begun in Chester, England, at St. Werburgh’s Abbey. As the plays became more elaborate they moved the plays outside. In Chester the Guilds produced the plays.  They organized events that became known as the Chester Mystery Plays.

The plays were performed on pageant wagons that moved from location to location. The Chester plays were very elaborate and grandly decorated.

Airdrie, Kathleen. "History of the Chester Mystery Cycle." Chester Mystery Plays in Toronto, Canada. N.p., 21 Dec 2009 . Web. 4 Dec 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/chester-mystery-plays-in-toronto-canada-a181922.

"Some History Behind Chester Cathedral ." Medieval & Religion site on Churches~Cathedrals,Castles. Web. 4 Dec 2010. <http://churchistory.webs.com/chestercathedral.htm>.

Medieval Blog Entry One

       The Chester Play Cycle has about 25 plays in it, depending on the translation. The Chester Cycle starts with the fall of Lucifer and ends with the last judgment. The University Of Toronto, Canada held a international conference in May 2010. Jessica Pribble helped design one of the pageant wagons that attended the conference. The goal of the conference was to create a festival as similar to what would have occurred in Medieval times as possible. Although the evidence that we have for festivals is limited the conference did the best they could.

       Pribble came to our class and lectured on the process her group went through to create their pageant wagon. They studied the symbolism from medieval times. Such as God and the sun and purple for royalty. They made the leaves on the trees to match a painting of the period. They had two trees, one to represent the Tree of Life and one to represent the Tree of Knowledge. Pribble’s group was very pleased with their final project and the festival was a great success.

The Chester Cycle. At From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. NeCastro, Gerard, ed. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. 12/4/10.

Pageant. Photograph. Florilegium Urbanum. By Stephan Alsford. 1st Dec. 2010. Web. 6th Dec. 2010. <August 18, 2001.>.

 

Blog Entry Ten~ Zeus

Zeus was the father of Apollo and the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea. He was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus. He also ruled all the gods who resided there. As the ruler he upheld the law, justice, and morals.

He has always been known as the weather god. His most famous attribute is the thunderbolt. He controlled rain, thunder, and lightening. When monarchies still existed Zeus was the protector of them. After the end of monarchy he became the chief judge and civic god.

According to legend, Metis was Zeus’ first love. He swallowed her after hearing that she would bear a daughter whose son would one day overthrow Zeus.  He fathered many deities as well as many mortals. He used many disguises to seduce mortals. There were many festivals and temples in honor of Zeus.

"Zeus." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2010. Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
01 Nov. 2010 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/z/zeus.html>.

Blog Entry Nine~ Apollo

Apollo is the son of Zues and Leto. His twin brother is Artemis. Apollo is the god of music, mostly of the lyre. He also directed the choir of Muse. He was also known as the god of prophecy, colonization, medicine, archery (but not for war or hunting), poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and the carer of herds and flocks. He was also a god of light. Also he was the god of plague.

Apollo’s father was married to Hera. When she learned of Leto’s pregnancy she forced her to roam the earth to find someplace to give birth. She finally found shelter at Delos. There she was able to give birth to the divine twins.  It is said that before she gave birth to Apollo the island was encircled by swans. For this reason swans are sacred to Apollo.

Apollo was known to be ruthless when he was angered. He also had many love affairs with mortals and goddesses. He also is said to have fallen in love with a male, Hyacinthus, the prince of Sparta. Apollo was worship throughout the Greek world.

"Apollo." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2010. Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
01 Nov. 2010 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/apollo.html>.

Blog Entry Eight~ Journal Article

In the article “Suppose Freud had Chosen Orestes Instead” by Margaret Clark, Clark argues that Oedipus is not the only Greek myth that could support the Oedipus Complex, but also that it would not have stayed as current without Freud. Clark states that Freud did not completely “choose” Oedipus, rather that Oedipus chose him. The two “fit together”. Freud wrote that his father’s death was the most important event in his life. Clark believes that Freud’s attraction to the story of Oedipus only makes sense after a statement such as that. Clark says that Freud made a large generalization when he concluded that the story of Oedipus shows the sexual desires of everyone. Clark agrees that it is a stage in sexual development, but that its wide range recognition is due to Freud. Clark does not believe that it would have been as recognized without Freud’s “choice”. She believes that this is why Oedipus stayed so current, not because of its psychological implications.

Clark, Margaret. "Suppose Freud had chosen Orestes instead." Journal of Analytical Psychology 54.2 (2009): 233-252. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 1 Nov. 2010.

Blog Entry Seven~ Adaption of Oedipus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gssOoO4TlnM&feature=related

This video shows an adaptation of Oedipus. It was performed by the University Theatre at Western Michigan University. They chose to set the production in Africa. They added in places for movement as there would have been in Greek times said Joan Herrington, the director of the production.

I was unable to find any evidence to back up Herrington's claim that Oedipus was originally an African myth. I think that it is an interesting claim, and something that I will continue to research. 

The whole experience of being in this particular producation appeared to be a great learning experience. The actors had to learn not only the story of Oedipus, but also African dance and music. They learned to "become one" with the music and fellow cast members.

Blog Entry Six ~ Sophocles

Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King around 431 BCE. Sophocles was a playwrighter and director of the 5^th century.  He had training in music and dance.  An excerpt from Deipnosophistai by Athenaeus describes Sophocles’ versatility in both. Athenaeus says that not only was Sophocles handsome, he also was proficient in dancing and music. He achieved proficiency while still a lad. He was instructed by Lamprus.

Athenaeus, "Sophocles-- Musician and Dancer." A Source Book in Theatrical History. Comp. A.M. Nagler. New York: Dover Publications, 1959. Print.

Blog Entry Five ~ Ed Opus Rex

Ed Opus Rex is a spoof off Oedipus the King. It was written by William Gleason. Ed Opus is set at West Thebes High School. Ed Opus is the student body president and is well liked by the student body. Ed’s girlfriend Yo Yo Costa ends up being his cousin, similar to Oedipus’ wife being his mother.

The “Riddle Gang” is led by Ritzo Sphinx, playing off the Sphinx in Oedipus. Oral Delphi is a famous disc jockey who helps Ed discover what happened to the famous Teen Angel. There are many other characters whose names relate to names in Oedipus.

Ed Opus is an upbeat fun play. Unlike Oedipus, it ends well with everyone happy. Ed does not gouge his eyes out and is forgiven.

Gleason, William. Ed Opus Rex. 1st. Woodstock, IL: The Dramatic Publishing Company, eBook

Blog Entry Four ~ The Oedipus Complex

The Oedipus complex is a term often used to describe a boy’s sex attraction to his mother. Often young boys become “attracted” to their mothers. Because of these attractions they can become hostile toward their fathers. Many times this has a lifelong effect on their personalities. They can be unconscious. Sometimes they include fantasies that influence the man’s view of the world. It can even lead to mental illness in some cases. (Stephens 16-17)

The Oxford Reference Online definition for the Oedipus Complex is: "(Psychoanalysis) (in Freudian theory) the complex of emotions aroused in a young child, typically around the age of four, by an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and wish to exclude the parent of the same sex. (The term was originally applied to boys, the equivalent in girls being called the Electra complex.)"

Stephens, William. The Oedipus Complex. 1st. New York, NY: The Free Press of
Glencoe, 1962. 16-17. Print.

"Oedipus complex noun"  The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition). Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  1 November 2010  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t140.e53529>

Blog Entry Three ~ Delphic Oracle

Laius and Jocasta have a son and are told that he will one day murder his Father and sleep with his mother. They abandon the baby on a mountain side, but he is rescued by a shepherd who brings him to the king of Corinth. He is raised by this family as their own, they name him Oedipus. Oedipus as a young man was told by a Delphic oracle that he would murder his father and marry his mother. Thinking that his adopted parents were his birth parents he flees Corinth. He murders Laius, not knowing he is his father or that he is the king of Thebes. He then married Jocasta. A series of events unfold that reveal the true story. (Oedipus)

                The Delphic oracle mentioned in Oedipus is a common happening in Greek legends. A Delphic oracle was the preeminent shrine of Apollo.  It was housed in a great temple that was built for Apollo. It is located near the foot of the south slope of Mt. Parnassos. People who needed the help of the oracle would bring large gifts to the shrine. The messages from the oracle were spoken by a priestess who was seated on a golden tripod. They spoke in a crazed trance. Trance was said by the ancient Greeks to be induced by vapors from beneath the temple's floor. The messages were then interpreted to the questioner by a priest. The priest normally spoke in verse. (Delphi)

The Oracle At Delphi

From the Sixth Century BCE it has been the most popular of the Greek Oracles. Most Hellenes said that before Apollo took control Ge (Earth) and her daughter Themis spoke the oracles. Many historians have accepted this as fact, but there is no evidence to support this except for the myth. (Fontenrose 1)

"Delphi." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.
© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.
28 Oct. 2010 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0815092.html>.

Fontenrose, Joseph. The Delphic Oracle. 1st. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA:
University of California Press, 1978. 1-10. Print.

"Thebes, city of ancient Greece." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.
© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.
27 Oct. 2010 http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0848374.html.

"The Oracle at Delphi." Delphi Myths Encylopedia. Web. 28 Oct 2010. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Cr-Dr/Delphi.html>.

Blog Entry Two ~ Thebes

Thebes was located in Ancient Greece and was the chief city of Boeotia until the Persian wars. Thebes and Athens were very hostile towards each other. Thebes sided with the Persians in the Persian war, when they were defeated Thebes nearly fell. Thebes then sided with the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, but ended up against them because they feared Sparta had territorial ambitions. Sparta took Thebes over and was in control for three years. Thebes was finally freed by its great general Pelopida. The next war Thebes sided with Athens, where they shared in defeat. Chaeronea rebuilt Thebes around 338 BCE. It never did regain it’s originally greatness. (Thebes)

                Oedipus was first produced around 431 BCE. This was shortly after war was declared against Sparta.  It is thematically related to Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus, but was not originally composed as a trilogy. (Sophocles 43)

Sophocles. “Oedipus the King.” Trans. Robert Fagles. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama.

4^th ed. Ed. W. B. Worthen. Austrailia: Wadsworth, 2004 43-62

"Thebes, city of ancient Greece." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.

© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.

© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.

27 Oct. 2010 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0848374.html>.

"Ancient Greece." How Stuff Works. Web. 28 Oct 2010. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/ancient-greece/ancient-greece4.htm>.

Blog Entry One ~ Introduction

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is set in the royal house of Thebes.  It follows the unities of its time. It takes place on one day, in one location, and there is only one main plot.  Oedipus is the king of Thebes because he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and saved the land. The former king, Laius, had been murdered. When Oedipus became king he married Jocasta, the former king’s wife. Through events in the play Oedipus finds out that Laius was his father and Jocasta is his mother. He gouges his eyes out and is exiled from Thebes.

Sophocles. “Oedipus the King.” Trans. Robert Fagles. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama. 4^th ed. Ed. W. B. Worthen. Austrailia: Wadsworth, 2004 43-62

"Oedipus." Sumnonrabruds's Blog. Web. 28Oct 2010. <http://sumnonrabidus.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/oedipus-rex-gay-teachers-and-counting-no-mortal-%E2%80%9Chappy%E2%80%9D/>.