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mystery play |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.04 sec. |
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mystery play: see miracle play miracle play or mystery play, form of medieval drama that came from dramatization of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It developed from the 10th to the 16th cent., reaching its height in the 15th cent. ..... Click the link for more information. . mystery playVernacular drama of the Middle Ages. It developed from the liturgical drama and usually represented a biblical subject. In the 13th century, craft guilds began producing mystery plays at sites removed from the church, adding apocryphal and satirical elements to the dramas. In England groups of 25–50 plays were later organized into lengthy cycles, such as the Chester plays and the Wakefield plays. In England the plays were often performed on moveable pageant wagons, while in France and Italy they were acted on stages with scenery representing heaven, earth, and hell. Technical flourishes such as flying angels and fire-spouting devils kept the spectators' attention. The genre of the mystery play declined by 1600. See also miracle play; morality play. mystery play (in the Middle Ages) a type of drama based on the life of Christ How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Each had made his choice; one, the bonfire; another, the maypole; another, the mystery play. The Mystery Plays seem to have reached their greatest popularity in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. |
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