Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was the opportunity the Church needed to stop all performances.
Gladiators, Chariot Races, and Executions
The Roman audiences were interested in comedy, farce, and spectacle more than serious dramas. Gory displays of gladiatorial combat, chariot races, and Christian martyrs’ executions were presented in the coliseums. Following Constantine’s conversion, the Church banned the events and the great theatres fell to ruin.
Entertainments were restricted to wandering minstrels and storytellers, such as were popular during the Greek and Roman periods. The glorious days of Greek theatre were all but forgotten. Over time, the people of Western Europe accepted Christianity and used the Latin language.
Staged Dramas in Churches
The Church needed to find a way to propagate the faith when very few people could read or write. By the 9th century, bishops allowed small, dramatic insertions (tropes) within the services.
The first recorded trope was Quem quaeritis (Whom do you seek?) for the Easter service. Scenes were eventually developed for the Christmas mass. The pieces were sung by choristers or chanted by priests. The single, scattered scenes that became more expansive over time were eventually performed together in sequence.
In Winchester, England, Bishop Ethelwold (913-984) provided a book of rules and advice for the Benedictine Monks. It included the text of Quem quaeritis and staging directions.
Popular Latin Liturgical Dramas
As popularity of the performances increased, more actors and choristers were involved. Those Latin liturgical dramas became quite complex. The wide-ranging material included the lives of saints. Some contained refrains or passages delivered in the local language rather than Latin.
With more and larger embellishments, the performances became too unwieldy for presentation in the church. The expanded plays were too burdensome for the priests to perform. Over time, the spontaneous evolution of a new form of theatre occurred.
Moved out of the church and into the street, the performances maintained the religious intent for a long period. Platforms were built for the players who were either guild amateurs or professional street players. Often, the platforms were elaborately decorated.
Theatrical Revival in Europe
Theatrical renewal developments were very similar throughout Europe. The performance dramas evolved into more than religious events as music and dance were included. Latin was used less often.
In France, 600 surviving drama texts and archival records show the popularity of drama between the 11th and 16th centuries. The wide-ranging types included liturgical drama, miracle and mystery plays, farces, soties (short comedies), and morality plays. Examples of French farce from the period are the Tub and one considered the most artistic of all medieval comic plays, Master Pierre Patelin (1469).
Community Events Supported by Guilds
More changes occurred after the Church turned financial responsibilities over to trade guilds. Increasingly, criticisms of Church fathers and worldly leaders were offered in the plays.
Theatrical presentations became community events in which everyone participated. Plays were written by the intellectuals. Stages built by local artisans were enhanced by sets made by artists. Commissions, organization, and performances were provided by the aristocrats and bourgeois. Anxious for entertainment, audiences were mostly very appreciative of the productions.
Sources:
- The Medieval Theatre by Glynne William Gladstone Wickham, Cambridge University Press, 1987
- Early Theatre: Greek, Roman and Medieval
Kathleen Airdrie - Kathleen has thirty years' freelance writing experience covering history, biographical profiles, environmental and social issues
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