Author Archives: Ruth

There are two medieval Daniel plays, both dating from the mid-1100s. One was written by Hilarius, a pupil of Abelard (which seems worth mentioning). The second is more famous, and it probably was based on Hilarius’s play. This one was … Continue reading →

During the 12th and 13th centuries, serious theater was gradually moving out of the church, into the street. One of the transitional works is the Fleury Playbook, whose plays are in Latin, so they seem more likely to have still … Continue reading →

Adam de la Halle is the other famous name from early Arras, France theater. He was an educated man who composed both poetry and music; Adam is also called le Bossu, which does not mean “boss” in Japanese, it means … Continue reading →

In Hamlet, a rat is famously behind an arras. The arras screen (tapestry) was named for the town of Arras, in northern France, so far north that it was once part of the Netherlands. During the 12th and 13th centuries, … Continue reading →

“Le Jeu d’Adam,” or “Le Mystere d’Adam,” was written in the decades before 1200 in Norman French. It’s a transition between liturgical drama in church and the later secular plays. It is important for study since it captures this halfway point. … Continue reading →

From 1000 AD forward, cathedrals and monastery chapels increasingly used simple drama to illustrate the Latin Bible reading. They didn’t invent lines, nor did they create stage sets. But they did use very simple arrangements, like a table and chair, … Continue reading →

Dancing bears, sleight of hand tricks, the latest ballads, and comic skits: medieval Europe always had its traveling musicians, actors and acrobats. Their favorite gigs were at castles, where they were guaranteed a decent place to sleep (well, it was … Continue reading →

By the 900s, we know that Easter and Christmas liturgy was usually accompanied by simple acting by the monks. They didn’t think of it as a play, nor did they call it “ludus,” the normal Latin word for dramatic plays. … Continue reading →