Medieval Mystery Plays

Contexts for The Miller’s Tale

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free!

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free!

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free!

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free!

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free!

What is a Mystery Play?A series of dramatic reenactments of episodes from the Bible --think greatest hits from the Bible --- in English

Starts with Creation and ends with the Last Judgment

Performed from sunrise to sunset annually on the feast of Corpus Christi in late Spring

Performed by amateur actors either on mobile wagon-stages in a procession through streets of the city or on fixed scaffolding

Episodes, or pageants, are produced by the city’s guilds, organizations of workers with a shared craft or occupation, i.e. smiths, tanners, and carpenters

No price of admission --- they were free! All estates could attend.

In The Miller’s Tale

“Somtyme, to shewe his lightnesse and maistrye,

He pleyeth Herodes upon a scaffold hye” (ll. 3383-4)

“’Hastou nat herd,’ quod Nicholas, ‘also,

The sorwe of Noe with his felaweshipe

Er that he myghte brynge his wyf to the shipe?

Hym hadde be levere, I dar wel undertake…,

That she hadde had a shipe hirself allone’” (ll.3538-43)