HIS 1385 - Mystery Plays and the Transformation of Late Medieval Culture

Credits: 4

In the aftermath of the Black Death, European culture began a dynamic transformation. Starting in the second half of the fourteenth century, Europeans’ views on politics, government, social organization, and religion changed rapidly, marking a profound break with the Middle Ages. In this moment of evolving beliefs and identities, a new form of lay religious expression emerged, a type of public theater called mystery plays (also known as Corpus Christi plays) that were widely performed in European cities from the late fourteenth through the late sixteenth centuries. In this class students will read, analyze, and perform the late-medieval mystery plays that were an essential element of the vibrant culture of lay piety in fourteenth- through sixteenth-century Europe.