The Second Shepherd's Play And Everyman
Medieval European theatre is a very interesting time in theatre’s history. With the heavy involvement of the Christian Churches and the changing practices of theatre, it was both restricted and freeing in a way. Two of the most well recognized plays of this time are The Second Shepherd’s Play and Everyman. In terms of history and culture, genre, and themes both The Second Shepherd’s Play and Everyman are both similar and different.
Organized theatre saw its temporary end during the fifth and sixth centuries because of the fall of the Roman Empire (Gainor, Garner, and Puchner 25). The main reason for there not having organized theatre is because of the Christian Church’s negative view of theatre, seeing it as an obscene, sinful and entirely …show more content…
The theme of The Second Shepherd’s Play is religious allegory. Religious allusion is the main theme and seemingly the only relevant theme of The Second Shepherd’s Play. This is because the nature of this play is extremely farcical and focused on an allusion to Jesus’s birth and the actual happenings of his birth. Though one could say there is a small theme of class issues because in the opening scene the shepherds are complaining about the local gentry and their employers. They complain about these over lords being arrogant while these shepherds are cold and ill-equipped for the harsh weather and other basic disadvantages they have. The theme of religious allegory comes in when Mak the local thief comes and causes mischief which starts the actual plot. Mak could be seen as an allusion to Satan as he is first seen in a disguise as a yeoman for some local lord. He then uses magic to steal the sheep and cause the Shepherds grief. The scene with Gill hiding the sheep in the crib is obviously an allusion to Mary in the manger with the baby Jesus. Mak in this instance could also be seen as Joseph. The allusions end when Gill and Mak are discovered and punished. It is revealed then that the actual baby Jesus has been born and the shepherds go off to visit him and the tone shifts to a more serious nature while it breaks from time to time when the shepherds talk very childishly towards the baby
Organized theatre saw its temporary end during the fifth and sixth centuries because of the fall of the Roman Empire (Gainor, Garner, and Puchner 25). The main reason for there not having organized theatre is because of the Christian Church’s negative view of theatre, seeing it as an obscene, sinful and entirely …show more content…
The theme of The Second Shepherd’s Play is religious allegory. Religious allusion is the main theme and seemingly the only relevant theme of The Second Shepherd’s Play. This is because the nature of this play is extremely farcical and focused on an allusion to Jesus’s birth and the actual happenings of his birth. Though one could say there is a small theme of class issues because in the opening scene the shepherds are complaining about the local gentry and their employers. They complain about these over lords being arrogant while these shepherds are cold and ill-equipped for the harsh weather and other basic disadvantages they have. The theme of religious allegory comes in when Mak the local thief comes and causes mischief which starts the actual plot. Mak could be seen as an allusion to Satan as he is first seen in a disguise as a yeoman for some local lord. He then uses magic to steal the sheep and cause the Shepherds grief. The scene with Gill hiding the sheep in the crib is obviously an allusion to Mary in the manger with the baby Jesus. Mak in this instance could also be seen as Joseph. The allusions end when Gill and Mak are discovered and punished. It is revealed then that the actual baby Jesus has been born and the shepherds go off to visit him and the tone shifts to a more serious nature while it breaks from time to time when the shepherds talk very childishly towards the baby