By: Kai Hynes
The world of English dramatic literature underwent substantial changes between the 15th and 16th centuries – a reflection of the rest of the English world evolving as well during this time. The ideas being expressed in the theatre and the transformation of the culture shaping audience perspectives were undoubtedly intertwined, considering the fact the distinctly “English” variant of theatrical form was still in its relatively early stages, built upon the theatre of ancient Greece which was in turn ruled by the artistic notion of “mimesis.” At its most fundamental level of understanding, the theory of mimesis claims that art is at its core a reflection of reality: “nature, truth, beauty, mannerisms, actions, situations, examples, ideas” (Potolsky, 1). It can then be inferred that views portrayed in English theatre at the time were at least partially representative of the society watching it. Themes present in dramatic literature were themes present in everyday life – as culture evolved, so did art.
During the 15th century, “morality plays” were the most popular form of theatre. Growing from the religious mystery plays and miracle plays of the Middle Ages, morality plays were a transitionary step between wholly religious theatre and secular theatre. While still very religious in themes and imagery, they tended to tell stories concerning the contemporary English person in their relation to Christian morality (as the name implies) over staging the tales of individuals directly taken from biblical mythology. Straying from the formula of mystery and miracle plays in which actors portrayed specific persons, the characters in morality plays were often personifications of various moral attributes, with the protagonist often representing the whole of humanity. The narrative often centered around this protagonist as they – realizing their affinity for sinful behavior or their lack of piety – try to find salvation through God (New World Encyclopedia).
The theatre of the 16th century, on the other hand, is appropriately referred to as “Renaissance theatre,” or “early modern English theatre.” This next evolutionary stage of English theatre was significantly more explicitly secular than the morality plays that came before it. Though still often inspired by Christian belief, these plays were more experimental in nature, with most plays during this time focusing less on providing lessons on morality and more on being sources of entertainment. These plays were split into genres based on the nature of their scripts, with some of the most common ones being histories, tragedies, and comedies. Actors usually portrayed individual persons, and plotlines would often revolve around these characters in their interactions with each other (New World Encyclopedia).
In short, Renaissance theatre often portrayed autonomous persons and their interactions with each other while morality plays relied heavily on allegorical symbolism and anthropomorphisms of human concepts. One could say that the theatre of the 16th century is comparatively more “realistic” (and thus mimetic) in nature than the theatre of the 15th century, since it at least involved individual humans with their own names, backstories, etc. This view could be formed on the assumption the audience would relate to it more by seeing it as a reflection of their everyday interactions with each other as opposed to abstract ideas interacting. But perhaps this perspective comes from the fact that contemporary Western dramatic literature has more in common with Renaissance theatre. Perhaps morality plays were just as “realistic” when they were popular, and it was just that the cultural conceptualization of reality in terms of identity and autonomy was radically different from that of the Renaissance and today. It can then be inferred that notions of the self within English society experienced a radical shift between the 15th and 16th centuries. Through looking at specific dramatic texts from both these periods in time, perhaps an understanding of how and why these representations of the self manifested themselves differently can be formed.
Works Cited
“English Renaissance theatre.” New World Encyclopedia, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/English_Renaissance_theatre.
“Morality Play.” New World Encyclopedia, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Morality_play.
Potolsky, Matthew. Mimesis. Routledge, 2006.