The work opens by analyzing the complete collapse of the classical theatre at the fall of the Roman world, a process accelerated by Christian hostility and barbarian indifference. Despite this hostility, a deep-rooted mimetic instinct persisted among the folk through ancient seasonal observances and folk rituals. The narrative then investigates the singular paradox of a new birth of drama arising directly within the bosom of the Church's own liturgy, beginning with ninth-century tropes like the Easter Quem quaeritis. Dialogued antiphon chanting and mimetic action combined to form the earliest liturgical plays, which were physically anchored by the sepulchre and the Christmas crib.
As these liturgical performances grew in scale and popularity, they underwent a process of secularization during the transition period from the thirteenth to the fourteenth century. The plays migrated from the interior of the church to the graveyard, the market-place, and eventually the guild-hall, passing from clerical control to the laity. This physical and social shift led to the formation of vast cosmic cycles, such as the processional Corpus Christi plays produced annually by trade guilds in cities like York, Chester, and Coventry. These cycles expanded their thematic scope by incorporating Old Testament histories, apocryphal legends like the Harrowing of Hell, and eschatological conclusions.
Simultaneously, the text traces the emergence of moral plays or moralities, which shifted from scriptural history to allegorical ethical instruction. Rooted in sources such as the Psychomachia, the Dance of Death, and the conflict between the seven deadly sins and the virtues, the moralities provided a flexible framework for popular edification and political satire. The later chapters examine the rise of professional interlude players operating under noble patronage, the adaptation of plays for banqueting-halls, and the complex relationships between these dramatic forms and civic pageants, royal entries, and puppet-shows.
Finally, the volume bridges the gap between mediaeval traditions and the emerging humanist drama of the Renaissance. It evaluates the official attitudes of church authorities, the rise of Lollard and Protestant opposition, and the survival of traditional staging techniques. By meticulously analyzing hundreds of local records, craft ordinances, and household accounts across England and the continent, the author constructs an exhaustive architectural history of theatrical performance before the Elizabethan age.
