Difference between Mystery or Miracle play and Morality play

Mystery play or Miracle play Versus Morality play : Performance for Mystery or Miracle plays were given first inside the church premises and thereafter in the marketplace and on mobile wagons.

Mystery play or Miracle play Versus Morality play

1. For Mystery play, materials are drawn from scriptural accounts or the lives of saints – from the Testaments, Old and New- and written in the verse form. On the other hand, materials for Morality plays are based on the moral aspects of human life- man in his evil temptation and moral triumph and presented in the verse form.
2. The length is comparatively short for Mystery or Miracle play. On the other hand, Miracle play is much longer than Mystery play.
3. The objective of Morality or Mystery play is to impart scriptural lessons and instruct Biblical truths. And, the objective of Moral play is to bring about ethical and spiritual elevation.
4. Actors are casual and amateur for Mystery plays, and for Morality plays, the actors were most professional.
5. Performance for Mystery or Miracle plays were given first inside the church premises and thereafter in the marketplace and on mobile wagons. On the other hand, performances of Morality plays were generally given inside the aristocratic halls of the courts of different nobles or inns.

Difference between Morality Plays and Mystery Play

Morality Plays

Morality plays used allegorical characters to tell the story of mans’ life and ultimate journey to the afterlife. An allegorical character is one who is symbolic and one who represents an idea. As their name would suggest, morality plays teach their audience lessons on how to lead a good and moral life.

In the most famous extant morality play, Everyman, the character of God tells the character of Death to bring Everyman to heaven to face his fate in the afterlife, the sum of all of his good and bad deeds on Earth. When the character of Everyman begs for more time, Death refuses, but tells him that he may choose someone to accompany him on his journey. Everyman tries to find a companion, talking to the characters of Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, Goods, Good Deeds, Knowledge, Confession, Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five Wits.

Mystery Plays

Mystery plays were reenactments of stories from the Bible. The church had started including living tableaux in their telling of Bible stories as early as the 5th century. These tableaux grew into full performances of the individual stories of the Old and New Testament. In some cities, particularly in England, a tradition evolved known as mystery cycles.

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