York Mystery Plays

The York Mystery Plays are an English cycle of forty-eight mystery plays, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgement. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi (a movable feast occurring the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, between May 23 and June 24). They were performed in the city of York, from the Middle Ages until 1569. It is one of only four virtually complete surviving English mystery play cycles, with the others known as the Chester Mystery Plays, the Towneley/Wakefield plays and N-Town plays. In addition to these, two long, composite, and late mystery pageants have survived from the Coventry cycle, and there are records and fragments from other similar productions which took place elsewhere. A manuscript of the York plays, dating from 1463–77, survives at the British Library.

The Plays

There is no record of the first performance of the York Mystery Plays, but they are first recorded celebrating the festival of Corpus Christi, in York in 1376, by which time the use of pageant wagons has already been established. The plays were organised, financed (and often performed) by the York Craft Guilds ("Mystery" is a play on words, representing both a religious truth, or rite, and, in its Middle English meaning of a trade, or craft). The wagons would be paraded through the streets of York, stopping at each of 12 playing stations, designated by the City banners.

The cycle uses twenty different verse forms, and the balance of critical opinion is in favour of the idea of several clerics being responsible for their authorship, one of whom is conventionally known as the "York Realist".

The cycle of plays comprise some 48 pageants, which were originally presented upon carts and wagons, dressed for the occasion. In some accounts, there are as many as 56 pageants. They told stories from both the Old and New Testaments, from the Creation to the Last Judgement.

The Plays continued after the Reformation, when in 1548 the feast of Corpus Christi was abolished in England. The plays accommodated themselves to the new religious orthodoxy, by cutting scenes honouring the Virgin; but were finally suppressed in 1569.

Traditionally, an individual guild would take responsibility for a particular play.
#Barkers (Tanners) – The creation, and the Fall of Lucifer
#Plasterers – The creation myth – up to the Fifth Day
#Cardmakers – Creation of Adam and Eve
#Fullers (Preparers of woolen cloth) – Adam and Eve in Eden
#Coopers (Maker of wooden casks) – The Fall of Man
#Armourers – Expulsion from Eden
#Glovers – Sacrifice of Cain and Abel
#Shipwrights – Building of the Ark
#Fishers and Mariners – Noah and his Wife
#Parchmenters and Bookbinders – Abraham and Isaac
#Hosiers – Departure of the Israelites from Egypt;Ten Plagues; Crossing of the Red Sea
#Spicers – Annunciation and Visitation
#Pewterers and Founders – Joseph's Trouble about Mary
#Tile-thatchers – Journey to Bethlehem
#Chandlers (Candlemakers) – Shepherds
#Masons – Coming of the Three Kings to Herod
#Goldsmiths – Coming of the Kings: Adoration
#Marshals (Grooms) – Flight into Egypt
#Girdlers and Nailers – Slaughter of the Innocents
#Spurriers and Lorimers (Spurmakers, makers of bits, etc.) – Christ with the Doctors
#Barbers – Baptism of Jesus
#Smiths – Temptation
#Curriers (Men who dress leather) – Transfiguation
#Capmakers – Woman Taken in Adultery; Lazarus
#Skinners – Christ's Entry into Jerusalem
#Cutlers – Conspiracy
#Bakers – Last Supper
#Cordwainers (Shoemakers) – Agony and Betrayal
#Bowyers and Fletchers – Peter's Denial; Jesus before Caiphas
#Tapiters (Makers of tapestry and carpets) and Couchers – Dream of Pilate's Wife
#Listers (Dyers) – Trial before Herod
#Cooks and Water-leaders – Second Accusation before Pilot; Remorse of Judas; Purchase of the Field of Blood
#Tilemakers – Second Trial before Pilate
#Shearmen – Christ Led to Calvary
#Pinners and Painters – Crucifixion
#Butchers – Mortification of Christ; Burial
#Saddlers – Harrowing of Hell
#Carpenters – Resurrection
#Winedrawers – Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene
#Sledmen – Travellers to Emmaus
#Hatmakers, Masons, Labourers – Purification of Mary; Simeon and Anna
#Scriveners – Incredulity of Thomas
#Tailors – Ascension
#Potters – Descent of the Holy Spirit
#Drapers (Dealers in cloth and dry goods) – The Death of Mary
#Weavers – The Appearance of Mary to Thomas
#Ostlers (Stablemen) – Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin
#Mercers (Dealers in textiles) – Judgement Day

Modern Revival

In 1909, The York Historic Pageant included a parade of the banners of the Guilds through the streets, accompanying a wagon representing the Nativity. The Play cycle was revived, again, in 1951, in the York Festival of the Arts, as a part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. This was, and has since been performed on a fixed stage in the Museum Gardens, and also inside York Minster.

An experimental production using brewers’ drays and market stalls, was performed around Leeds University, in 1975. The modern York Guilds presented a wagon production in 1998, and again in 2002. In 2006, 12 wagons performed in the streets, in conjunction with the York Early Music Festival. A further wagon production is scheduled for 2010. They hope to continue the tradition.

The York Youth Mysteries are being performed on June 21st, 2008. With over 1000 young people taking part, the Youth Mysteries is an experimental interpretation of the mystery plays, with 76 performances taking place around the city centre throughout the day.

The "Mysteries" is a play adapted from mediæval texts by poet Tony Harrison. It was based on the York and Wakefield Mystery Cycles, and produced at the Royal National Theatre in 1985, directed by Bill Bryden. The play was performed in three parts (each of about two hours):
*The Nativity (1980 ["Year of first performance at Cottesloe, Royal National Theatre"] ),
*The Passion (1977), and
*Doomsday (1985).It was a 'walking performance', with the actors performing "inside" the audience, who then moved to the next 'playlet', within the space of the Cottesloe Theatre. The following year, it was revived in the larger space of the Lyceum Ballroom.

The 2002 performances

"In the 2002 performance, on wagons, by the craft guilds, the plays performed were:
*The Creation of the World – The York Guild of Building
*Moses and Pharaoh (The Hosiers Play) – The Company of Merchant Taylors
*The Woman taken in Adultery and the Raising of Lazarus (The Cappers Play) – The Company of Cordwainers
*The Conspiracy against Jesus (The Cutlers Play) – The Guild of Freemen
*The Death of Christ – The Company of Butchers
*The Incredulity of Thomas – The Guild of Scriveners
*The Last Judgement – The Company of Merchant Adventurers

In later culture

As well as revived performances of the Plays themselves, the Mystery Plays have inspired other plays, such as 2002's "The York Realist" (set around a 1960s performance of the Plays) and Anthony Minghella's "Two Planks and a Passion" (set around a c.1400 performance of the plays for Richard II). The author of the former, Peter Gill, stated that "If it hadn’t been for the York Realist, Shakespeare would have been a second rate writer like Goethe" [http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/abj76/PG/works/york_realist.shtml] , whilst a radio production of the latter (starring Bill Nighy, Julia McKenzie, Julian Fellowes and Tim McInnerny) directed by the author was re-broadcast on Radio 4 on Saturday 10 May in commemoration of the author's death. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/saturday_play.shtml] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/04_april/25/minghella.shtml]

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References

Further reading

*Texts of the York Cycle
**Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays (Everyman's Library)
**Everyman and Other Miracle and Morality Plays (Dover Thrift Editions)
**Wakefield Mystery Plays (W. W. Norton) ISBN 0-393-00483-X
**York Mystery Plays: A Selection in Modern Spelling (Oxford World's Classics) ISBN 0-19-283710-9

External links

* [http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/hwc22/Medieval/english_mystery_plays.html Katheleen Campbell "Notes on the English Mystery Plays"]
* [http://www.yorkmysteryplays.org/index_highres.htm York Mystery Plays site]
* [http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/timeline/medieval/the-mystery-plays History of York Page] with watercolour of the plays
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/catalogue.asp?type=&gid=89 Register of the Freemen of York] (at British History on-line)
* [http://www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk/index.htm The Guilds of York - York Mystery Plays site]
* [http://jerz.setonhill.edu/resources/PSim/ A computer simulation of the pageant]
* The York Cycle in Middle English. Available from [http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/c/cme/cme-idx?type=header&idno=York Michigan] or [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-old?id=AnoYork&tag=public&amp;
]
* [http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/yorkplays/york.html Text of the York Cycle - modern English - Scoville & Yates]
* In 2006 the plays were presented in the traditional manner from carts at various stations in the city. Two complementary collections of images of this production: [http://rhaworth.fotopic.net/c1017331.html 'wide angle'] and [http://mainlyfax.fotopic.net/c1024939.html 'zoomed in']