Three late medieval morality plays: Mankind, Everyman, Mundus et infans

by G.A. Lester

New Mermaids are modernized and fully-annotated editions of classic English plays. Each volumeThe playtext, in modern spelling, edited to the highest bibliographical and textual standardsTextual notes recording significant changes to the copytext and variant readingsGlossing notes explaining obscure words and word-playCritical, contextual and staging notesPhotographs of productions where applicableA full introduction which provides a critical account of the play, the staging conventions of the time and recent stage history; discusses authorship, date, sources and the text; and gives guidance for further reading.Edited and updated by leading scholars and printed in a clear, easy-to-use format, New Mermaids offer invaluable guidance for actor, student, and theatre-goer alike.

Genres: Plays, Medieval, Drama, Classics, Theatre

157 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Richard]

At first glance, "Late Medieval Morality Plays" is not an especially enticing theme for a collection; and the titles of the three plays in this volume - Mankind, Everyman, and Mundus et Infans - are similarly serviceable rather than eye-catching. But, as with the plays themselves, their simplicity is an integral part of their appeal, which turns out to be considerable. Exemplary, didactic, and abstract in comparison with the drama that would be produced on English stages in the succeeding centuries, each of these three plays is at least passably entertaining; but that is not their primary goal. Rather than simply being "instructive", they aim to enlighten and encourage, and succeed through clarity and a sustained spiritual conviction that is occasionally beautiful, and sometimes even rather moving. "Everyman, I will go with thee and be thy guide, in thy most need to go by thy side," Knowledge tells Everyman; although I am far removed from the world of their medieval audience, I found this surprisingly uplifting, and enjoyed all three plays thoroughly.

[Declan Wiseman]

Mankind: a morality play that is actually funny!

[Jackie]

read everyman and mankind for class. logging them just because.

[Nicole]

This would be one of those books that you absolutely should judge by its cover. Well, by its title at least, because it's exactly what it says it is. The three plays are indeed very medieval and very preachy. They're interesting for their historical context, but beyond that they're pretty dull.

[Elly]

I groaned when I saw that this was assigned for class... but it actually turned out better than expected! Great translations with lots of helpful footnotes.

[Jonathan Walker]

Not exactly non-stop thrills and laughs, but interesting historically.

[Lulu]

Mankind 1470
Mundus et infans 1508
Everyman 1510