Carnival and Lent Themes in "Mankind"

Paper Summary:

"Mankind" presents a comedy of morals concerned with the most fundamental aspects of human behavior, namely, the difficulties of leading a virtuous life in the face of hardships, distractions and temptations. This paper discusses the play "Mankind" and how through the juxtaposition of the elements of Carnival and Lent, they were able to express their grievances against an oppressive society.

From the Paper:

"The Medieval drama began as a symbolic re-enactment of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and was meant to educate people on the teachings of the Bible and the doctrines of the church. After a time, the action in the plays was expanded upon and dialogues were added, making it more theatrical. The plays were, of course, still performer in Latin, which was the universal language of the Church. Gradually, drama began to include non-Biblical sources and the plays were performed outside of the churches. At this point, English Medieval drama took off in many different directions, which literary historians divided into three distinct and unconnected groups of vernacular plays: the 'mystery' plays, which were based on scripture, the 'miracle' plays, which were based on the lives of saints, and the 'morality' plays, which were based on the struggle between vices and virtues (Potter 6). The latter of these plays flourished in England at the same time as the Corpus Christi Cycles."

More papers on Carnival and Lent Themes in "Mankind":

• Analytical Essay # 33242 : "Characters and Societal Themes in "Wuthering Heights"
• Analytical Essay # 5505 : "Themes in Arthur Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott'"
• Book Review # 128334 : "Themes in Book 14 of Homer's "The Odyssey"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: