CLASSIC FAIRY TALES TIMELINE

Birth of the theater

11th-12th century

VI centuri BC

15 th century

13 th century

14 th century

Time Line

In the 11th and 12th centuries, most ordinary English citizens were illiterate. Unable to learn the Bible, members of the clergy came up with an ingenious solution: inspired by certain biblical stories, they created plays, so that even those who could not read could learn them. These shows were called Mysteries because they revealed the mystery of the word of God. More or less in the same period the clergy also began to stage performances dedicated to the Saints of the church called Miracles. At first, members of the clergy recited stories from the Bible on the steps in front of the cathedral, but the public reaction was so favorable that they soon had to move to the streets around the main square. By building movable structures on which to place each scene and lining them up one after the other, they were able to represent entire cycles of stories that would lead the viewer from Genesis to Revelation. These mobile structures, called self-propelled stages, resembled enormous boxes on wheels. Each was high on its floors. The lowest floor was protected by curtains and was used for costumes, props and wardrobe. The upper platform was the stage dedicated to the performance. Spectators gathered in various areas of the city and the moving stages continued to move, representing the cycle until the inhabitants had seen the entire series. Soon, such performances needed more actors than the clergy could provide.

At the end of the 14th century a new form of theater developed, the moraliti plays, faith, truth, charity and good deeds became stage characters and at the same time the opposite virtues: falsehood, greed, the lure of the flesh and Satan became the antagonists. Morality plays were allegorical tales where these characters fought for possession of the soul. The audience loved the immoral characters and was encouraged to interact with the actors, in fact scenes where the audience threw rotten food at the actors or got into a fight became common. It also happened that the devil walked among the crowd, taking a spectator and throwing him into a hell depicted by a dragon's mouth. Religious stories then transformed into comical and vulgar stories. The teachings of the clergy opposed immorality but the morality plays had the opposite effect or almost encouraged vices.

Greek drama refers to the theatrical traditions and plays that originated in ancient Greece. It has had a profound influence on the development of Western theater and storytelling. Greek drama can be broadly categorized into two main forms: 1. *Tragedy*: Greek tragedies were serious plays that typically explored themes of human suffering, fate, and morality. Prominent playwrights of Greek tragedy included Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Famous works include "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles and "Medea" by Euripides. 2. *Comedy*: Greek comedies were humorous plays that often satirized society, politics, and human behavior. The most famous writer of Greek comedy is Aristophanes, known for works like "Lysistrata" and "The Clouds." Greek drama was performed in outdoor amphitheaters, with actors wearing masks and limited in number, which led to a focus on powerful dialogue and storytelling. It laid the foundation for many dramatic conventions and themes still used in modern theater and literature.

So by the 13th century, corporations were asked to take on the responsibility of playing different roles within a single cycle. Assignments were made to reflect each guild's profession. For example, the carpenters' guild could stage the story of the ark of Nome, the bakers' guild could represent the last supper. Well yes, with the absence of the clergy, the representations soon began to move away from the original biblical stories.

In the mid-15th century, the church began to ban such performances and city regulations established that theaters should only be built outside the walls. Some early theaters were built as large-scale semi-moving stages, with galleries with plenty of seating arranged circularly around a grassy area in front of the stage. Does this sound familiar? A young William Shakespeare begins to develop his craft here in the theater which would eventually change its name to the Globe. Medieval moralities had led to the era of Renaissance playwrights who were inspired by the internal struggles of man's conscience.