Miracle Plays, also known as Saint, Mystery and Morality Plays, were medieval English dramas which reached their height in the 15th and 16th century and had a great influence on subsequent English playwrights.
Miracle Plays developed from liturgical pageants when a papal edict in 1210 forbade clergical participation in such plays. Thus the laity took over the presentation of the plays, which were performed on feast and holy days. The subject matter of the plays were the miracles performed by saints (hence "miracle play") and scenes from The Bible.
The Miracle Plays were presented as a cycle of short, inter-related scenes. The cycles were named after the city in which they were performed. One of the most famous cycles is the York Mystery Play, which consists of 48 scenes.
The related Morality Plays, depictions of the triumphs of Virtues over Vices, grew out of the Miracle Play tradition. Another related development was the Passion Play, which depicts Christ's passion (i.e., His sufferings) and death.
Sources: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Encyclopedia Britanica.
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© 1998 Simon Sleightholm and Martin Monkman