The earliest English dramas originated in the form of liturgical plays performed in churches to instruct people about Christianity. Over time, they evolved to include more actors and action and were moved outside to churchyards and marketplaces. As the clergy were forbidden from public performances, lay guilds took over producing miracle and mystery plays that retold Bible stories in the vernacular to educate audiences. Morality plays then focused on the inner moral conflict between good and evil. Interludes in the 15th century began adding humor and social commentary during performances. Finally, exposure to Greek and Roman literature in the 16th century led English drama to feature more human emotions and situations in the first regular tragedies and comedies that shifted the

1. The Beginning of English Drama
From instruction to entertainment

2. Liturgical Plays
• They assumed the form of
Liturgical plays : written,
directed and acted the by
church people and were
performed inside the church.
• They were the dramas based
on the major events of
Christ’s life.
• Gradually the plots evolved
and to accommodate the
increasing number of actors
and spectators the locale was
first shifted to the churchyard
and then to the marketplace.
• In 1210 Pope passed a law
forbidding the clergy to
appear on a public stage.

3. Origin
• The drama in England had a
religious origin.
• The church felt the need of
religious teachings so that people
could be emotionally attached to
the Christianity.
• Everyday after worship ceremony
they took little incidents from the
Bible and narrated them to the
people.
• Gradually this narration took the
form of dialogues and action.
• The earliest liturgical dialogue
comprises 3 lines.

4. Miracle and Mystery Plays
• The drama was passed over to
the town guilds or trade
unions of towns .
• In the hands of these laymen
the drama developed
significantly.
• Two kinds of plays became
popular : Miracle and Mystery
plays.
• The first deals with the life of
saints.
• The second handle the
incidents from the Bible.
• The language became
vernacular . They introduced
non-biblical passages for the
purpose of entertainment but
basically they still served as
tools of instruction.

5. Morality Play
Drama went one step away
from religion in Morality
plays.
• They focused the moral
conflict of an ordinary man
between good and bad.
• But they represented the
struggle of soul in
Christian terms.
• They still centered on
religion.

6. Interludes
Drama moved towards realism
in the form of Interludes
in the 15th century.
These were the short dramas
performed during the
intervals of elaborated
dramas.
It generally attacked the
people, professions and
society .
The emphasis of interludes
was more on amusement
than on instruction.

7. Regular Tragedy and Comedy
• In the 16th century the exposure
to Greek and Roman literature
gave English drama a new
direction. .
• Human emotions, life and
situations became the theme of
drama.
• The first regular tragedy
Gorboduc (1562) was based on
the revenge theme.
• The first regular comedy Ralph
Roister Doister (1550) was based
on Roman comedy.
• So this was the way the English
drama travelled from instruction
to entertainment.