Verb Tenses in Medieval Plays

It is interesting that the stage directions of all three plays are written in the future tense, whether using "will" or "shall." Compared to modern stage directions, which are in present tense, these plays carry a pedagogic tone. It is almost biblical: "Then shall Noah shut the window..." "Then Cain will answer..." (592, 638). Also scriptural sounding: "Then let Eve answer Adam..." (637). Although, by the 15th century, as exemplified in "Noah's Flood," the present tense is starting to be used alongside scriptural language: "She takes a swipe at him" (592).

This shift in language could be a ramification of the seemingly increase in popularity of this type of plays. That is, these plays are moving from within the setting of the church to the streets as performances in pageants. This movement could be a start to the use of biblical plays as entertainment. The switch in thinking about the purpose of plays could cause a switch in the language. That is, if a play is written with ecclesiastic didacticism, then it might use future tense to convey the sense of destiny in the actions. On the other hand, if a play is written for entertainment, no matter the characters and plot, then it might use present tense to place the importance on the actions themselves. It is possible that this all could have been done subconsciously.

More specifically, with the 10th century "Quem Quaeritis," the full intention behind putting it on was to pass along the message of Christ. (It might have had an effect of livening the congregation, which could be argued as entertainment. However, the target audience was still that of churchgoers, and it was used as part of the worshipping process to glorify God.) The 12th century "The Service for Representing Adam" was "not liturgical, but it is based on the experience of the liturgy" (626). That is, the play came out of the ecclesiastical tradition, and although it was based off of stories in the Bible, it was not used as a teaching tool. By the 15th century, "Noah's Flood" was performed more for entertainment than for didactic purposes. It drew upon the "story of Noah, a popular subject in medieval biblical drama" for its part in the cycle of biblical pageants from Chester (587). Also, the costumes of "Noah's Flood" were modern clothing of the time, "as with all other biblical drama of the period," compared to the ecclesiastical costumes in "Quem Quaeritis" (587).

**All citations come from

The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Volume 1, the Medieval Period. Ed. Joseph Black, et al. Vol. 1. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2006.