中世纪英语戏剧的早期发展

Early Development of Medieval English Drama

英国戏剧产生于中世纪基督教礼拜仪式,其早期发展与教会密切相关并体现了中世纪宗教和文学艺术之间的复杂关系。中世纪英语戏剧主要分为神秘剧和道德剧。神秘剧以《圣经》故事为素材,把从人被赶出乐园到世界末日的整部人类历史搬上舞台;而道德剧则把人的一生戏剧化,表现人心灵中的善恶冲突和教导人们在罪恶充斥的世界上应该如何抵制各种罪孽,如何遵循各种基督教美德从而获得救赎。中世纪英语戏剧取得了很高成就,并为文艺复兴时期英格兰戏剧的繁荣打下了基础。

English drama originates from Christian ritual in the Middle Ages. Its early deveopment is inseparable from the Church and reveals the complicated relations of art and literature to the medieval Church. Medieval English drama mostly falls into mysteries and moralities. Mystery plays, based on biblical stories, dramatize the entire human history from Creation to Doomsday, from the Fall to the final salvation of mankind. Morality plays present the human soul as a battleground and dramatize the conflicts between good and evil in human life, teaching people to follow Christian virtues for salvation. Medieval English drama made valuable achievement and contributed greatly to Renaissance English drama.