The York Bakers and Their Play of the Last Supper

The York Bakers and Their Play of the Last Supper

This article reconsiders the York Bakers' pageant 'The Last Supper': both the play's representation of the biblical narrative and possible reasons for removal of a leaf from the text as recorded in the York register. Noting the play's uninterrupted production throughout the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early theatre 2019-06, Vol.22 (1), p.37-70
Main Author: Groeneveld, Leanne
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Bible
Bible plays, English
Biblical literature
Christian drama, English (Middle)
City councils
England
History
History and criticism
Jesus Christ
Mysteries and miracle-plays, English
Pageants
Protestant Reformation
Theater
York
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Summary:This article reconsiders the York Bakers' pageant 'The Last Supper': both the play's representation of the biblical narrative and possible reasons for removal of a leaf from the text as recorded in the York register. Noting the play's uninterrupted production throughout the protracted Reformation, I argue that the pageant likely represented the bread shared by Christ and his disciples as a common loaf rather than as eucharistic wafers. This style of representation makes sense of the pageant's guild ascription but challenges current assumptions about why dialogue and action were eventually excised from the written text of the play.
ISSN:1206-9078
1206-9078