This first collection of Tony Harrison's poetry for the stage
compiles his masterly adaptations of various medieval mystery
plays. Rendered in highly alliterative verse, Harrison's plays are,
as were their medieval counterparts, intended to make colloquial
Northern English language and form a vehicle for the profound
religious texts that describe the biblical epic of salvation.
Original documents from the Middle Ages are the basis for
Harrison's three-part cycle: The Nativity encompasses Creation, The
Expulsion, The Flood, Abraham and Isaac, and The Birth of Christ;
The Passion covers The Life and Crucifixion of Christ; and Doomsday
takes in The Harrowing of Hell and The Last Judgment.
Traditionally, mystery plays were acted and produced by the trade
guilds, and harrison recalls this in his use of props: a forklift
transports God, a screwdriver serves as Christ's scepter, and a
manhole cover is the mouth of Hell.
Drawing on pre-Renaissance English religious, linguistic, and
theatrical tradition, these plays are part of a movement to
celebrate English literature as it existed before the widespread
cultural influence of continental Europe. In addition, this volume
contains an Introduction that places these classic works in the
context both of their medieval origins and of Harrison's own
poetry.
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