Mystery play, a form of Biblical drama, was popular in England from the 1370’s until about 1600. Mystery plays were produced and acted by local trade and craft organizations called guilds. The term mystery play came into use because guilds were sometimes known as masteries or mysteries. The plays were also called Corpus Christi plays because most were presented during the feast of Corpus Christi in late May or June.
Mystery plays dramatized stories from both the Old and New Testaments. Popular subjects included the life of Christ, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, and Noah and the Flood. Many mystery plays combined biblical scenes with references to local places and events. The plays were staged outdoors, probably on large carts called pageant wagons. These wagons were drawn through a town to various places where spectators stood in the street or watched from nearby houses. Each guild in a town was responsible for one episode or play. Mystery plays were presented in cycles of several related dramas. A cycle may have taken one or two days.
The authors of mystery plays, though unknown, were probably members of the guild. Texts of cycles of mystery plays from the towns of Chester, Wakefield, and York have been preserved.
