Reactions to The Mysteries

This production of The Mysteries really captures the community-feel that these plays no doubt would have possessed. I rather like how Christ comes to represent the humble population of workers that performed these plays. In class we discussed how these plays were probably done with the Church’s permission. I think that even if this was so, the plays still seem to mock authority. All the kings are presented as foolish pagans.

I like the idea of sticking it to the man, but I am slightly uncomfortable with the anti-Semitism and disgust for Muslims. I learned in another class that it was not uncommon for the original productions to be followed by a massacre of Jews. The constant references to and swearing by “Mahound” by evil authority figures suggest a strong abhorrence of Islam. This is not surprising considering that many Christians viewed Islam as a heretical form of Christianity.