Liturgical Drama in Byzantine Literature

Authors

Theodore Bogdanos, San Jose State University

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

It remains the prevailing opinion among literary scholars today that the rebirth of drama in western civilization began with the appearance of the Quem quaeritis trope in the middle of the tenth century, after the barbarian interregnum of the Dark Ages. Within a few years, the Easter trope added to its sung dialogue impersonation and stage action, resulting in St. Ethelwold's Visitatio Sepulchri, the first surviving liturgical play ever to be presented. The only theatrical productions extant up to that time were the mimes, dances, and festivals of late Roman antiquity, which contained without interruption into medieval times, despite Tertullian's and St. Augustine's scathing denunciations. But these productions were hardly forms of dramatic literature.

Recommended Citation

Bogdanos, Theodore (1976) "Liturgical Drama in Byzantine Literature," Comparative Drama: Vol. 10: Iss. 3, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol10/iss3/2