The Croxton Play of the Sacrament

Group Members: Elizabeth Cowan, Jennie Garland, Sophie Mauffray-Howell, and Jordon Corbin

Plot Summary

The vexillators (vexillators are banner-bearers in a mystery play, sort of the “narrators”) begin by giving a short summary of the play:

In Aragon, Jonathas offers Aristorius (a Christian merchant) 20 pounds and some merchandise in exchange for a consecrated host (the flesh of Christ). Aristorius refuses Jonathas unless he agrees to pay 100 pounds. Upon paying the requested amount, Jonathas, and his accomplices begin to “test” the host by pinning it to a pillar, then boiling it in a cauldron of oil, then putting it in an oven, which later explodes. The image of Christ appears to the Jews, and they repent of their sins.

The vexillators then issue a warning to the audience, pleading with them to never doubt Christ. The vexillators announce that the play will take place in Croxton, and the play proper begins.

Aristorius proclaims his successes as a merchant, and he thanks God for allowing him to sell his goods throughout the land. A priest enters, and he affirms Aristorius in his successes, allowing how he will do whatever is in his power to aid him. Jonathas enters, thanking Mohammed for all the many things he possesses. Then he speaks of his discussions with Jason and Jasdon about how ridiculous it is for Christian men to “beleve on a cake;” In other words, the consecrated host. Jonathas, Jason, and Jasdon have expressed desires to desecrate a host in the name of their god, so they discuss ways of procuring one.

They visit Aristorius, to an effort to buy the host. Aristorius resists until Jonathas agrees to pay his higher asking price. Aristorius is afraid of being caught stealing the host, but Jonathas convinces him, telling him to go out into the night. Aristorius gives the priest wine, to help him fall asleep; he steals the host, and delivers it to Jonathas.

The Jews, now including Malcus and Masphat discuss what they think Christians believe, and decide it is heresy against their god. The four Jews decide to stab the host to see whether or not it will bleed; and it does. Jonathas is terrified upon seeing the blood, so the Jews decide to boil the host in a pot of oil for three hours. Jonathas tries to throw the host in the oil, but it clings to his hand. He becomes even more afraid, and announces that the host is hurting him now. He tries to get rid of it by dissolving it in water. The remaining three Jews find him, and suggest pinning the host to a post, so they may be able to pull Jonathas away from it. As they put this plan into action, they pull his arm off, and the host still remains attached to his hand. Jonathas announces he can take no more of this, everyone is to return to their chambers, and everyone is ordered to keep their actions a secret.

Colle and Master Brundiche enter, and they have a lengthy conversation where it is revealed that Master Brundiche is a crooked physician, often making his patients ill again just to treat them for their money. Master Brundiche asks Colle if there is anyone nearby in need of his services. Colle tells Master Brundiche about Jonathas’s predicament. Master Brundiche approaches Jonathas avidly seeking to treat him, but Jonathas sends him away.

Jonathas orders the others to remove the nails from the host and cast it in the cauldron. Upon casting the host into the cauldron, the oil turns into blood, and it begins spilling over the top. Jonathas then orders them to heat the oven, and cast the host in it. The oven oozes blood and begins to writhe until it explodes. After the explosion, an image of Christ appears to them.

Christ pleads with them, asking why they despise him so much. He blames them for their desecration of his body both now, and in the past (the sins of their forefathers). He says he will still be merciful to the Jews, ever after they sinned against him in such a blasphemous way. They each repent of their sins, and Jesus tells Jonathas his hand will be restored if he dips it into the cauldron of his blood; Jonathas does so, and his arm is indeed healed.

Jonathas confesses their sins to the Bishop, and the Bishop orders them to take him to the image of Christ. After the Bishop addresses the image of Christ, he is transformed back into bread. The Bishop praises Christ for a few moments, then a singing procession escorts the host back to the church.

Meanwhile, Aristorius feels guilty and confesses his sins to the priest, they all go to the Bishop to ask for forgiveness.

Everyone meets in the church, where a sermon is delivered. The Jews convert, and basically go through all the Rites of Christian Initiation. The Jews proclaim their belief in the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Thus ending the play.

Authorial Background

The author of Croxton Play of the Sacrament is unknown. The play was written in England during the mid fifteenth century. At this time, the church was marked by intolerance and segregation. The Catholic Church also harbored strong anti-Semitic feelings. These feelings of anti-Semitism were especially relevant in Bury St. Edmunds, where it is thought the play was originally performed. Jewish people were expelled from Bury St. Edmunds in 1190 following a series of accusations that the Jews were martyring people who were not a part of the Jewish community.

Historical Background

The Croxton Play of the Sacrament was written not long after 1461 when the play takes place. Although this is a medieval play it does not fit into any particular mold or genre of medieval performance. The play is often listed as a saint’s play but the absence of a saint makes this hard to stand by. However the play does share the same concerns of saint’s play such as miracles and conversion. Through extensive historical readings it has been decided that the play was most likely written for and directed towards the merchants of the region of England that the play refers to. This same region of England was most likely the location of it’s original performances. Research on fifteenth-century East Anglican society and a deep investigation of the text shows that these original audiences were made up of Norfolk merchants “and those familiar with the daily commercial and religious practices of those merchants.” The play may have its own unique style but it remains “typical thematically of the culture that produced it” (Medieval Studies at Cornell).

Dramatis Personae

Vexillators 1&2: Men who carry banners from the wings and announce the play

Episcopus: The Bishop

Aristorius: Christian merchant who Jonathas tries to buy the host from. In some ways he resembles Judas, because he sells Christ’s body to the Jews.

Presbyter: A Priest named Isoder. He is Aristorius’ chaplain.

Clericus: A clerk named Peter Paul who is a part of the deal when Jonathas tries to buy the host from Aristorius.

Jonathas: Jewish merchant that asks Aristorius, a Christian man, to let him test the host to see if it is really the body of Jesus Christ. “The first Jew, Master”

Jason: “The second Jew”; coconspirator of Jonathas

Jasdon: “The third Jew”; coconspirator of Jonathas

Masphat: “The fourth Jew”; coconspirator of Jonathas

Malchus: “The fifth Jew”; coconspirator of Jonathas

Brundyche: Doctor known for his drunkenness and debauchery. He enters with his servant, Colle, for a moment of comic relief when the host is stuck to Jonathas’ hand.

Colle: Brundyche’s servant who airs all of his dirty laundry in a very gritty monologue.

Production History

Miracle Plays / Mystery plays are a form of medieval drama that came from presenting the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. Developed in the 10th Century, Mystery plays were a common occurrence until the sixteenth century, reaching their peak in the fifteenth century. The plays in time were moved to church yards and market places so that many people could see them on festival days. In 1210, the pope banned members of the clergy from acting on a public stage thus the supervision and control of the plays passed into the hands of the town guilds. When this change occurred, many aspects of the production of the play changed as well. The plays were spoken in Latin, but the guilds changed the language of the play to the common vernacular. Scenes that were not from the Bible were inserted. The production became more dramatic. Characterization and details of the characters became more important.

Since the plays were arranged in festival order, each guild was responsible for producing a certain play for the current festival especially for the feast Corpus Christi which lasted from sunrise to sunset. On this day, each guild had to produce a certain episode for that day. Using simple costumes and props guild members who were paid actors performed on stages equipped with wheels so that after a production that stage could be wheeled to the next show location. Actors were sometimes fined for bad acting and showing up late. The production soon became comical at times and developed into profitable outlets for guilds regardless of the festival season. Named after the town that they were performed in, Miracle plays were broken into production cycles. The principle English cycle of the plays were the York Plays (1430–40), the longest, containing 48 plays; the Towneley or Wakefield Plays (c.1450, in Yorkshire); the Coventry Plays (1468); and the Chester Plays (1475–1500).

Bibliography

Bale, Anthony. "Programme Notes: Croxton Play of the Sacrament." January 2010. Thynke Byggly Theatre Company, University of London. 1 May 2011 .

This is a show suggestion, in which the director asked for historical-to-present day relevance to be represented by Anthony Bale. Bale views it as "a mistake to see the Croxton Play as anti-Jewish propaganda." Bale, instead, suggests the play can be viewed as a modern interpretation of the still unresolved issues between nations. Though the Jews in this play are obviously portrayed in a poor light, they are not completely virtuous either. Instead of considering the beliefs the Catholics truly consider to be sacred, they openly mock a tradition without bothering to learn the meaning behind it. Bale suggests this is an example of co-misunderstanding between two groups; though the play is grossly anti-Semitic as a whole, it is also an example of intolerance from unexpected points of view.

Erler, Mary C. "Spectacle and Sacrament: A London Parish Play in the 1530s." Modern Philology (1994): 449-454.

This article is about conversion plays, and how vital the roles of the converts were to the church. Plays including the characters: St. Longinus, a blind knight in tradition, that Jesus healed when his blood anointed his eyes; St. Mary Magdalene, and St. Paul, were often recorded as having special actors hired to play their roles (450). Later, the article mentions the directions Christ gives Jonathas if he wishes to have his hand restored in Croxton Play of the Sacrament, which is to plunge his hand in a cauldron of his blood. Erler compares this to the moment Longinus is healed when he receives the anointing of Christ with his blood, and recalls Jonathas’s story as one of the indirect convert.

Lampert, Lisa. "The once and future Jew: Croxton Play of the Sacrament, little Robert of Bury and historical memory." Jewish History (2001): 325.

This article suggests the desecration of the holy host in Croxton Play of the Sacrament is intended to be a literal reenactment of the Passion of the Christ. In having the Jews desecrate the holy host, the audience receives the notion that the Jews are “forever crucifying Christ,” perpetuating a popular mindset of the time, that the Jewish people are perpetually plotting against Christendom (235).

Maltman, Sister Nicholas. "Meaning and Art in the Croxton Play of the Sacrament." ELH (1974): 151-164.

This article is a Sister’s defense against those who say the play merits nothing of artistic value. Though she agrees that portraying the Jewish population as evil is not favorable, she asks the readers to look at the complicated format the play itself is written in, and to appreciate the art in the structure of the play. She says the play is written in such a way, that it mimics the traditions and rituals of the Catholic Holy Week liturgy, without directly saying “this is a dramatization of the Holy Week liturgy (151);” a feat she feels should be appreciated.

Stevens, Martin. "The Theatre of the World: A Study in Medieval Dramatic Form." The Chaucer Review (1973): 237-8.

This article cites the Croxton Play of the Sacrament as an example of a medieval conversion play in which the text does not follow the typical structure of the genre (238). A conversion play typically features a protagonist who struggles with sin, but eventually “converts” to God’s ways (237). Martin writes about the play’s inability to stand next to other works written during this, and maintain artistic credibility.

Normington, Katie. Medieval English Drama: Performance and Spectatorship. Cambridge: Polity, 2009. Print.

In this monograph, Katie Normington discusses the aspects of medieval life and the impact they had on the dramatic literature of that time. She focuses on the idea of ‘spectatorship’ as it relates to Drama of Enclosure, Drama of Inclusion, Drama and the City, Drama in the City, Fixed-Place Drama, and Indoor Drama, which are all types of medieval drama. In addition to touching on how the different types of drama were viewed and in what context, Normington also discusses the impact of social hierarchy, religion and feelings of nationality on these different types of literature. The book notes that there were great feelings of segregation in the church not only between different religions but also between different sexes and social classes. Another thing that is very important to note about medieval English drama is a very strong sense of nationalism. In the time spanning from 1000-1550 over thirty different rulers held power in England. While not all of them were well liked, during this time the people of England gained their identity as a country as well as a sense of pride to go with it.

Beadle, Richard, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1994. Print.

The Cambridge Compainion to Medieval English Theatre focuses on the main components of medieval drama. The book delves into the different play cycles in medieval literature and explains characteristics and commonalities within each cycle. It also touches on Morality and Saints’ Plays. The common theme in almost all of these is that good is rewarded while evil will be punished. The book also noted that although scripts of the dramas are still around, there are few historical records to give insight into the artistic context in which some of the plays were done. The author notes that without such context, it can be difficult to know what genre to place a particular play under.