Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
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Morality Play, by Barry Unsworth
B- This book is about the issues of Christianity and the power of lords in the 14th century. I didn’t really enjoy the book, but it does illustrate how life went in the 14th century in England. I was a bit angry of the way people were dealt with in that period of time. I did learn know now that this is definitely a part of English history and culture up to today.
C- Time: The action takes place in the 14th century
Place: In England
Setting: A set of actors doing a play because of a murder that took place in a village that was unsolved. They do their play in different villages/towns in England.
D. Summary: The story is about a priest Nicholas Barber who meets a couple of actors and joins them when one of there player ends up dead. Traveling through different villages with their plays, they end up in a village where a murder of a boy (Thomas Well) has been committed. One of the actors ( Martin) comes with the idea to play the murder out in a play. The priest wants to find out who killed the boy, because the suspect seemed to be innocent through stories that they heard from several people who lived in the village. Lord Justice helps him to find out who really committed this crime.
E. Questions:
– What do you think the actors should have done with Brendan?
– What does Morality play mean?
– Why was the woman suspected of killing Thomas Well?
F. Key Passage: “God is not served by self-deceiving. The impulse to run away had not been folly but the wisdom of my heart.”p.187 said by Nicholas Barber.
G. Explanation of key passage: I choose this passage because all what the priest went through on his journey as a part of the actors in the play, I believe he at some time forgot his role as a priest, but yet needed to be freed as a way of finding out what he really liked and realizing that this is following his heart. I believe that God would understand his means for becoming an actor. It made him in some way a better person.
H. Themes of the novel:
– Oppression- the landlords who had all power over land and people.
– Christianity- what role this played in the society of England. For example ways of life, rules, morals ect.
– Corruption: of the church and nobility
– The Laws of murders and prosecution
Vocabulary List.
Word (
crouch p.1
I saw them gather round and crouch over him
hurken, knielen
folly p.1
At a time when my folly had brought me to great need…
dwaasheid, onverstandig gedrag
glimpsed p.2
I glimpsed the man’s face…
vluchtig kijken
jolting p2.
adjective
A jolting cart
schokkend, schuddend
besieged p.3
adjective
The besieged soul flies free at last
belegeren, bestormen
hulking p.3
adjective
A hulking ragged fellow
log, lomp, kolossaal
Piebald p.5
adjective
The piebald nag
gevlekt
Scraps p.5
They were wearing scraps of costume against the cold
stukjes, beetjes
Inquiry p.5
The spirit of inquiry in a well ordered soul….
informatie
Lecherous p.6
adjective
With lecherous eagerness
wellustig, histig
Vagabonds p7.
For vagabonds as happens to those accounted fugitives….
landloper, zwervend
Pelted p.8
I had been pelted
beschieten, bekogelen
Hoarseness p.8
A drinker’s hoarseness in it
hees, schor
Fleeting p.9
adjective
A fleeting horror
vluchtig
Rash p.9
He will take the rash of speech
ondoordacht
Plenteous p.10
adjective
Though far from plenteous
rijkelijk