Anonymous, Mankind

Claire Sponsler (University of Iowa)
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Mankind

is, with good reason, the most widely-read example of the genre now known as the medieval morality play, a term coined by modern critics to describe a group of five plays – the others being

The Pride of Life

,

The Castle of Perseverance

,

Wisdom

, and

Everyman

. These plays constitute the sole surviving examples of what was once apparently a thriving and influential form of drama in pre-modern England. Written around 1465-1470 in the East Midlands dialect of Middle English and surviving in a single copy in what is known as the Macro manuscript, which also includes

The Castle of Perseverance

,

Mankind

tells the story of its eponymous hero's temptation, fall into sin, and ultimate redemption. Although the play is on one level a serious allegory of sin and salvation, peopled by…

1499 words

Citation: Sponsler, Claire. "Mankind". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3746, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3746 Mankind 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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