The starting point for this study of 'Adam' was the production in 1967 of the integral text, in English, under the title of the 'Tale of Adam'. In the course of preparation and rehearsal, many questions were raised which could not be satisfactorily answered in the light of previous work on the play. It is my hope that future students of the 'Ordo representacionis Ade', whether readers, actors or spectators, will find the answers to at least some of their queries in this book which may perhaps best be described as a 'Companion to Adam' or 'Glossa Adae'.
'Adam' is one of the best known and most neglected masterpieces of French literature. Although it has been consistently acclaimed by scholars and amateurs of medieval drama, since it was first edited in 1854, there is still no definitive edition of the unique MS2. Translations and adaptations, particularly of the first act, have proliferated in both French and English; numerous productions have been mounted in Europe and the United States, over the last forty years; yet not one full-scale study of the play has ever appeared.
Author(s): Lynette R. Muir
Series: Medium Ævum Monographs, New Series, 3
Publisher: Basil Blackwell
Year: 1973
Language: English
Pages: 200
City: Oxford
Introduction 1
The Triple play 3
Section One: Sources and Parallels
I. The Bible and liturgy 6
II. Latin and vernacular drama 16
III. The temptation of Adam and the Old English Genesis 18
The Originality of Adam 21
Section Two: Staging and Production 23
I. Time and place of performance 24
II. The Décor 29
III. Costumes 34
IV. Speech, mime and music 42
The Iconography of Adam 47
Section Three: Theme and Structure 51
I. The Fall of Man 54
1) The forging of the bond 54
2) The breaking of the bond 61
3) The punishment 77
4) Cain and Abel 83
II. The Prophets of Redemption 93
The Unity of Adam 113
i) Feudal Unity: Covenant and Bond 113
ii) Theological Unity: the classic doctrine of the Atonement 114
iii) Formal Unity: Word and Image 116
Conclusion
Author and Audience 118
A classical Christian tragedy 120
Notes
Introduction 122
Sources and Parallels 125
Staging and Production 135
Theme and Structure 154
Conclusion 171
Tables 173
Bibliography 177
