It's been a long time since we held this event, but thankfully it was fully recorded, so I can recap. The Adoration of the Magi is an incredibly short play - and there are lots of questions it raises.
Firstly the Kings, having left Herod in the previous play, rediscover the star - a continuation from play 8, where the star disappears, hence their asking for directions from Herod. This Star has been such a mobile thing in these plays, it's an interesting question of staging. Are there several stars about, which could be covered or uncovered at will - was the star a property carried by Angels - so that it could move among the audience, or a mixture of the two. I can see a star on the end of a long staff, like a cross carried in a service, being carried by the Angels, so that it could be seen above heads, but be grounded to an actor. (Or, at any rate, that's how I'd stage it!)
A few stanzas of exposition, presumably as they travel among the audience, starts the play. They speak of the star, that it has stopped above a distant stable, of what is to come of the prophet and then finally the Kings start discussing their prospective gifts. There is some competition between the Kings as to what they're giving and whose is the most appropriate - though it is less competitive than discursive - it is a debate, rather than a boastful argument. The structure of the dialogue is very formal.
Each has a (broadly) a stanza to state their gift and the case for it - King 1, 2, 3.
Then another stanza for a rebuttal as to why theirs is the better gift to the others - King 1, 2, 3.
Then they each debate the three gifts together, mulling over how all three gifts are good gifts - King 1, 2, 3. Then the first King recaps that, good though these gifts are, Jesus doesn't actually need them, because he's the son of God.
Then the second points out that he can see the stable ahead, with the star above - obviously closer now.
Then the third that he can see the holy family within - closer still.
This isn't a lengthy sequence and I've laid it out above to show how formal it is. At almost no point are the Kings named, not till briefly at the end, and whilst an actor can find little differences, they act as a unit, not as individuals. They're debating the symbolism of their gifts, the appropriateness of them, agree as a group that they are all good gifts and finally acknowledge that their gifts are not actually needed, before moving onto the scene of action - which is presumably on a pageant wagon or scaffold. It took this discussion of their gifts to get to the stage.
The formal structure continues.
Each King hails Jesus - King 1, 2, 3 - two stanzas each.
Mary and Joseph reply - Mary, two stanzas - Joseph - three.
And then something odd happens.
No stage direction, no cut, no indication of a move - but suddenly the Kings are being addressed by an Angel and the Holy family are no longer involved in the play. They must have changed location because the Angel is warning the three Kings not to return to Herod, and he can't be doing so in front of Mary and Joseph as he will warn the Holy family of Herod in the next play. Also there is no surrounding scene for the Angel appearing to the Kings - they're travelling away, going to sleep in the wilderness etc as in other plays - it is just happening. This is in a play where, so far, shifts in location and time are indicated by direction or dialogue. I can only conclude there is either a missing page or this was a cut to a longer play - the change in place could be effected silently, but it doesn't fit the dramaturgy of the play or the style of the play sequence at large. And that's before we consider how incredibly short the play already is, it's not much above ten minutes long, whereas most other plays orbit the twenty/thirty minute mark.
Anyway, however it was or wasn't effected, the Angel appears and tells them not to pop back to Herod and, after a few brief lines (and a mention of their names, almost as an afterthought) they split up and go.
Play 10 - Slaughter of the Innocents
There are more questions of the overall dramaturgy of the nativity sequence raised by this play. The play focuses mostly on Herod, his Knights and the Mothers, as makes sense. This suggests the use of a pageant wagon or scaffold, used for both events, or for the slaughter to occur among the audience. But there are two mini scenes with Mary and Joseph - first being warned to flee Herod, the second that it is safe to return. These scenes suggest they are located elsewhere to the action of the main play - on a separate scaffold - to help aid the shift in focus from Herod's court (in the first warning) to the street. From the Balaam play onwards there have been several instances where multiple places seem to be in use - where one play lends its location to another (the Mountain of the Balaam play for the Three Kings, for example). This suggests that at the stage this text was produced that a relatively static delivery system was used - i.e. multiple wagons or scaffolds in one area, focus being directed to each in turn, with journeys between the spaces throughout, making use of the audience place. Chester seems to have been a city that changed its staging over time, from one day to three day eventing, and a shift between a processional to a static focus could be part of that playing with form.
But back to the play.
Herod ruminates and runs with his plan - calls a Councillor to comment, who agrees it's a great idea to slaughter all children under two years of age.
He calls two soldiers to him, who, though happy to do some killing, are less keen on the killing of children. Herod has his way.
The scene shifts, briefly to Mary and Joseph (see above), before moving to the actual slaughter. Each version of the Innocents play, from all cycles, are different to each other in often radical ways. This plays major variation is that one of the children killed is actually Herod's own child. Upon this news being reported to him Herod immediately falls ill and dies, his rotten body taken to hell by a rather polite demon.
The play closes with Mary and Joseph being told by the Angel to return home.
From the earliest drama in English, to the closing of the theatres in 1642, there was a hell of a lot of drama produced - and a lot of it wasn't by Shakespeare. Apart from a few noble exceptions these plays are often passed over, ignored or simply unknown. This is a blog about what exists beyond Shakespeare, about the plays, fragmentary and extant, that shaped the theatrical world that shaped our dramatic history.
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