Interludes as Stages of Faith

The presentation of religion in many medieval and Tudor plays is minatory, dwelling upon the danger of damnation and offering sometimes terrifying warning about the consequences of wickedness for the afterlife. This apprehension was intensified by anxiety and uncertainty about which faith was the true one and the need to find a description of it. In an attempt to broaden the religious experience offered in some six interludes, this essay is concerned with rather more optimistic elements which would have helped to counterbalance the general apprehension. Because of the perceived need to train the young, it addresses the school and academic contexts of some interludes, and in doing so it shows how entertainment is made part of coming to terms with more sombre aspects. John the Evangelist is unusual in that it takes a Catholic approach and in so doing puts emphasis upon solitary devotion. The other interludes discussed here are strong in their advocacy of scripture as a guide and inspiration, and their emphasis upon the promises of God towards salvation. These features are perhaps more evident because for much of the time the authorities were sympathetic to the Protestant change rather that to the old religion. Individually the plays bring out measures of hope and thanksgiving. The existence of such aspects is directed towards making faith acceptable especially by means of pleasurable theatrical entertainment which spread widely across Tudor interludes. The mockery of the devil was a notable aspect of this strategy, as was the relationship between faith and education, as well as the possibility of worldly success and the proper use of wealth by the faithful. The elements identified here show a concern for making religious experience acceptable in the community and strengthening its place there in spite of the difficulties of belief which are apparent in the religious crises in the sixteenth century.