XLIII. The Reformation Drama
The spirit of Luther—opposition to the papacy and reliance on scripture—soon found expression in the acted drama. To illustrate this phase of the new literary movement three plays have been drawn on: first, a Swiss play, performed on the streets of Bern in 1522; second, a Low German play, performed at Riga in 1527; third, a midland play, performed at Kahla in 1535. The text of No. 1 follows Bächtold’s Bibliothek älterer Schriftwerke der deutschen Schweiz, II, 103; for No. 2 see Braune’s Neudrucke, No. 30; for No. 3, Tittmann’s Schauspiele aus dem 16. Jahrhundert, pages 21 ff.
- From the ‘Contrast between the Pope and Christ,’ by Niklaus Manuel.1
- From the ‘Prodigal Son’ by Burkard Waldis.29
- From Rebhun’s ‘Susanna,’ Act III, Sc. 4: Having been menaced with death by the wanton judges, Susanna tells her father, mother, and sister of the infamous plot.62
