A C T A U N I V E R S I T Ä T I S L O D Z I E N S I S
FO LIA L IT T E R A R IA A N G L IC A 3, 1999
Joanna K azik
T H E B L E S SE D V IR G IN M A RY IN T H E S C E N E O F T H E A N N U N C IA T IO N IN T H E Y O R K C Y C L E
T h e aim o f this study is to exam ine the presen tatio n o f th e Blessed Virgin M ary in the scene o f the A n n u n ciatio n in one o f the fo u r English m ystery cycles, The York Plays. In the first p a rt o f the article M a ry ’s qualities will be considered. N ext her role as a m ed iatrix betw een the h u m an w orld and the w orld o f G o d will be discussed. F inally, the im agery associated w ith the Virgin em ployed th ro u g h o u t the play will be analyzed.
The Annunciation P la y,1 w hich takes place in N azareth , falls in to three
distinct p arts. Sim ilarly to The N -T ow n Cycle and The Towneley Cycle, it opens w ith a lengthy speech, run n in g for some 144 lines, given by P rologue.
1 The source o f the very act o f the annunciation and Elizabeth’s visit is found in the N ew Testam ent in M atthew ’s and Luke’s gospels. M atthew concentrates first o f all on the im plications o f M ary’s pregnancy and Joseph’s uncertainty as to the purity and moral behaviour o f his young wife:
“ Christi autem generatio sic erat: Cum esset desp onsata mater ejus M aria Joseph, antequam convenirent, in venta est in utero habens de Spiritu sancto. Joseph autem vir ejus cum esset justus, et nollet earn traducere: voluit occulte dimittere earn. H aec autem eo cogitante, ecce angelus D om ini apparuit in som nis ei, dicens: Jospeh fili D avid, n oli timere accipere Mariam conjugem tuam: quod enim in ea natum est, de Spritu Sancto est. Pariet autem filium: et vocabis nom en ejus Jesum; ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum. H oc autem totum factum est, ut aadimpleretur quod dictum est a D o m in o per prophetam dicentem: Ecce virgo in utero habebit, et pariet fillium; et vacabunt nom en ejus Em m anuel, quod est interpretatum Nobiscum D eu s.” (M atthew, I: 18-23)
Luke goes to greater lengths and his description o f the event is m ore comprehensive: “In mense autem sexto, missus est A ngelus Gabriel a D eo in civitatem G aliliaeae, cui nom en Nazreth. Ad Virginen deponsatam virgo, ciu nom en erat Joseph, de d om o D avid, et nom en virginis M aria. Et ingressus Angelus ad earn dixit: Ave, gratia plena: D om inu r tecum: Benedicta tu in mulieribus. Quae cum audisset, turbata est in sermone sujs, et cogitabat qualis esset isla salutatio. Et ait A ngelus ei; N e timeas, M aria, invensiti enim gratiam apud Deum : Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium, et vocabis nom en ejus JE SU M , hie erit m agnus et Filius Altissim i vacabitur, et dabit illi D om inu s D eus sedem David patris ejus: et regnabit in d om o Jacob in aeternum. D ixit autem M aria ad Angelum. Q uom odo fiet istud, quoniam
T h e speech constitutes an in tro d u ctio n to the m iraculou s event presented in the play an d serves, for a didactic purp ose, as a kind o f theological b ac k g ro u n d to the scene. T h e second p a rt com prises the ap p e ara n ce o f the angel to th e Blessed V irgin an d th e co nversation between the tw o characters. M a ry ’s visit to her cousin E lizabeth brings the play to an end.
It is M a ry ’s purity th a t is stressed m ost frequently th ro u g h o u t the play. In the prologue, M ary is referred to as a “m ayd en, even and m o rn e ” (95, 1. 82)2 w ho will conceive a child despite “ the ch astite o f her b o d y ” (98, 1. 157). H e r m arriage, as stated in the scene, arran ged to deceive the devil and protect the V irgin and her child, is undefiled. She w as wedded to old Joseph to be able to retain the state o f virginity:
And for the fende shuld so be fedd Be tyne, and to n o treuth take tentt, G od made tat m ayden to be wedde, Or he his sone vn-to hir sentte.
(94, 11. 25-28)
E lizabeth rem arks th a t M ary achieved her divinity “ th ru g h c h a stite ” (101, 1. 225). T h e V irgin respon ds th a t “chastite . . . m ad e m e f)us to ga / om ange his [G o d ’s] m aid ens fele” (101, 11. 234-236). T h a n k s to her virginity, M ary preserves her bodily integrity an d th u s can a p p e a r perfect, b o th m orally and physically.3
virum non cognosco? Et respondens A ngelus dixit ei: Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus A ltissim i obum brabit tibi. Ideoque et quod nascetur ex te Sanctum, vocabitur Filius D ei. E t ecce Elisabeth cognata tua et ipsa concepit filium in senectute sua: et his mensis sextus est illi, quae vocatur sterilis: Q uia non erit im possibile apud D eum om ne vervum. D ixit autem Maria: Ecce ancilla D om ini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Et discessit ab ilia A ngelus. Exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in m ontana cum festinatione in civitatem Judah; Et intravit in dom um Zachariae, et salutavit Elisabeth. Et factum est, ut audivit salutationem M ariae Elisabeth, exultavit infans in utero ejus: et repleta est Spiritu sanctio Elisabeth: Et exclam avit voce m agna, et dixit: Benedicta tu inter mulieres, et benedictum fructus ventris tui et unde hoc mihi ut veniat mater D om ini mei ad me? Ecce enim ut facta est vox salutationis tuae in auribus meis, exultavit in gaudio infans in utero m eo. et beata, quae credidisti, quoniam perficientur ea, quae dicta sunt tibi a D om in o. Et ait Maria: M agnificat anima mea Dominum: et exultavit spirilus meus in D eo salutari m eo.” (Luke, I: 26-47)
It is therefore apparent that Luke’s gospel m ay have been the m ost extensive canonical source for the scene. Novum Jesu C hristi Testamentum, Vulgatae Editionis (London: Samuel Bagster and Sons Ltd).
2 The Annunciation and visit o f Elizabeth to M ary, [in:] Lucy T oum lin Smith, ed., The
P la ys Perform ed b y the C rafts or M ysteries o f York on the D ay o f Corpus C hristi in the I 4 '\ 15'* and I6'h Centuries (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1885). All references in the text will be to
this edition.
3 Clarissa A tkinson, The Oldest Vocation. Christian M otherhood in the M iddle A ges (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1991), p. 112. Bodily integrity and physical perfection
H er chastity constitutes a recurrent elem ent o f M a ry ’s descrip tio n in the scene as it sym bolises her freedom from sin. Even th o u g h the Virgin chooses m arried life, she leads a pious life an d devotes herself to service in G o d ’s nam e. She appears to be set as an exam ple for o th er w om en: a p a ra g o n o f virtue w ho should be aim ed at and follow ed. A s M ary C layto n aptly points o u t, M a ry ’s life and devotion becom e a corrective.4
M oreover, the V irgin’s innocence and purity are im p o rta n t for the playw right du e to the role she has as Theotokos, the m o th er o f G o d . As was believed in the M iddle Ages, it was the m o th e r w ho passed on the flesh to her offspring, and the father who passed on the s p irit.5 T h e Blessed Virgin gave Jesus an elem ent o f h u m an n atu re which plays a crucial role in C hrist’s crucifixion and the salvation o f the world. T hus, from a theological p o in t o f view, it seemed necessary to stress M a ry ’s in co rru p t co n d itio n and her bodily integrity.
T his state o f wholeness and perfection g ran ts the Virgin her position as G o d ’s bride and lets her enjoy his special grace, the m ost im p o rta n t sign o f G o d ’s love th a t could be offered by him to any h u m an being. G reeting the Virgin, G abriel announces:
Ang. Oure lord god is with [)e, And has chosen t>e for his, O f all wom en blist m ot bou be.
(98, 11. 146-148)
L ater on, the angel stresses again th a t M ary is full o f grace (98, 1. 145) and E lizabeth states th a t “ swilke grace is fo r the lay de” (101, 1. 232). T he Virgin herself rejoices because o f “ J^e grace G od has m e lente” (100, 1. 218). G o d ’s grace is given to M ary in retu rn for her unsurpassed love and d ev o tio n .6 She adores G o d ’s w isdom and pow er, and frequently praises
were considered necessary prerequisites for achieving the state o f holiness in the M iddle A ges. A n y w ounds rendered the person vulnerable and thus susceptible to evil and earty corruption. For a discussion o f the significance o f the theme see Caroline Walker Bynum, Fragmentation
and Redemption. E ssays on Gender and the Human B ody in M edieval Religion (N ew York:
Z one B ooks, 1992).
4 M ary C layton, The Cult o f the Virgin M a ry in Anglo-Saxon England (Cambridge; Cambridge U niversity Press, 1990), p. 54.
5 The idea, put forward by A ristotle in his writings (“ the m ale provides the form and the principle o f the movement; the female provides the body, in other words, the m aterial” ), was widely accepted in the M iddle Ages. A ristotle, The Generation o f Animals, A1 Peck, ed. and trans. (Cambridge, Mass: L oeb Library 1943, p. 95).
6 Bonaventura’s m editations on the life on Mary even quote the M adonn a as having
revealed during her lifetime to a devout wom an that the graces she had were n ot won lightly but were the result o f continual prayer and m ortification. Paula M arie Lozar, The Virgin
M ary in the m edieval dram a o f England: a psychoanalytic stu dy, Ph. D . thesis (Berkeley:
G o d calling him , for instance, “ t>e kyngis o f blyssc” (p. 107, 1. 159). She is his faithful follower:
M ar. N ow e grete G od o f his myght, t>at all may dresse and dight, M ekely to Jje I bowe! R ew e on tis wery wight, t>at in his herte m ight light he soth to ken and trowe.
(108, 11. 202-207)
In an unprecedented m an n er, the Virgin reconciles th e Old L aw - the tra d itio n o f ch ild b irth and fertility, w ith the New Law - chastity and virg inity.7 U nlike o th er wom en w ho either vow virginity o r decide to get m arried , M ary can perform three functions: th a t o f a virgin, a wife and a m o th e r, at the sam e time. H er exceptional con dition w hich is beyond w orldly know ledge is stressed in the prologue o f The A nnunciation:
F or in bis worlde was never slyke One to be mayden, modir, and w yfle. [}is passed all worldly witte,
H ow god had ordand paim panne, In hir one to knytte,
G odh ed , m aydenhed, and m anne. (96-97, 11. 99-108)
M a ry ’s holy n a tu re is additionally accentuated by h er u n io n w ith the H oly G h o st. As indicated in the prologue:
t>e hegh haly gaste,
C om e oure myscheffe to mende, In marie m ayden chaste.
(96, 11. 93-95)
T h e reverence and esteem w ith w hich M ary is treated despite her y oung age, enhance the im age o f a holy person. B oth G ab riel and E lizabeth call M a d o n n a blessed and chosen am on g all w om en to be G o d ’s m o th er. T h e angel sings:
A ng. Hayle! Marie! full o f grace and blysse, Our lord god is with (je,
And has chosen f>e for his, O f all w om en blisl m ot fcou be.
(98, 11. 145-148)
7 Stephen Spector, “A nti-Sem itism in the English M ystery Plays,” in: Clifford D avidson, C. J. G ianakaris, John H. Stroupe eds, The D ram a in the M iddle Ages: C om parative and
E lizabeth greets M ary in a strikingly sim ilar m an ner:
Blissid be ^ou anely O f ail wom en in feere, And fie frute o f thy body Be blissid ferre and nere.
(100, 11. 205-208)
T h e Virgin, raised above o rd in ary people th an k s to the o u tsta n d in g quality o f her love fo r G o d , becom es a m ediatrix w ho serves b o th G o d and h u m an k in d . She is described in the p ro lo gue as th e one th ro u g h whom “ was m an y saved o f syn” (1. 82) and the one w ho helps “ o u r m yschyffe to m en d e” (1. 94). She is also the first to be told a b o u t the m iracu lo u s pregnancy o f E lizabeth, and repeating the p a tte rn o f h er ow n an n u n c ia tio n , the V irgin visits her cousin to b ring the good news. T h e asto n ish m en t th a t sounds in M a ry ’s w ords w hen she welcomes the ang el’s “ h alsy n g ” is echoed, as if to stress the V irgin’s function o f G o d ’s m essenger, in the final p a rt o f the scene, w hen E lizabeth praises “ th e voyce o f {line h alsin g ” (100, 1. 213).
M a ry ’s role as G o d ’s m essenger is also stressed by th e use o f the adjective “m ylde” . T h e Virgin greets the angel:
M aria, tiou goddis aungell, m eke and mylde. (99, 1. 169)
T h e very sam e w ord is em ployed to describe M ary, this “m aid en m y ld e.” T h e re p e titio n o f th e w ord em phasizes th e sim ilarity o f M a r y ’s and G a b rie l’s qualities. T h e Virgin is, as it were, equalled to an angel. T hey b o th becom e G o d ’s m eek instrum ents w ho fulfil his orders.
T h e ex tra o rd in ary hum ility and m odesty w ith w hich M a ry tre a ts the glory she receives is unm atched. A ny feeling o f pride a b o u t her exceptional state is u n k n o w n to her. M a ry ’s un ique positio n as G o d ’s chosen bride and T heotokos only pro m p ts her to follow G o d ’s will m o re ardently. In h e r p ra y er closing the scene o f the an n u n c ia tio n , M a ry expresses th a n k s for the m iracle and puts herself at G o d ’s com m and:
M aria. I love m y lord with herle dere, t>e grace jaat he has for m e layde. G odd is handm ayden, lo! me here, T o his wille all redy grayd.
(p. 99, II. 187-190)
She places herself in a position o f a m od est h an d m aid e n , hum bly “ recognizing h e r ow n im p erfe ctio n s.” 8 H e r h u m ility and m eek ness, so
praised in m edieval religious w ritings, are stressed yet a g a in .0 She is free from the sin o f vanity, in c o n tra st to Eve, w hose fall has to be redeem ed th ro u g h M ary - m ors per Evam , vita per M a ria m .10 T he Blessed Virgin accepts G o d ’s orders and takes on her p a rt in the schem e o f salvation. She assum es the prim ary role o f a w om an and identifies as th e subm issive p a rtn e r in her relationship w ith G od and com plies with the o rd e r established by G o d .11
M a ry ’s willingness to accept the role G o d ascribes to h er an d to fulfil his o rders is also em phasized d u rin g E lizab e th ’s visit:
bou m ake me to thy paye, T o J)e my wille is wcntte.
(100, II. 223-224)
M a d o n n a ’s piety and love are reinforced by the enthusiasm and a rd o u r w ith which she prays:
Lorde I lofe be god verray, be sande pou hast me sente. I tanke be nyght and day And prayes with goode entente.
(100, II. 219-222)
It should also be stressed th a t despite her unique co n dition , the Virgin experiences a stro n g need for social interactio ns and co m m u n icatio n on the in terp erso n al level. U nlike The N -T ow n Cycle an d The Tow neley Cycle, w hich follow the trad itio n al o rd e r o f the an n u n c ia tio n , J o s e p h ’s d o u b ts and the visit to E lizabeth, found in The Protoevangelium, th e a u th o r o f The
Y ork C ycle decides to reverse th e o rd e r o f events. U p o n the m o m en t o f
the an n u n c ia tio n , M ary hastily sets o ff to visit her cousin to “ speke w ith th e .” T h e playw right chooses to present the m o th er o f G o d no t only as a pious, reclusive saint, b u t also as a fam ily m em ber and a social being. She fully experiences her happiness when it is shared w ith o th ers and it is in h er presence th a t “ the usual hierarchies an d pow cr-stru ctu res o f m edieval society give way to an ideal sta te .” 12
T h e dialogue w hich appears to be o f special significance in this scene n o t only stresses the equality betw een the tw o wom en b u t also includes
8 Clayton, op. tit., p. 224.
10 See D ou glas Gray, Themes and Im ages in the M edieval English Religious L yrics (London and Boston: R outledge and K egan Paul, 1972), p. 82.
11 T he hum ility o f the A nnunciation scene is echoed in The Purification scene, where M ary, despite her imm aculate conception and virginity post partum , decides to undergo purification in the temple.
12 Jonath an N au m an, “T he R ole o f Blessed Virgin M ary in the Y ork C ycle,” in:
the audience in the events presented. Relatively lively exchanges, ra th e r th an didactic m onologues, such as, for exam ple, in The Chester Cycle, let the audience get to know m o re ab o u t the characters and u n d ersta n d their m o tiv a tio n . T herefore, they seem m ore accessible, u n d ersta n d ab le an d, hence, m ore interesting. It becom es easier for fem ale viewers to identify with M ary - “ a w om an in the w orld being religious” 13 - w ho earn s her high position th ro u g h her piety and devotion. M ary can be seen as m ore real and palpable, m o re o f an ordin ary w om an w ho deeply experiences the love o f G o d and devotes her life to his service, and less o f a saint.
Yet an o th e r device the playw right em ploys to dim inish the d istance betw een M ary “ f)e m o d y r o f m y lord ky n g ” (100, 1. 211) - as E lizabeth calls her in the play - and ordin ary viewers, w om en in p artic u la r, w hose everyday experience m ay differ from M a ry ’s idealized exam ple, is fe a r.14 T his elem ent, tak en directly from the biblical text - th e angel’s w ords ne
timeas, M aria, indicating M a d o n n a ’s em otionality, is introd uced to bring
the Virgin closer to the audience. W hen G abriel ap p ears to the Virgin, she w ithdraw s in fear:
Maria. W hat maner o f haJsyng is Jais? f)us preuely com es to me,
For in myn herte a thoght it is, (je tokenyng |mt I here sec.
(98, 11. 149-152)
H er w ords are a sign o f anxiety and becom e an expression o f her h u m an feelings. D espite her exceptional qualities, perfection and integrity, she can, like the audience, experience fear. G a b riel’s sooth in g can calm h er dow n:
Ang. N e drede fie noght, f>ou mylde marie, For no-thyng f a t may be-falle,
For t>ou has fun soueranly A t god a grace ouer othir all.
(98, 11. 153-157)
It m ay have been easier for the audience to com preh end the n a tu re of the Virgin w hose relationship w ith G o d seemed to be m o re personal, and the m ean ing o f the m iracle m ay have becom e m ore accessible. It has to be em phasized, how ever, th a t the fear M ary experiences is the “ positive
13 M ary C. Erler, “ English Vowed W omen at the End o f the M iddle A ges, in. M edieval
Studies 57 (1995): 155-203, 181.
14 Som e authors claim that m ariology became “a tool o f ecclesiastical triumphalism meant primarily for celibate males (Rosem ary Radford Ruether, Sexism and G od-'lalk. Toward
a Feminist Theology, Boston: Beacon Press, 1983, p. 144). In order to bring the Virgin M ary
closer to secular audiences, especially wom en, new elements such as fear m ay have been introduced by medieval playwrights.
fe a r” felt in the presence o f G o d ’s m essenger and n o t th e “ negative fe a r” felt by sinners and connected w ith the absence o f G o d .15
T h e visual effect o f the angel’s ap pearance in the scene m ay have been achieved a n d /o r enhanced by the costum e w orn by the an g el.16 T h ere are very little d a ta telling us how the angel actually apeared on the stage, w h at was the design o f his costum e o r the size o f his wings. H ow ever, these ex traliterary elem ents m u st have constituted an im p o rta n t fa c to r in the staging o f the play and had an im pact o n the aud ien ce’s reactions. T he m o re the audience could identify w ith M a ry ’s fear, the m o re plausible the situ a tio n seemed to them and the m ore hu m an and u n d ersta n d ab le M ary appeared.
T h e d ra m a tic p otential o f M a ry ’s fear was extensively used by m edieval a rtis ts .17 M edieval iconography frequently presents M ary d u rin g the a n n u n ciation as she steps backw ards as if frightened by the sudden ap p e ara n ce o f the angel. G a b rie l’s hand is stretched o u t in a greeting gesture. T h e V irgin was also frequently depicted w ith a d istaff in her h an d to stress the co n tra st between the m etaphysical appearance o f G abriel and th e ordinariness o f her everyday life in the m idst o f which th e angel a p p e a re d .1“
2
T h e uniquness and exceptional im portance o f th e situ atio n an d the significance o f the act o f the an n u n c ia tio n is stressed by the use o f m usic and singing, interw oven in the events, and co n stitu tin g a fram ew o rk fo r the scene. F irst the angel sings while greeting M ary and th e n to calm her do w n w hen she seems to be afraid. The M agnificat, which closes th e scene, is sung after the an n u n ciatio n and the visitation are co m p leted .19
15 See: Francis Beer, K obiety i doświadczenie m istyczne iv Średniowieczu, A . Branny, trans. (Kraków: W ydaw nictw o Znak, 1996).
16 J. Wesley Harris in his book M edieval Theatre in C ontext notices that great expenses were m ade on costum es and craftsmen frequently went to great effort to prepare splendid and surprising costum es. John W esley Harris, M edieval Theatre in C ontext (L ond on and New York: R outledge, 1992).
Chapter 6 o f M ary C layton’s The Cult o f the Virgin M ary offers an analysis o f the presentation o f the scene o f the annunciation in iconography.
18 F or a discussion o f som e o f the iconographic aspects o f the annunciation scene see T heresa C o lettis’s article “D ev o tio n a l Iconography in the N -T ow n M arian P lays,” in: D avid son et al., op. cit. A n exhaustive, though controversial, discussion o f the traditional im agery associated with the annunciation is also provided by Ernst Jones in his study “The M ad on n a’s conception through the ear,” in: E ssays in A pplied Psychoanalysis (London: H ogarth Press, 1952), pp. 266-375.
19 The problem o f m usic in cycle dram a is discussed in Joanna D u tk a ’s M usic in the
English M y ste ry P lays, E D A M , R eference Ser. 2 (K alam azoo: M ed ieval Institute Pub
Im ages o f flow ers and light are frequently used to describe M ary in b o th this and o th e r scenes. C om p ariso n s o f M ary to a lily w hich stem from The Song o f Songs are em ployed th ro u g h o u t th e scene:
F.ro quasi ros et virgo Israeli germinahil sicut lilium.
(je maiden o f Israeli al newe . . . A ls f e lelly foure full faire o f hewe.
(96, U. 89-92)
T h e im age o f p u rity associated w ith the lily, the sym bol o f innocence, which D ouglas G ra y calls “ lily o f virginity,” 20 is reinforced in th e follow ing p a rt o f the prologue:
fis lady is to lilly lyke,
fa t is by-cause o f hir clene liffe. (96, 11. 97-98)
A dditionally, the im m aculate conception and b irth o f Jesus are expressed by a floral m e ta p h o r w hich calls upo n the tra d itio n o f the ro d o f Jesse:
Vpponne f a t wande sail springe a floure, W her-on f e haly gast sail be,
T o governe it w ith grete honnoure. (96, 11. 78-80)
It echoes im ages em ployed in som e m edieval religious lyrics in which M ary was frequently com p ared to a flower. F o r instance, a poem from the C o rp u s C hristi College M an u sc rip t calls her “ M o d e r m ilde, flu r o f alle” 21 and a poem from the m an u scrip t from T rin ity College says that:
Ther is no rose o f swych vertu A s is the rose that bare Jesu.22
M oreo ver, the im age o f lig h t23 is em ployed by th e angel w hen he describes the V irgin and her son:
A ng. The H alygast in f e sail lighte, H egh vertue sail to f e holde, The holy birthe o f the so bright,
(99, 11. 177-179)
20 G ray, op. cit., p. 89.
21 C. Brown, ed., English L yrics o f the XHIth Century (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1932), p. 118. 22 D ou glas G ray, A Selection o f Religious L yrics, M edieval and Tudor Series (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1975).
23 Light imagery is even more pronounced in the scene in the N - 1 ow n Cycle, where the H oly G h ost descends to the Virgin as three beams o f light: “Here the H oly G o st discendit with iij bemys to our Lady.” S. Spector, ed., The N -Town P lay, EETS (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), p. 122.
As has been show n, the playw right in The Annunciation Play m akes an a tte m p t to p o rtra y the Blessed Virgin M ary as a holy person, m o th e r o f Jesus C h rist, T heotokos, devoted to G o d and ready to respectfully fulfil his orders. T h e im age o f a saint, how ever, is balanced by a less h ieratic and p o m p o u s p resen tatio n . M ary also ap p ears as a w om an in terru p ted in her activities by the angel’s arrival. She seems to be one o f the audience w ho, th ro u g h h er devotion, love and piety, has earned G o d ’s grace. Being h um an and achieving great h o n o u rs from G od, the Virgin is set as an exam ple w hich should be followed in everyday life.
Departm ent o f English Literature and Culture U niversity o f Ł ódź
Joanna K azik
N A JŚ W IĘ T SZ A M ARIA P A N N A
W SC E N IE Z W IA ST O W A N IA W TH E Y O R K C Y C L E
Tem atem artykułu jest prezentacja postaci Najświętszej Marii Panny w scenie Zwiastow ania i spotkania z Elżbietą w średniowiecznym angielskim dramacie misteryjnym The York Cycle. T o właśnie w tej scenie, The Annuncialion, and VLiit o f Elizabeth to M ary, M adonn a jest ukazana p o raz pierwszy i pod obnie jak w scenie wniebowstąpienia (The Assumption) stanowi centralną postać, w ok ół której koncentruje się i rozgrywa akcja. Scena oparta jest na biblijnym przekazie pochodzącym z Ewangelii Św. Łukasza. Średniowieczny dramaturg przedstawia M arię z jednej strony jak o wyidealizow any wzór m iłości i pok ory, d o osiągnięcia którego należy dążyć w życiu codziennym , z drugiej zaś stara się przybliżyć jej postać widzom , nadając uczuciom M arii wymiar ludzki oraz ukazując jej strach i niepokój. P ob ożn ość i skrom ność M adonny, dzięki którym Zbawiciel m oże przyjść na świat, przeciw stawione są próżności Ewy, która stała się przyczyną wygnania z raju. Artykuł zwraca również uwagę na funkcję dialogu w scenie Zwiastow ania.
