Towneley 2nd Play of the Shepherds

The Towneley plays exist in one manuscript whose date is unknown (ca. 1422-1530, most likely between 1485 and 1530).
- The collection was probably brought together over time.
Linguistic and historic evidence shows the plays originated within the West Riding of Yorkshire, some surely within the manor of Wakefield
32 plays in the Towneley manuscript, some possibly connected to guilds
- 5 pageants contain 4 guild names in later marginalia
- 5 of the plays parallel to York plays, 3 others metrically linked to York plays

A skillful blend of comedy and serious subject matter, a pairing of the sacred with the profane
Authorship attributed to the so-called "Wakefield Master"
- an author skilled at making biblical drama relevant to his medieval audience by making elements of daily life take on typological significance (488).
- Common people and things prefigure the events of and participants in the Nativity
  - three shepherds like the three Magi, bringing common gifts to the baby: a bob of cherries, a bird, and a tennis ball
  - sheep-thief Mak and his wife Gyll are a parodic version of Joseph and Mary
  - stolen sheep is a parody of the Savior
  - " The mercy that the shepherds show to Mak by tossing him in a blanket rather than delivering him to be hanged prefigures the mercy that the Christ child will bring to the world" (488).
Incorporates the real-life complaints of everyday people of the period.

Garrett P.J. Epps' article "Towneley: Recycled Plays," which explores the history of his study of the Towneley Plays and his findings with regard to the nature of the Plays and their manuscript.
The Towneley Plays online at the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia
The Towneley Plays Project, some interesting pages created by Professor Murray McGillivray's English 501.04 class at University of Calgary: "Medieval Drama: The Towneley Plays (research practicum)"


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