The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion was put on by the Pinners and Painters. "The Pinners, or pinmakers, who joined with the painters in producing this pageant, presumably made a grimly competent job of handling the 'hammers and nails large and long' used by the executioners" (Cawley, p143). The play was written with a rhyme scheme of ababababcdcd.

The Crucifixion is about the biblical story about how Jesus was crucified and saved people of their sins. The play mainly has the people who put him up on the cross talking with some longer speeches by Jesus. In the play they actually put Jesus up on a cross.

  " ²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

   ²⁸And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

   ²⁹And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

   ³⁰And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

   ³¹And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

   ³²And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

   ³³And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
   ³⁴They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
   ³⁵And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
   ³⁶And sitting down they watched him there;
   ³⁷And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Bible, Matthew 27).

Putting in this verse from the bible will hopefully help the actors read part of the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus. There is a link to an online resource where they can read the rest of the story. This will hopefully give some perspective and meaning to the script which is written in verse. Also the script is shorter, so this will be the full story plus they can find the events which led up to the part shown in the script.

Sources Used:

Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays; A.C. Crawley; Guernsey Press Co.; London; 1990

The Bible: Matthew 27; http://bibleresources.bible.com/passagesearchresults.php?passage1=Matthew+27&version1=9 ; bibleresources.org ; 2010