The Fall of Man

The Fall of Man was put on by the Coopers. The coopers were, "makers of casks and buckets" (Cawley, p17) and they were the ones who were assigned to this specific play. The rhyme scheme of this play is ababcbcdcdc with a dominate iambic rhythm.

Story of the fall of man is one many already known; even some who are not religious know of the story of how Adam and Eve got banished from Eden and sent to the world. "Adam's name comes from the Hebrew meaning “man” and perhaps from the Hebrew adamah, meaning “earth.” Adam named his partner Eve (Havvah), the “Mother of All Living Beings.” The name suggests a connection to the old Middle Eastern mother goddesses, who, like mother goddesses in much of the world, were often associated with trees and snakes. As is evident from the Genesis story, Eve had a close speaking relationship with the serpent (3:1–6)" (ORO, Adam and Eve).

The story of the fall of man is that the devil disguises himself as a serpent to tempt Eve to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge. Eve ends up eating the apple and then convinces Adam to do the same. They realize the greatness of their mistake and are overcome with guilt. They tell God of what they have done and so God banishes them from Eden. They now must live on Earth for be disobedient (ORO, Adam and Eve). 

Sources Used:

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

"Adam and Eve"  The Oxford Companion to World mythology. David Leeming. Oxford University Press, 2004. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  8 December 2010  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t208.e12>