The understanding of the devil in the ‘Macro Moralities’. To what extent do the “Macro Moralities” communicate a different understanding of the devil compared to other contemporary portrayals of the devil on the eve of Reformation?
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2017-06-15
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nl
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With regard to the fifteenth century society, the Macro Plays give an insight in their understanding of the power of the devil, his relationship with Mankind and Mankind’s power to determine his fate, especially since the Macro Plays were didactic works. This comparative study, between the Macro Plays and other contemporary sources from which an understanding of the devil becomes clear, proved to be an enrichment to the historiographical debate about the portrayal of the devil for previous research was merely focused on the Mystery plays and was scarcely put into context. The main purpose of the Macro Plays, to which the devil’s representation is subordinate, is inevitably similar to contemporary sources, namely to teach lessons for the guidance of life. However, this is communicated in a unique, refreshing and entertaining way strongly dependent upon the new portrayal of the devil that reshaped the view of sin, evil and temptation.
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