Who wrote Morality Plays?
Currently this is unknown and the authors remain anonymous – this is despite theories attempting to unmask the playwrights. ‘Mankind’ is one example of this. The places named in ‘Mankind’ are mostly villages near Cambridge and King’s Lynn. These 2 towns/cities are located in the United Kingdom within East Anglia and are some 40 miles apart – these are signs suggested that the author had some local knowledge. The author of ‘Mankind’ also knew Latin well and also has some knowledge of the law as well as having a grasp of theology. The author, like many medieval writers, was critical of the church and was interested in the broad issues of sin and forgiveness. Despite the issues highlighted by the play, Mankind receives forgiveness easily compared with the usual route of contrition, confession, absolution and satisfaction. It has been suggested because of the author’s interest in Latin and joy of word play it has been suggested that they would have been connected to Cambridge academia. The
