The Seven Deadly Sins
"The Seven Deadly Sins," from The Castle of Peserverance, is the second in a collection of Medieval morality plays which dramatize the role that the seven sins play in subservience to Belial (the Devil) who wishes to destroy Mankind against the seven virtues under direction of Christ who wishes to save him. It was written in the early fifteenth century and performed throughout villages in East Anglia.
In the first play in The Castle of Perseverance, Mankind is led astray by temptation, but brought back by Penitence and Confession to the Castle of Perseverance, where he can remain pure through any attempt by the Devil to lure him to sin. In "The Seven Deadly Sins," the sins, led by Covetousness, draw Mankind out of the Castle by promising that he will retain his worldly possessions after death. Mankind happily acquiesces to the sins as they extol their "virtues" in protecting his selfish interests. The Good Angel worries over the fate of Mankind, bewailing that there is nothing he can do to lead Mankind back to righteousness, and the Bad Angel explains that Mankind doesn't want what God has to offer--that Mankind would prefer pleasure over salvation. The Good Angel asks for Confession's intervention to save Mankind at the end of the play. In the third piece, Mankind is sent to hell after ignoring the pleas of the Good Angel. His Soul can only reach Heaven through the work of Mercy.
"The Seven Deadly Sins" shows subtly that one sin easily leads Mankind to another, so that he becomes ignorant to his falling state. The basic struggle that Mankind wrestles with is his love for self and his responsibility to Christ.
The above image is a representation of the seven deadly sins painted by Hieronymus Bosch in 1485. The entire work can be found here.
posted by Ashley @ 11:07 AM
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