Part 4 Summary

"The Coventry Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors - The Annunciation" In his introduction to this play, the editor comments that this pageant is one of only two representing the community of Coventry (see "Objects/Places"). He adds that one of the scenes in this pageant (subtitled "The Doubt of Joseph") has no clear Biblical precedent, but is nevertheless included in "all the English cycles." He suggests that its inclusion is a manifestation of the "medieval dramatist's" desire to incorporate "pathos and broad humor" into the more staid religious teachings of the rest of the pageant.

The Pageant - This pageant opens with a prologue spoken by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who here, as he does in the Bible, foretells the Virgin Birth of the Son of God. The first part of the first scene follows the Biblical story of Mary being...