Liturgical Dramas were presented and used as effective teaching tools during the medieval period, as they were easy for everyone to comprehend. Broad performances of meaningful characteristics, portraying past religious time periods typically took place in the church; a sacristy (Rosenwein 436). In the sacristy, didactic plays took place in replace of ecclesiastical language and books (Madigan 301). Many people during the medieval period went to church to learn about Christianity, but often times no one knew what was actually going on. Illiteracy was common, and no one knew Latin. These dramas and musical performances were extremely effective teaching tools because they provided images for the viewer, leaving a greater impact and mental map, as well as catchy song lyrics and other visible cues (Madigan 302). It gave the viewer a greater understanding of the story behind what they were told to believe and it allowed them to actually see it and hear about it themselves, rather than just being told about it with little to no background information.

This story specifically reinforced the Christian views behind the specific characters by giving the viewer distinct images to look at, as well as dialogue that was meaningful and realistic. Visual cues such as the oak Virgin and Child also helped reinforce the message of the Virgin Mary and how God sent his angles to prepare her for her son Jesus Christ. This story would have been very strange and difficult to understand if the teachers had not thoroughly demonstrated the event and used effective dialogue. Rubrics also played a large role in the congregation understand the meaning of Virgin Mary and Child, and the reasoning behind the importance of Jesus (Madigan 302). This play also used a small number of characters, which also allowed the viewer to easily understand the plot and setting (Rosenwein 436).

Similarly to Virgin Mary and Child, this performance is also an effective way to teach those who cannot read, nor understand the preaching’s of Priests and the Latin language. The Play of Adam helped paint the picture for ordinary people about the “Figure of God” (Shinners 73). The vernacular writings allowed people of little to no education to grasp the story of Adam and Eve and how the world became by “God as Creator” (Shinners 73).

This story reenacts the sin of two people, two creations of God, as they eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. Rather than just being told not to sin, ordinary people could now see why that should not sin and understand that they themselves are creations of God just like Adam and Eve were. The elaborate stage effects made the story real and through the characters of Adam and Eve they could see the suffering they endured as a consequence of sinning and that God does play a role in human salvation.

The meaning of marriage in the early middle ages had to do with secular and social senses as alliances between two families, but later on marriage was a theology of consent. Comparing this view of sexes and marriage to Adam and Eve is interesting as some could view their existence as forced and secular. God created two human beings and their purpose of existence was to reproduce. It as almost if God set them up, arranged their “marriage”, and maintained “social and political rights” (Madigan 317).

Others may look at Adam and Eve’s relationship and sexes as a theology of consent. They were given the opportunity to make their own choices on earth, one being the choice to sin. Marriage was the first of religious orders by God and consent helped make women equal of men (Madigan 317).