Miracle plays were a popular form of entertainment throughout the Middle Ages, and part of the poetic and dramatic tradition on which Shakespeare drew. Everyman discovers what you can't take with you when you go. He beseeches in turn friends, family (one pleads 'cramp in my toe'), possessions ('I follow no man in such voyages'), and finally falls back on moral and religious values.
A. C. Cawley Ordine dei libri (cronologico)
The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales contains the most vivid and familiar passages from medieval English literature. Chaucer's pilgrims form a complete cross-section of the society of his day from the Monk and Merchant, the Doctor and Lawyer, through to the outrageous Miller and the corrupt Summoner. This illustrated edition of the Prologue features miniatures taken from the Ellesmere manuscript, and closely adheres to the authentic text of Chaucer. End notes provide all the information necessary for a complete understanding of the work. This unique book with its eye-catching and colourful design, celebrates one of the most significant periods in English history.