Second Shepherd's and Noah Plays

Noah
1. Read Genesis 6-9. How does the play differ from the biblical story? List at least 3 ways and why the playwright might have added or subtracted the biblical material.
2. What is the nature of "kindness" in the Noah play?
3. Who is responsible for the fight on stage in the play?
4. Describe Noah's wife as she appears in the play. How does the description shed light on remarks made in the Miller's Tale?
5. In medieval times (and Renaissance times) women's roles were played by men. How does this seem to affect what happens in the play?

Second Shepherd's Play
6. What is the general tone of the Second Shepherd's Play at its beginning? What examples support your reading?
7. When and how does the tone change?
8. Some of the actors in the play may have taken two roles. What roles would have been able to be duplicated and how might that affect the audience's response to the second half of the play?
9. How just does Mak's punishment seem? Explain your answer.
10. How appropriate are the gifts that the shepherds bring the Christ Child? Explain your answer.