Morality Play Summary
Barry Unsworth

Morality Play Summary

Morality Play is set in fourteenth-century England. It tells the story of a renegade priest, who serves as the narrator, and a company of travelling actors. The priest, Nicolas Barber, happens upon the travelling players, who have stopped at a clearing in the countryside to care for Brendan, a dying friend and fellow actor. Nicolas joins the acting company, taking over Brendan's role, even though he fears that play-acting is considered a sin by the diocese. The players travel with the dead man in their cart for some time but eventually realize that they must stop somewhere to bury him.

The need to bury Brendan brings the players to a mysterious unnamed town that is caught up in a local murder scandal. When the players arrive, they discover that a young boy has been murdered and that a woman has been tried and condemned with the crime. Martin Bell, the... View more of the Morality Play Summary