Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature
Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015
Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The…
Full specification wording
Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Medieval Period – English Mystery Plays: A Selection, editor Peter Happé (Penguin Classics, 1975): The Second Shepherds' Play
The Second Shepherds' Play, attributed to the Wakefield Master, is a masterpiece of medieval English drama from the Towneley cycle.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
The Second Shepherds' Play, attributed to the Wakefield Master, is a masterpiece of medieval English drama from the Towneley cycle. It brilliantly juxtaposes secular comedy with sacred mystery. The play opens with three shepherds complaining about oppressive lords, poverty, and bad weather, grounding the biblical narrative in contemporary 15th-century Yorkshire. The central farce involves Mak stealing a sheep and his wife Gill hiding it in a cradle, pretending it is a newborn child. This comic subplot acts as a grotesque parody of the Nativity, which immediately follows when the shepherds are visited by an angel. The transition from the stolen 'lamb' to the Lamb of God (Christ) highlights themes of redemption, charity, and divine grace, blending vernacular humour with profound theological truths.
What earns the marks
- Analyse the Wakefield Master's distinctive nine-line stanza and its effects on comic pacing, emphasis and tonal transition.
- Evaluate the juxtaposition of the comic subplot involving Mak and Gill with the sacred main plot of the Nativity.
- Discuss the socio-economic commentary in the shepherds' opening complaints about feudal oppression and poverty.
- Explore the symbolic parallel between the stolen sheep in the cradle and the infant Christ as the Lamb of God.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the play solely as a comedy.
Put it right: Ensure the comic elements are analysed as a foil to the sacred Nativity message.
Ignoring the historical context.
Put it right: Explicitly connect the shepherds' complaints to 15th-century socio-economic realities rather than modern class struggles.
Overlooking the verse structure.
Put it right: Analyse the Wakefield Master's complex stanzaic form and its effect on rhythm and rhyme.
Exam tips
- Compare the presentation of the shepherds' earthly suffering with the spiritual relief offered by the Nativity.
- Use the term 'typology' when discussing how the false lamb (Mak's stolen sheep) prefigures the true Lamb of God.
- Examine the staging and theatricality of the play, considering how a medieval audience would respond to the blend of farce and piety.
Try the lesson
The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Medieval Period – English Mystery Plays: A Selection, editor Peter Happé (Penguin Classics, 1975): The Second Shepherds' Play lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In the Wakefield Master's 'The Second Shepherds' Play', how do Mak and his wife Gill attempt to hide the stolen sheep from the shepherds?
Listen
The Second Shepherds' Play, attributed to the Wakefield Master, is a masterpiece of medieval English drama from the Towneley cycle. It brilliantly juxtaposes secular comedy with sacred mystery. The play opens with three shepherds complaining about oppressive lords, poverty, and bad weather, grounding the biblical narrative in contemporary 15th-century Yorkshire. The central farce involves Mak stealing a sheep and his wife Gill hiding it in a cradle, pretending it is a newborn child. This comic subplot acts as a grotesque parody of the Nativity, which immediately follows when the shepherds are visited by an angel. The transition from the stolen 'lamb' to the Lamb of God (Christ) highlights themes of redemption, charity, and divine grace, blending vernacular humour with profound theological truths. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the Wakefield Master's distinctive nine-line stanza and its effects on comic pacing, emphasis and tonal transition. Evaluate the juxtaposition of the comic subplot involving Mak and Gill with the sacred main plot of the Nativity. Discuss the socio-economic commentary in the shepherds' opening complaints about feudal oppression and poverty. Explore the symbolic parallel between the stolen sheep in the cradle and the infant Christ as the Lamb of God. A common slip: Treating the play solely as a comedy. Instead, ensure the comic elements are analysed as a foil to the sacred Nativity message. Exam tip: Compare the presentation of the shepherds' earthly suffering with the spiritual relief offered by the Nativity.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Poverty and social injustice
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Deception and truth
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Redemption and divine grace
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
The sacred and the profane
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Poverty and social injustice
- The shepherds' opening complaints about oppressive lords and bad weather, grounding the biblical narrative in contemporary 15th-century Yorkshire.
- Deception and truth
- Mak steals a sheep and his wife Gill hides it in a cradle, pretending it is a newborn child, in a comic subplot that parodies the Nativity.
- Redemption and divine grace
- Themes highlighted by the transition from the stolen 'lamb' to the Lamb of God (Christ), blending vernacular humour with profound theological truths.
- The sacred and the profane
- The play juxtaposes secular comedy with sacred mystery, blending farce and piety.
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