"Maculating Mary: The Detractors of the N-Twon Cycle's 'Trial of Joseph and Mary'"

Maculating Mary: The Detractors of the N-Town Cycle’s “Trial of Joseph and Mary”

by Alison M. Hunt

In her article “Maculating Mary: The Detractors of the N-Town Cycle’s “Trial of Joseph and Mary,” Alison M. Hunt examines the role of the detractors in the trial play in light of two other common medieval slander locations: the romance and the Lollard critique of the church.

 

In a romance, she says, a slanderer functions to show how enviable the hero is, to send the hero into exile, and to provide the hero a chance to redeem his reputation. Hunt notes that the ecclesiastical court system relied upon public rumor to bring people to court, but also that it demanded that the accusers be people of good character. The court system then functioned as the ally of the accused, offering the person an opportunity to redeem his or her good name.

 

Hunt also examines the case of Lollard dissent, especially pointing out the threat it posed in the eyes of the church to social unity. In the N-Town trial play, accusation of Mary can stand in for any skepticism of church teachings, for the body of Mary represents the church. At the end, when Mary restores the community of the audience, she represents how the church restores community.

 

I plan to use Hunt’s claims about the importance of public opinion, not only for an individual’s place in society (thus making public opinion a strong coercive force) but as a standard by which to assess the value or danger of a dissenting belief. If a belief stands or falls on the basis of how it will impact social unity, then the standard for correct belief is not just the Bible or even church tradition, but the community’s consent.