Entertainment

                            Entertainment was very important to the people who lived in the Middle ages. The poor people enjoyed the entertainers who walk around and juggled. The wealthly people enjoyed the feasts very much. The rich also enjoyed jousting.

Types of Entertainment

-Feasts
-Banquets
-Jousting
-Plays
-Festivals
-Fairs
-Hunting
-Games
-Sports
-Hawking
-Animal Entertainment

Types of Entertainers

-Jugglers
-Mummers
-Jesters
-Strolling Players
-Minstrels
-Troubadours
-Fire Eaters

Plays

                There were three types of plays. Mystery, miracle, and morality. Most plays were religious.

Miracle Plays

                 The miracle plays were about saints and their miracles. Mystery plays and miracle plays are alike because they are staged the same.

Morality Plays

                The rise of towns started along with morality plays. Actors perfomed fellowship, good deeds, and death. Sometimes there were sets. These plays were perfomed in the cathedrals.

Mystery Plays

     Mystery plays were based on the stories from the Bible. Four or five mystery plays were performed per presention. Actors were called clergymen. There was more then one stage. Some stages were in different parts of the town. The audience moved along with the actors. Mystery plays were the most exciting of all the plays.
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Tournaments

            The public contest for skilled knights was called a tournament. Everyone could enter one if they had armor, a shield, a horse, and a sword. Wooden stands were build for nobles. Sometimes tents were put up for the wealthy. There were many activities at tournaments. Kickboxing and other forms of fighting were some activities. Jousting and melees were the favorite activities. They were rough sports. Knights died alot in these tournaments. Horses bolted into the audience and killed people. A short wooden fence seperated the knights on horseback. They held long and sharp lances. The goal of the game is to knock your opponent of their horse. It was a diffcult task. Their saddles had a back peice that went up at least 1 foot. The melee was played by teams. Colored flags were on their backs. The object of the game was to knock off their flag by using a club or blunt sword. The church tried to stop these violent sports, but they never succeeded. The interest in tournaments began to fade when guns came out.
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