CHARACTERISATION IN THE PASSION-PLA Y 363 



meadows to weave garlands of flowers. Here it is that 

 remorse seizes her. 1 Mary's remorse is generally symbol- 

 ised in the plays by tearing off her fine clothes, jewels, 

 or flowers, and this is always followed by the flight of 

 the devil. In one play she curses her fine clothes, her 

 roses, her white hands, the hair that has led to her 

 perdition, her eyes, her cheeks, her unholy mouth, and 

 even her pointed shoes. 2 In some cases Mary's conver- 

 sion is brought about by seeing Christ, or hearing him 

 teaching ; generally, however, Martha is the immediate 

 cause. Martha's sermons are not at first received 

 cordially, and Mary even suggests that if her sister 

 were not so old and scraggy she would take a different 

 view of life, as the case is, she does well to stick to her 

 spinning-wheel. In one play Mary declares that she 

 will repent later and turn nun(!) like Martha; at the 

 same time she hints that even nuns are no better than 

 they ought to be. 3 The St. Gallen Leben Jesu intro- 

 duces with considerable skill the scene between Christ 

 and the woman taken in adultery ; between Mary's rejec- 

 tion of Martha's advice and her remorse, the spectators 

 are left to draw their own conclusions. 4 The anointing 

 of the Master's feet in Simon's house, although closely 

 following the gospel story, is as a rule fairly spirited ; 

 while the part which the Magdalen plays at the cruci- 

 fixion and resurrection has the special merits which we 

 have already seen (p. 272) are peculiar to the typical 

 Marienklage. 



1 For details see I, p. 107 ; C, pp. 58 et seq. ; F, p. 103. 



2 See J, p. 98 ; E, p. 24 ; I, p. 117 ; C, p. 62. 

 3 See I, pp. 110-112 ; B, vol. i. p. 81. 4 See B, vol. i. pp. 81-83. 



