The Second Shepherds Play goes against many of the features that Horace believes should be in a drama. The drama does non remain in the boundaries of genres by blending comedy with earnestness. It is non consistent; it is non without surprises. Finally, the writer did non wholly believe in Dulce Et Utile or does he carefully weigh the judgement of his work. This drama combines a small spot of comedy with utmost earnestness.
The drama begins with three shepherds guarding their sheep when a character named Mak joins them. Mak steals a sheep while the shepherds are kiping and take it place to his married woman. When the shepherds arrive at Mak’s house to see if he has stolen the sheep they are fooled into believing that the sheep is a new born babe that Mak’s married woman has merely delivered. Even with a close up position of the sheep/baby, the shepherds believe it is merely an ugly babe with a large neb.
The penalty that the shepherds inflict on Mak when they eventually realize the babe is a sheep is rather comical besides. Stealing is a serious offense and it has been for rather some clip. The shepherd merely place Mak inside a cover and flip him up and down a few times. When the shepherds are finished bring downing their penalty on Mak they return to guard their sheep. At this point in the drama the secret plan takes a complete bend from comedy to seriousness. Other than the three shepherds still being characters in the drama, the whole secret plan alterations.
The three shepherds receive word that babe Jesus is born in Bethlehem. The drama goes from one extreme to the other surprisingly fast; it is about two separate dramas. Dulce Et Utile is a Latin word that means to give ple asure and net income. When a author has the gift of narrative stating they should portion it by composing and printing their narratives or dramas. Person with a true gift of being able to compose will give pleasance to those who read it. When a narrative or drama is published and bought by those who read it, the writer makes a net income from it.
The writer of The Second Shepherds Play is unknown. During the twenty-four hours and age when this drama was written it was non the proper profession to hold being a author. If one was lucky plenty to hold the endowment of being a author they did it without subscribing their name to it. Not merely did this non uncover the writer, but besides it prevented the writer from having any existent net income from his plant. This is really unlike the Hellenic and Roman yearss when the dramatist would hold a choragos for his drama. A choragos is a fiscal angel that would pay the dramatist a wage while he was composing the drama and back up the public presentation of it at the festival. If the dramatist were lucky plenty to win at the festival they would have more net income from their drama.
The writer of this drama did non carefully weigh the judgement of his work. If he had carefully weighed the judgement of his work, he would hold been proud of it and signed his name to it. It is evidently good work or it wouldn’T be published and studied today. Possibly The Second Shepherds Play does travel against the features that Horace feels should be included in dramas, but so possibly it has features of its ain. The writer of class will ne’er see the net income that this drama has generate from being published and performed, but possibly someday, person will happen out who the writer is and give acknowledgment where it is due.
