The Castle of Perseverance

The series devoted to making Middle English texts available and affordable to modern students here presents one of the five scripts for morality plays that survive from the late 14th to the early 16th centuries. All the plays deal allegorically with the life of man and his struggle against sin, within a sequence of temptation, fall, and redemption. The most comprehensive of the group, The Castle of Perseverance describes the whole ontology of man, from his birth to his death and judgment before God, using the usual cast of characters representing humanity and the impinging good and evil influences. It was probably first written in the first quarter of the 15th century; the surviving manuscript was copied about 1440. As with other volumes in the series, the text is supported by an introduction, marginal glosses, explanatory and textual endnotes, a bibliography, and a unified glossary. Medieval Institute Publications is at Western Michigan University. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)