The York Crucifixion: Industry and the Every Man

By magnifying the importance of speech and minimizing duration of time and action, The York Crucifixion demonstrates that unlike the Greek tragedies that also shared a familiar plot of epic proportions, the Medieval theater presents the importance of the “every man” as a legitimate character, thereby leading to a greater sense of audience identification with said characters and thus, realism. This realism lends credence to the illusion of the theater in a way that previous plays had only been able to achieve through elaborate scenery and overwhelming passion. The author, then, condemns not only the soldiers for mocking Christ and for causing him physical violence, but also the audience whose views and mannerisms of speech are reflected by these characters. By embellishing the characters of the soldiers with particular intricacies, then, the author portrays the inclusion of “all men that walk by way or street” without overt accusation (253).

To this point, although the soldiers seem to be identical except for their numerical indicators, each displays a subtle difference intrinsic enough and yet perceivable enough to be seen as human. For instance, out of the four 3 Soldier in particular seems the most determined and steadfastly anti-authoritarian of his group, and yet also the most industrious. In this way he helps portray the works-minded individualist in the crowd, a person clearly the opposite of the play’s proposed method as 1. it follows that this man’s deeds are more important than faith, displacing the crucifixion central to the play which enacts the forgiveness of sins and 2. rejects the authority due Jesus as the son of a deity. In contrast, Jesus appears that much more submissive to his fate (and therefore God’s will) and faith, emphasizing these desired Christian virtues.   

Within the play there are four distinct lines that demonstrate 3 Soldier’s specific characteristics. In the case of his industrious nature, we find that he is not only the first to fetch tools for the work rather than continuing to discuss what must be done, but also has thoroughly “gone for...hammers and nails large and long” (30). Similarly, he again indicates his orientation towards tasks by claiming that “the left hand then is [his]” and inciting competition by “let[ting] see who bears him best” (83-84). In both cases the source of importance is within a completion of work rather than a conversation or plan. The rejection of the authority becomes clear via a reaction to 1 Soldier who 3 Soldier claims “commandest lightly as a lord,” followed by an angry interjection to help rather than abandon his job (115-116). Lastly, of the four 3 Soldier is the most determined to carry the cross without aid of reinforcements and is in fact the last to complain about the weight of cross (169-172, 193-194). Naturally, we may take this as a symbol; while the most determined members of the audience may consider that their strength and industry will help them “carry the weight of the cross,” it remains still impossible.