Nürnberger Fastnachtspiele und städtische Ordnung

To what extent were the Shrovetide pieces performed in the mid-15th century influenced by issues of urban order? In this study, Beatrice von Lüpke interprets the pre-Reformation Nuremberg Shrovetide plays by using historical sources and tapping into academic historical research results. Subsequently, many of the plays' texts are revealed in a new light. Moreover, the myriad allusions to urban orders and conflicts that come to light indicate that participation in the discourse on these things characterized this early theatrical tradition significantly. Through their own particular poetic means, the Shrovetide plays grappled with justice, religion, politics, economics and status as well as martial and gender roles. What was required of pre-modern urban theatre is revealed through these examples.