Morality Play is a semi-historical detective novel by Barry Unsworth. The book, published in 1995 by Hamish Hamilton was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The book is set in medieval England sometime near the end of the 14th century, and the events described in the book take place in an unnamed village in Northern England (north of the Humber). A priest fleeing from his diocese joins a group of travelling players. The players are travelling toward their liege lord's castle, where they are expected to play at Christmas, but, short of money, they decide to stage their plays at a village en route.
Adaptations (1)
Morality Play was adapted into a 2003 film.
The Reckoning2003 · film · 112 min · dir. Paul McGuigan · IMDb ↗In 14th Century England, this tale of murder and mystery follows a fugitive priest who falls in with a troupe of actors. As they arrive in a small town, the actors encounter a woman being sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft and murder. Discarding the expected bible stories, the actors now stage a performance based on the crime. Through the performance of the play, they discover a mystery.
