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Primary Navigation Book Contents Navigation Caedmon’s Hymn The Wife’s Lament The Dream of the Rood Marie de France "Lanval" Ywain and Gawain Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Chaucer’s The Miller’s Prologue and Tale John Gower The York Play of the Crucification The Second Shepherd’s Play William Shakespeare Twelfth Night The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus William Shakespeare The Tempest William Shakespeare Selection of Sonnets Sir Thomas Wyatt Edmund Spenser From Amoretti Sir Philip Sidney Sonnets John Donne Songs and Sonnets John Donne Holy Sonnets Mary Wroth Robert Herrick Richard Lovelace Andrew Marvell John Gay Jonathan Swift Alexander Pope COLL – The leader and oldest of the three shepherds GIB – The second shepherd DAW – The youngest of the shepherds MAK – A thief GILL – Mak’s Wife ANGEL MARY CHILD A Moor: The shepherd’s field Mak and Gill’s Home: A bed, cradle and a door The Crooked Thorn: The side of a road pub Stable: The place where Jesus is born (COLL enters alone) (GIB enters) (Daw enters, not seeing the others) (Tries to turn and run away, but the other two catch him. He recognizes them) (They sing, not very well. Mak enters with a cloak on) (crosses himself and lies down away from them, when the others are asleep he gets up) (takes sheep and exits) (she opens the door, sees the sheep) (someone twists his neck) Ah, Coll, good morning. What is that sad look? Some rascal. I have looked with my dogs through all the thickets Will you hear how they bellow. Our lordship thinks he can croon. Go to another place, I am not breathing well. Every step you take hurts (They begin to search) If you know how she had fared, your hearts would be sore. You do All this work is in vain: we may as well go. Except for a little clothing and who empty plates I don’t see anything. But of all the livestock I have worked with none has smelled as badly as he (approaches the cradle) We?! I’ll remain apart, because I have gotten no apology. Farewell you (The shepherds leave) I will go back quickly, you stay here. (Returns to house) (The others enter) (They toss him around in a canvas and Mak and Gill return home) (Shepherd’s fall asleep, and are woken by angels) (Angels exit) Reproduced with permission from “The Second Shepherd’s Play.” Edited by Caleb Palmer. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. <http://abs.kafkas.edu.tr/upload/225/2ndsheperds_play_1_.pdf> Previous/next navigation Anthology of Medieval Literature Copyright © 2021 by Christian Beck is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.