The Second Shepherds Play essays

The Second Shepherds Play essays The Second Shepherds Play goes against many of the characteristics that Horace believes should be in a play. The play does not stay in the boundaries of genres by mixing comedy with seriousness. It is not consistent; it is not without surprises. Finally, the author did not completely believe in Dulce Et Utile or does he carefully weigh the judgment of his work. This play combines a little bit of comedy with extreme seriousness. The play begins with three shepherds guarding their sheep when a character named Mak joins them. Mak steals a sheep while the shepherds are sleeping and take it home to his wife. When the shepherds arrive at Mak's house to see if he has stolen the sheep they are fooled into believing that the sheep is a new born baby that Maks wife has just delivered. Even with a close up view of the sheep/baby, the shepherds believe it is just an ugly baby with a big snout. The punishment that the shepherds inflict on Mak when they finally realize the baby is a sheep is quite comical also. Stealing is a serious crime and it has been for quite some time. The shepherd simply place Mak inside a blanket and toss him up and down a few times. When the shepherds are finished inflicting their punishment on Mak they return to guard their sheep. At this point in the play the plot takes a complete turn from comedy to seriousness. Other than the three shepherds still being characters in the play, the whole plot changes. The three shepherds receive word that baby Jesus is born in Bethlehem. The play goes from one extreme to the other surprisingly fast; it is almost two separate plays. Dulce Et Utile is a Latin word that means to give pleasure and profit. When a writer has the gift of story telling they should share it by writing and publishing their stories or plays. Someone with a true gift of being able to write will give pleasure to those who read it. When a story or play is published and bought b ...