| Summary: | The researcher looked at the effects of Roman rituals on the Christian faith. After
thorough research, it appeared that the Roman influences did not get lost with the
introduction of Christianity to the rest of Europe. The researcher went back to old
rituals and superstitions and studied how drama (mime) developed from the ritual.
However, it is clear that devilish swooningâs and demonic representations played a
big role in the ritual. The researcher found that many beliefs were mixed with the
Christian faith and later on were transferred into the Church. The demonic character
played a big role in the representation of what is evil. Stage designers paid a lot of
attention on the details of the demonic character and the hell, they wanted it to look
as realistic as possible.
The study found that the demonic character, Moenen, in the play Mariken van
Nieumeghen, played a very prominent role. The researcher analysed another
Medieval text, called Den Spieghel der salicheit van Elckerlijc, analyzed. What was
very interesting is that both texts have elements that resemble the demonic
characters of the artist Hiëronymus Bosch; as well as his representation of death.
The researcher also drew similarities between the story of Den Spieghel der salicheit
van Elckerlijc and Buddhist.
During these studies, the researcher applied these Medieval elements to a South
African sixties novel, Sewe Dae by die Silbersteins. The researcher studied the role
gender plays in the portrayal of the evil characters found in the novel. Thorough
analysis of the novel shows clear similarities between the portrayal of evil characters
in the text and the representations of the demonic characters of the Middle Ages.
Similarities between Hiëronymus Bosch's depiction of evil and how it was portrayed
in the novel could be drawn.
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