Medieval Play: ‘The Martyrdom of the Three Holy Virgins’, by Hrosvitha of Gandersheim

A play performed in a mix of Latin and a new English translation.
Directed by Professor David Wiles.
Sponsored by the Ancient World Research Cluster.
Attendance is free, no booking required.

Hrosvitha was an aristocratic tenth-century Canoness, and her six plays are a bridge between the classical and medieval worlds. She had a ribald sense of humour and a strong feminist agenda. Our play depicts the martyrdom of three early Christians whose Greek names mean Love, Purity and Peace. Latin was a language that Hrosvitha used in daily life, and we have been on a journey of discovery into her unique style that falls midway between poetry and prose. We have used modern dress in order to suggest that the impulses driving early martyrs have not vanished in the modern world. For the research behind this production, see David Wiles ‘Hrosvitha Gandersheim: the performance of her plays in the tenth century,’ Theatre History Studies 19 (1999) 133–150. The performers are a mixed group of students and members of the Iffley community.