The Satire of the Three Estates

by David Lyndsay, Robert Kemp (Introduction)

The Satire of the Three Estates is a compound of a morality play and political satire. The firt half concerns the redemption of King Humanity from Sensualitie and the Vices which come in her train by the sombre but majestic Devine Correction; in the second half the blemishes of the body politic and particularly eclesiastic are exposed and John the Commonweal, a representative figure of the people, is elevated to a place in the government of the kingdom.

Genres: Drama, History, Plays

74 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1552

About the author

Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount, (also spelled Lindsay) (c.1490 – c.1555) was a Scottish officer of arms, poet (Makar) and dramatist, whose works reflect the spirit of the Renaissance.

He attended the University of St. Andrews and was subsequently engaged as a courtier in the Royal Household; first as an equerry, then as an usher (assistant to a head-tutor) to the future King James V of Scotland. His first heraldic appointment was as Snowdon Herald and in 1529 he was appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms, and knighted. After the death of James V, in 1542, he continued to sit in Parliament of Scotland as commissioner for Cupar, Fife; and in 1548 he was member of a mission to Denmark which obtained privileges for Scottish merchants.

Lyndsay's Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis is of great historical interest, being the only extant example of a complete Scottish morality play.

Reviews

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

not 100 percent in english (heavy early modern scots) and i think that probably colored my appreciation of it -- both making it zanier/cooler and also sandblasting away the boring parts that i skipped because i wasn't sure what was happening. this is a satire, like it says, about king/church/nobles and what just government under the eyes of god might look like. but it's also filthy and frank and legitimately hilarious, in the vein of aristophanes. clearly has one ear to erasmus, another to the blank archetypes of morality plays, but has its very own plumb line of kidding-but-not really. it's basically a (very long) (very good) "mr show" skit from mid 16th century scotland. probably not for everyone to read but it's worth dipping into just to realize that the past contains hilarious weirdos and broken-glass satirical Truth.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot more from the introduction to this volume than I would have understood by reading the play directly. I’ll be honest, I struggled with this one. I can appreciate that it is a classic…as such it should be read. Read the introduction first though.

See my other reviews here!

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

The play is a fine late medieval/early Renaissance allegory, doing (I'm sure) a number of fascinating things (as the intro assures me). However, it is written in 16th century Scots, which is very difficult for me as a reader of contemporary English to fully come to grips with. There is depth and complexity, but the language makes it hard to really appreciate it.

[annika]

GIVE ME BACK MY GROAT OR I WILL THRASH YOU