A Mystery Play in Honour of the Nativity of our Lord (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Christmas DramaBy Robert Hugh Benson
Length2h 24m
About this audiobook
A Mystery Play in Honour of the Nativity of our Lord is Benson's reverent reimagining of medieval religious drama for modern devotion. Centered on the Incarnation, it draws upon the simplicity, ceremonial rhythm, and symbolic directness of the English mystery-play tradition, presenting sacred history not as ornamented spectacle but as liturgical meditation. Its diction is elevated yet accessible, shaped by chant-like movement, devotional clarity, and a conscious recovery of pre-Reformation dramatic forms. Robert Hugh Benson, son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, was formed within the highest reaches of Anglican culture before his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1903 and ordination as a Catholic priest. His writings often reflect this passage from ecclesiastical inheritance to sacramental conviction. In this Nativity play, his antiquarian interest, theological seriousness, and pastoral imagination converge, revealing an author eager to restore drama to its older vocation: the enactment of divine mystery before a believing community. This work is recommended to readers interested in Christian literature, liturgical drama, and the modern revival of medieval forms. It will especially reward those who value devotional art that unites poetic restraint with theological depth, offering the Nativity as both historical event and living mystery.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length2 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 20, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
11Scene IV
2Introduction
12Scene V
3Synopsis
13Appendices
4Historical Context
14I. The Scenery
5Preface
15II. The Properties
Show all chaptersShow less
6Dramatis Personæ
16III. The Costumes
7Prologue
17IV. The Method of Acting
8Scene I
18Analysis
9Scene II
19Reflection
10Scene III
20Memorable Quotes
More from Robert Hugh Benson
The NecromancersRobert Hugh Benson7h 55m$1 · $0.00
By What Authority?Robert Hugh Benson16h 45m$1 · $0.00
The CowardRobert Hugh Benson11h 54m$1 · $0.00
The Dawn of AllRobert Hugh Benson10h 44m$2 · $0.00
The Dawn of AllRobert Hugh Benson10h 57m$2 · $0.00
Lord of the World (Annotated)Robert Hugh Benson12h 24m$2 · $0.00
Masters of the Undead – 3 Classic Necromancy NovelsRobert Hugh Benson, Guy Boothby, H. P. Lovecraft22h 58m$2
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë204h 15m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family (Anne, Charlotte, Emily, Branwell and Patrick Brontë) (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 39m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5 (2)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare89h 26m$3.50 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft50h 45m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Books of F. Scott Fitzgerald (all his 5 novels + all 4 short story collections published during his lifetime)F. Scott Fitzgerald87h 43m$1 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Charlotte Brontë (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë80h 42m$2 · $0.00
You may also like
TanakhVarious Authors231h 33m$1 · $0.00
Poems of AdorationMichael Field1h 19m$2 · $0.00
Bible Stories and Religious ClassicsPhilip P. Wells13h 35m$2 · $0.00
TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY - Christmas Carols & PoemsHenry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, James Montgomery, Sir Walter Scott, Clement Clarke Moore, William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, John Milton, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Hardy, Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Kingsley, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, C. W. Stubbs, William Topaz McGonagall, Eugene Field, Carolyn Wells, Phillips Brooks, William Drummond, James Russell Lowell, Alfred Domett, Reginald Heber, Dinah Maria Mulock, Margaret Deland, Nora A. Smith, Isaac Watts, Robert Herrick, Edmund Hamilton Sears, Ben Jonson, Edmund Bolton, Robert Southwell, C.S. Stone, Frances Ridley Havergal, William Morris, William Shakespeare, Charles Mackay, Harriet F. Blodgett, Eliza Cook, George Wither, Martin Luther, Christian Burke, Andrew Lang, Emily Huntington Miller, Cyril Winterbotham, Robert Browning5h 12m$2 · $0.00
A Short History of ChristianityJ. M. Robertson15h 5m$1 · $0.00
Legends of the Patriarchs and ProphetsS. Baring-Gould16h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Illuminated Messiah BibleBroadStreet Publishing Group LLC96h 9m$10 · $0.00
The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the BurmesePaul Ambroise Bigandet25h 42m$2 · $0.00
Star Over Bethlehem and Other StoriesAgatha Christie2h 55m$18 · $0.00
An Advent Carols CountdownMichael D. Young1h 34m$15
LeviticusChristopher Glyn2h 23m$4 · $0.00
The Story Of The First ChristmasChristopher Glyn58m$4 · $0.00
Holy Bible: King James Version (Annotated)Various Authors83h 34m$2 · $0.00
Hymns from the MorninglandAnonymous2h 9m$2 · $0.00
Biblical LiteracyTimothy Beal12h 12m$29 · $0.00
Seraphita - The AlkahestHonoré de Balzac5h 39m$2.30
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of NumbersRobert A. Watson10h 17m$2 · $0.00
A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of ChristA. T. Robertson, John Albert Broadus13h 48m$1.50 · $0.00
Jesus' ResurrectionJohn Warwick Montgomery1h 52m$3 · $0.00
The New TestamentNina Reymann, Luna Luna2h 59m$12 · $0.00