Purpose of the Play
The play Cain and Abel from the N-Town plays and the (translated) excerpt from Genesis 4 are both of the same story. However, the play Cain and Abel is significantly expanded, as the Genesis 4 excerpt is only twenty-six lines long, ten of which (lines 17-26) are mostly detailing Cain's descendants. I also believe that the N-Town play is greatly dramatized, however, for what purpose I am uncertain.
Religious association is inevitable (since the source material is a story from the Bible), but the N-Town plays were not performed at Corpus Christi. Despite this, I suspect the plays were performed for both entertainment and religious purposes.
These plays were approximately one hundred years before Shakespeare's time, so believing that they did serve as a form of entertainment is something I consider reasonable. I am more interested in, however, the "moral of the story" vibes I get from the play. Cain is given ample opportunity to declare his beliefs and position with regards to the advice Adam gives to him and Abel. Although a bit rash (may be an understatement, as he goes from 0 to 100 real quick when Abel's sacrifice burns brighter), his thoughts, justifications, and situation was probably relatable for the general audience.
Not only does Cain's sacrifice not receive as much approval as Abel's, but this jealousy spirals into more severe, permanent, and irreversible consequences with Abel's murder. I believe the story, to some extent, serves as a warning to the audience to not follow Cain's path in the same way that Adam gives advice to Cain earlier in the play.
Religious association is inevitable (since the source material is a story from the Bible), but the N-Town plays were not performed at Corpus Christi. Despite this, I suspect the plays were performed for both entertainment and religious purposes.
These plays were approximately one hundred years before Shakespeare's time, so believing that they did serve as a form of entertainment is something I consider reasonable. I am more interested in, however, the "moral of the story" vibes I get from the play. Cain is given ample opportunity to declare his beliefs and position with regards to the advice Adam gives to him and Abel. Although a bit rash (may be an understatement, as he goes from 0 to 100 real quick when Abel's sacrifice burns brighter), his thoughts, justifications, and situation was probably relatable for the general audience.
Not only does Cain's sacrifice not receive as much approval as Abel's, but this jealousy spirals into more severe, permanent, and irreversible consequences with Abel's murder. I believe the story, to some extent, serves as a warning to the audience to not follow Cain's path in the same way that Adam gives advice to Cain earlier in the play.
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