Four Mystery Plays. Rudolf Steiner
Scene 9
THE PORTAL OF INITIATION
The general public has never been admitted to the performance of these plays. The English editor has, however, ventured to give some indication of the costumes and scenery, though this can only be sufficient to give a general idea. The following is a summary of the scenes:
A Prelude
Scene 1: A debating room. Theodora’s vision of the coming Christ.
Scene 2: Johannes’ meditation among the mountains: ‘Know thou thyself.’
Scene 3: Meditation chamber. Maria’s separation.
Scene 4: The Spirit of the Elements. The Soul-world.
Scene 5: The subterranean rock temple. The consultation of the hierophants.
Scene 6: Continuation of Scene 4. Felicia: her First Fable. Germanus.
Scene 7: The Spirit-world. Maria and her soul powers. Theodora’s vision of the past incarnation of Maria and Johannes. The scene ends with Benedictus’ great mystic utterance.
An Interlude
Scene 8: The portrait of Capesius by Johannes. Strader’s bewilderment.
Scene 9: Johannes’ second meditation among the mountains three years later than Scene 2. ‘Feel thou thyself.’
Scene 10: As in Scene 3. A trial for Johannes.
Scene 11: The Temple of the Sun. Destiny and debtors.
BEINGS AND PERSONS REPRESENTED
In the Prelude and Interlude:
Sophia.
Estella.
Two Children.
In the Mystery:
Johannes Thomasius.
Maria.
Benedictus.
Theodosius, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Spirit of Love.
Romanus, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Spirit of Action.
Germanus, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of the Earth-brain.
Helena, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as that of Lucifer.
Retardus, active only as a Spirit-influence.
PhiliaFriends of Maria, whose prototypes, as the Mystery proceeds, reveal themselves as spirits of Maria’s soul-powers.AstridLuna
Professor Capesius.
Doctor Strader.
Felix Balde, who reveals himself as representative of the Spirit of Nature.
Felicia Balde, his wife.
The Other Maria, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as the Soul of Love.
Theodora, a Seeress.
Ahriman and Lucifer, conceived as Soul-influences only.
The Spirit of the Elements, conceived as a Spirit-influence.
A Child, whose prototype, as the Mystery proceeds, reveals itself as a young soul.
As is usual in English stage directions, right means right of the stage, and not right of the audience as in the original German. So too the left is left of the stage.
The music at the representation of each play was by Mr. Adolf Arenson.
Notes on the Costumes Worn: The costumes worn are those of every day, except that the female characters, over their dress, wear bright broad stoles of a colour to suit their character.
Benedictus is usually in a black riding suit, top boots, and a black mantle.
Lucifer has golden hair, wears crimson robes, and stands upon the right of Johannes. Lucifer appears as female.
Ahriman, the conventional Satan, wears yellow robes and stands upon the left of Johannes.
In the fifth and eleventh scenes and when in spirit form or acting as hierophant Benedictus wears a long white robe over which is a broad golden stole with mystic emblems in red. He also wears a golden mitre and carries a golden crosier.
On such occasion Theodosius is similarly robed except that the stole, mitre, and crosier are silver and the emblems blue. Similarly the stole, mitre, and crosier of Romanus are bronze and the emblems green. Retardus’ costume is a mixture of the above three.
Germanus wears long brownish robes and is made to appear like a giant with heavy clogs, as if tied to earth. Scene 6.
Philia, Astrid, and Luna in the seventh and eleventh scenes and in the other plays have conventional angel-forms; Astrid is always in the centre of this group; Luna is on her right; Philia on her left.
Theodora wears white and has angel’s wings in the seventh and eleventh scenes.
The Other Maria is dressed like a spirit (except in Scene 1) but one associated with rocks and precious stones.
THE PORTAL OF INITIATION
Prelude
Sophia’s room. The colour scheme is a yellow red. Sophia, with her two children, a boy and a girl; later, Estella.
Children (singing, whilst Sophia accompanies them on the piano):
The light of the sun is flooding
The breadths of space;
The song of the birds is filling
The heights of the air;
The blessing of plant-life unfoldeth
Elemental Beings of earth;
And human souls in reverent gratitude,
Rise up to the spirits of the world.
Sophia: