Lippijn
Encyclopedia
Lippijn is a Middle Dutch
sotternie or farce
. This sotternie is contained in the Hulthemse handschrift
, and follows the abele spel
Esmoreit
and consists of 199 lines in rhyme.
The sotternie describes the older man Lippijn who spots his wife having an adulterous affair. His wife's best lady friend convinces him he must be wrong. His wife hearing about this makes things worse for him by blaming him that he wrongfully accused her.
The name Lippijn refers to the old Middle Dutch word for "looking", thereby connecting with the subject of the play.
He mutters and complains about her losing lots of time while shopping; she defends herself by pointing out that it's always crowded at the butcher's after her morning prayer.
They both leave the house, but the wife meets with her longing, passionate lover.
Lippijn watches them in fury and plans to confront his wife with this when he comes home. On his way there he meets Trise, the long-time lady friend of his wife. He tells her what he saw.
Trise convinces Lippijn that he must be wrong and he shouldn't accuse his wife of these things.
When Lippijn persists she tells him he must have been possessed by a woodnymphe or a goblin
.
Trise tells Lippijn, not convinced at all, that he shouldn't worry because his wife is at the house.
Coming home Lippijn he finds out he's been fooled.
His wife hearing about his mistrust blames him for it. She is unforgiving about his so called mistake and the play ends in a quarrel.
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500...
sotternie or farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
. This sotternie is contained in the Hulthemse handschrift
Van Hulthem (manuscript)
The manuscript known as the Van Hulthem manuscript is a masterpiece of medieval Dutch literature. Its contents of over 200 stories from around Brussels, Belgium was summarized in the following slogan: 'all of life’s intensity in one volume'....
, and follows the abele spel
Abele spelen
The Abele Spelen are a collection of four plays contained in the valuable Hulthemse Handschrift. This manuscript dates from 1410 and is in the collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Royal Library in Brussels, Belgium, hs. 15.589-623....
Esmoreit
Esmoreit
Esmoreit is a Middle Dutch drama. It is one of the four abele spelen that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift and consists of 1018 lines in rhymeThe other abele spelen are: Gloriant, Lanseloet van Denemerken and Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer...
and consists of 199 lines in rhyme.
The sotternie describes the older man Lippijn who spots his wife having an adulterous affair. His wife's best lady friend convinces him he must be wrong. His wife hearing about this makes things worse for him by blaming him that he wrongfully accused her.
The name Lippijn refers to the old Middle Dutch word for "looking", thereby connecting with the subject of the play.
Roles
- Lippijn
- Sijn wijf (his wife)
- Haer lief (her lover)
- De comere (Trise or Trees) (the wife's friend)
Plot
Lippijn is sent by his wife to get some wood and water while she will do the shopping.He mutters and complains about her losing lots of time while shopping; she defends herself by pointing out that it's always crowded at the butcher's after her morning prayer.
They both leave the house, but the wife meets with her longing, passionate lover.
Lippijn watches them in fury and plans to confront his wife with this when he comes home. On his way there he meets Trise, the long-time lady friend of his wife. He tells her what he saw.
Trise convinces Lippijn that he must be wrong and he shouldn't accuse his wife of these things.
When Lippijn persists she tells him he must have been possessed by a woodnymphe or a goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
.
Trise tells Lippijn, not convinced at all, that he shouldn't worry because his wife is at the house.
Coming home Lippijn he finds out he's been fooled.
His wife hearing about his mistrust blames him for it. She is unforgiving about his so called mistake and the play ends in a quarrel.
External links
- Lippijn (with linenumbers) at the Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse letteren (in Middele Dutch)