Christ is the Son of God and the baby born in Bethlehem to Mary. The three shepherd protagonists—Coll, Gyb, and Daw—visit him and bring him humble gifts. By his birth, the Christ child brings redemption to mankind. As an infant, Christ has no lines in the play, and the only noise he makes is when he “merries” and “laughs” when Coll presents him with cherries.
Christ Quotes in The Second Shepherd’s Play
The The Second Shepherd’s Play quotes below are all either spoken by Christ or refer to Christ. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Scene 6
Quotes
Rise, herdsmen, rise, for Christ is born / To rend that fiend that Adam had lorn / The Saviour of all, this night is he born. / His behests / To Bethlehem go see / Where lies this baby / In a crib full poorly / Betwixt two beasts.
Scene 7
Quotes
Thou hast cowed at last the devil so wild / The false beguiler now goes beguiled.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Christ Character Timeline in The Second Shepherd’s Play
The timeline below shows where the character Christ appears in The Second Shepherd’s Play. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Scene 6
...“Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” The Angel urges the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, where the Christ child has been born “to rend the fiend that Adam had lorn.”
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...their bickering, all three shepherds know they must immediately depart for Bethlehem to see the Christ child.
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...and tired—all that matters now is getting to Bethlehem as soon as possible to see Christ. The three shepherds sing another carol as they embark for Bethlehem.
(full context)
Scene 7
...VII opens with Coll, Gyb, and Daw at the stable in Bethlehem with Mary and Christ. Each of the three shepherds prepare to present Christ with a gift.
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Coll praises Christ for defeating the devil, noting how Christ’s birth means that “The false beguiler now goes...
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Gyb calls Christ the “sovereign savior” and presents him with a bird. He lovingly refers to the Christ...
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Daw’s heart breaks at the sight of Christ’s poverty. Calling baby Jesus “darling dear, full of Godhead,” Daw presents him with a ball...
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Mary explains the significance of Christ’s birth, declaring that the Christ child is the Son of God sent to earth to...
(full context)
