Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Schlitz, L.  (2007).  Good masters! sweet ladies!  Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press.

This is a collection of short one person plays for children between the ages 10-15.  The stories are about children who live in a manor in England in the year of 1255.  The plays tell of the hardships during these times.  These families have to suffer hunger and there is begging in the streets.

This unique book consists of short plays for twenty-three characters written for children ages ten to fifteen years old.  The setting is a manor in England in 1255.    Almost every play is a monologue so the book can be performed by children or can be used as a read aloud.  The plays teach about the people living in an English manor. The theme of the plays are survival.  In the Middle Ages, there were many poor people.  The plays discuss people being hungry and begging for food.  People are angry about being short changed by the miller.  Some people tried to run away.  If you could run away for one year, you could start a new life.  Hugo tells the story of killing a boar.  He was lucky to kill the boar because if he killed the boar he would get the kidneys, but if he failed he would be beaten.  Stories liked this shows the harshness these children faced.  There was a three-field system.  In Will’s play, we learn that the lord is not always just when giving out land.  The farmer would have to walk a long distance between the fields and the lord would always choose the best land for himself. One might think the doctor would be honorable, but this is not the case as we see in Thomas’s play.  Thomas says to make patients pay when they are ill, because they won’t pay when they are well.  There are a few stories of kindness in the book that show hope.  One is the story of Jacob Ben Salomon and Petronella.  This story shows kindness and playfulness between a Christian and a Jew which during this time is unheard of.  People today are still seeking religious freedom so hopefully this may be encouraging to readers and may seek them to learn more about Jews in Medieval Society.  In Jack’s play, Jack is always made fun of because of his lack of intelligence.  One day he shows kindness to a boy who was beaten.  The boy returns the favor by never calling him names.  This story shows the importance of kindness.  Historical fiction readers may be encouraged to put on a play or to learn more about how to survive the Middle Ages.