About this book
Een abel spel van Lanseloet van Denemerken hoe hi wert minnende ene joncfrou, die met synder moeder diende, by Anonymous summons a lost medieval world of chivalry, desire, and moral conflict. This fourteenth-century abele spel (a “noble play”) survives among only three such romantic dramas in a single Brussels manuscript and offers a rare glimpse into pre-moralizing Dutch theatre.
Set among knights and gentlewomen, the play traces the fraught passion between the young knight Lanseloet and Sanderijn, a maid in his mother’s household, exploring themes of love, honor, social rank, and the clash between heartfelt longing and rigid duty. Written in a direct, melodic Middle Dutch idiom, the text balances intimate emotion with dramatic tension, and it predates later allegorical civic dramas like Elckerlijc. The language’s simplicity and natural rhythm make the story immediate and affecting, while its historical texture illuminates medieval attitudes toward fidelity, oath, and family power.
Ideal for listeners who enjoy historical plays, medieval literature, and tragic romances, this audiobook appeals to students, theatre lovers, and anyone curious about the origins of Dutch drama and the enduring drama of love versus obligation.
