Puppets have been around for centuries. We have evidence of their use all over the world. Each culture has their own style and type of puppetry and often one can see these puppets featured prominently. In the Middle Ages there three main types of puppet. They are listed above. Click each tab to find out more.
Puppetry Timeline and Fast Facts about Puppets
Click to see bigger
Glove puppets are worn on the hand and manipulated with the fingers. This type of puppet is very simple to use and does not require much careful transportation or storage like a marionette might. These small puppets often enact fighting and are usually humorous. While no puppets from the Middle Ages exist today, there is some pictoral evidence in the Romance of Alexander marginalia. (Roman du bon roi Alexandre Manuscript by Jehan de Grise, France 1344.) There is also evidence of a wearable theater, which I have attempted several times.
Of the types of puppets that existed in the Middle Ages, shadow puppets have the most resources and several extant examples that remain to this day. Many cultures have shadow puppet traditions. They are very distinct and it is easy to recognize the differences in style, color, and material as characteristic of a particular tradition. I have spent the most time and energy researching Paul Kahle's Egyptian Mamluk shadow puppets.
Marionettes are puppets that use string. They are manipulated from above and they require special care and transportation to avoid tangling the strings. There are many types of marionettes. Some have as few as one string and others can have several strings or even a combination of strings and rods. Sicilian rod puppets have a rod that connects to the head and one that connects to one arm. The other arm and legs are controlled with strings or in some cases not at all. In the Middle Ages, especially toward the end of the time period, descriptions of the shows done with marionettes are extravagant and complicated. They did shows about beheadings, and historical events, biblical stories, and often political satire. They had their own theater and for a time were the only actor legally allowed on stage. There are no existing puppets remaining from this time period but there are some much older string puppets that still exist today that may have been used for teaching, entertainment or religious rituals and festivals.