"The Killing of Abel" from the Towneley Play Cycle

"The Killing of Abel" from the Towneley Play Cycle
(NB: I initially labeled this as part of the Chester cycle, which I mixed up with one of the other items, "Noah," which I will be reading next.)

Like "the Second Shepherd's Play" from the Chester Myster cycle, "the Killing of Abel" seems to be a play that seems like a point of comedic relief for the audience. Coming after the Fall of Lucifer, Creation, and the Fall of Man - all of which have relatively heavy subject matter - the obscenities, ridiculous blasphemy, and continuous calls to kiss the devil's ass provide a bit of levity (or as Cain says, "Yei, kys the dwills are behynde" (266)). 

Aside from the comedic elements, "the Killing of Abel" demonstrates concerns about the construction and maintenance of an effective devotional economy. Abel attempts to explain to Cain that burning their offerings in thanks to God's gifts is the proper course of action, but Cain only understands direct exchange of worldly goods. This is in part highlighted by Cain's labor, as he is shown as a hard worker plowing his fields, attempting to get his employees and animals to labor as well, situating Cain firmly in the material world and somewhat disconnected from the spiritual. 

Cain says he owes God nothing due to a season of poor crops and because God didn't lend him seeds when Cain needed them. Continuously, Cain dismisses the promise of spiritual rewards as reasons to burn offerings, citing his worldly needs and unwillingness to give up his goods for what he sees as a poor investment. As such, Cain holds back his best grain from offering and only burns a small amount of his worst grain. God presents his displeasure and further tries to explain the dynamics of spiritual exchange to Cain: "If thou tend right thou gettys thi mede; / And be thou sekir, if thou teynd fals, / Thou bese alowed ther after als" (294-296). Even with this explanation Cain, rather than ask forgiveness, thinks only of revenge and escape. Cain, unable to conceive of an exchange economy for spiritual, and thus immaterial, reward, fails to maintain the spiritual contract with God. This inability to uphold contracts is only emphasized with the closing exchange between Cain and Garcio, with Cain making a series of promises that Garcio ridicules, showing how Cain cannot even maintain his responsibilities for his servants.