Sinnekins are
stock characters
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...
often found in
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
drama, especially
morality plays
The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...
. They most often occur as pairs of devilish characters who exert their perfidious influence on the main character of the drama.
The word ''sinnekin'' comes from the Dutch word ''sinneken'' which, by 1604, connoted the words "senses" or "meanings". The word's alternative meaning, drawn from sixteenth-century Dutch
rederijker drama, was "a symbolic or allegorical person in a spel van sinne," an allegorically fashioned dramatic exposition of an argument on an ethical, ideological, political, or religious issue.
Like the fool with his bauble, the sinneken functioned as had the Devil in earlier medieval drama; by their costumes, actions, and words these characters usually supplied examples of foolish behavior.
[On the function and role of the sinneken, see the summary in J. J. Mak, ''De rederijkers'' (''Patria vaderlandsche cultuurgeschiedenis in monografieen'', xxxiv), Amsterdam, 1944, 58-78; and esp. W. M. H. Hummelen, ''De sinnekens in het rederijkersdrama'', Groningen, 1958.] Sinnekins, then, are allegorical characters who, in some way, instruct the audience on folly through their temptation of the main character. Indeed, sinnekens often argued for rational behavior (i.e. the repentance and salvation of the audience) while acting in just the opposite manner (i.e. foolishly).
See also
*
Medieval theatre
Medieval theatre encompasses theatrical performance in the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century and the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century. The category of "medieval theatre" is vast, c ...
*
Morality play
The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...
* ''
The Castle of Perseverance
''The Castle of Perseverance'' is a c. 15th-century morality play and the earliest known full-length (3,649 lines) vernacular play in existence. Along with ''Mankind'' and ''Wisdom'', ''The Castle of Perseverance'' is preserved in the Macro Manus ...
'' (c.1400-1500)
* ''
Mankind
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
'' (c.1470)
* ''
Elckerlijc
''Elckerlijc'' (also known as ''Elckerlyc'') is a morality play from the Low Countries which was written in Dutch somewhere around the year 1470. It was first printed in 1495. The play was extremely successful and may have been the original sou ...
'' (c.1470)
* ''
Everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin
The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...
'' (c.1450-1500)
* ''
The World and the Child'', also known as ''Mundas et Infans'' (c.1508)
* ''
Interlude of Youth'' (c.1550s)
* ''
Horestes'' (1567)
* The
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
References
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Medieval drama
Stock characters