The Towneley Processus Talentorum: Dicing Toward Jerusalem

Abstract

The Play of the Talents may be the most surprising work in literary history, simply because it depends so heavily on the use of game as a context for its narrative, its drama, its moral instruction, and ultimately its art. Crowded into its four hundred and twelve lines are continuous references to a lottery, dicing, and several other games, along with the violence, cursing, anger, and disappointment that attend the losers in such contests. There is also a great deal of the mirth and tumult that accompanies winning. This is astonishing because the play covers a very sobering topic: the gambling for Christ’s seamless robe immediately following the crucifixion.