The ranting was superstar of early English stage. Characters like Herod, Pilate, and Caesar were dressed in most lavish costumes, assigned longest and most elaborate speeches, and often supplied actors who brought them to life with a substantial wage. (1) Scholars have conventionally seen tyrants of biblical drama primarily as comedic figures or embodiments of pride, but these tyrants have much more to offer their audiences, whether in fourteenth century or twenty-first. (2) Like all actors playing part of kings, they remind us that person of ruler is distinct from office that he holds. They invite authors, actors, and audiences to imagine how role of a king ought to be played, and to participate in a discourse of virtue and self-governance applicable to monarchs and commoners alike. The Digby Mary Magdalen offers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tyrants: Tiberius, Herod, Pilate, Cyrus, World, and Flesh begin many of play's early scenes with their competing claims of power and supremacy, and second half of play is dominated by story of King of Marseilles. As a whole, play presents a world in which values and practices of tyrants are deeply entrenched. However, play also suggests a unique solution in its eponymous character. Mary Magdalen, a virtuous noblewoman deeply involved in faith and politics of her world, is presented as means by which tyrannical regimes may be effectively redirected towards a more proper, Christian end. Although Mary Magdalen is by no means typical biblical drama (if such a thing can even be said to exist in such a small corpus of surviving play-texts), it nonetheless draws on its audience's familiarity with and expectations of genre and thus offers a perfect crucible in which to consider tyrants' political significance. The plays in which these tyrant figures appear are conventionally referred to as medieval drama. However, they continued to flourish throughout reign of Elizabeth and even beyond: final cycle performances in York and Chester took place as first permanent theaters were opening in London, and manuscripts of Chester's Whitsun plays continued to be copied until early seventeenth century. (3) The continued popularity of tyrants in these plays suggests an enduring frustration with royal power that claimed to rule both state and church in name of the common good, yet never hesitated to prioritize national conformity and obedience at expense of local tradition and individual belief. Unlike many other plays of period, no performances of Mary Magdalen have been definitively documented. However, John Coldewey has suggested that some of Digby plays, including Magdalen, may have been performed at a drama festival in Chelmsford, Essex in 1562, (4) approximately 40-50 years following date of only surviving manuscript of play. (5) Coldewey s proposal has been subject of some skepticism; Paul Whitfield White reminds us that town was an early protestant stronghold, with local gentry and church leaders who eagerly supported Elizabethan Settlement, and he finds it unlikely that Mary Magdalen or any other play so deeply rooted in Roman Catholic doctrine and devotional practice could have been performed there in 1562. (6) Although protestant leanings of community must, of course, be taken into account, this cannot be only factor used to determine which plays were included in festival. (7) Coldewey's comparison of stages, props, and costumes recorded for these performances suggests that, were Mary Magdalen not part of Chelmsford festival, an unknown play of similarly elaborate scale, with a similarly large cast and a remarkable overlap of scenes and characters, must have been performed. (8) Without a large body of available protestant drama to choose from, a play as spectacular as Mary Magdalen might have been selected in hopes of turning a tidy profit, no small consideration given outlay of expenses made for festival: more than 21 [pounds sterling] was invested in production. …