Ordo Virtutum (The Play of the Virtues)
A sung drama in Latin in which the Soul, at first joyful, is persuaded by the Devil to abandon the Virtues and enjoy the world, then returns wounded and repentant and is received again by the Virtues led by Humility, while the Devil, who can only shout and never sing, is bound. A prologue of Patriarchs and Prophets and a closing song on the wounds of Christ frame the action.
Understanding the text
Probably composed around 1151, perhaps for the new community at the Rupertsberg or for the consecration of its church in 1152, the play survives with its melodies in the great Wiesbaden manuscript of her works, while a shorter text closes the Scivias. It is often described as the earliest known morality play, and its staging by a community of nuns remains a matter of reconstruction.
Key points
- 01
The Soul’s journey
Anima moves from innocence to revolt and back, so the drama stages conversion as a choice that the whole community witnesses and supports.
- 02
Music and the Devil
Every character sings except the Devil, whose spoken shouts show that he is cut off from the harmony of heaven.
- 03
Virtues as persons
Humility, Charity, Fear of God, Obedience and other Virtues speak as companions who teach, rebuke and heal rather than as abstract rules.
Explore the ideas in depth
The Soul and the Virtues
Read the Ordo Virtutum as a sung drama of choice, fall and return, in which music itself marks the difference between good and evil.
Situating the text
Probably composed around 1151, perhaps for the new community at the Rupertsberg or for the consecration of its church in 1152, the play survives with its melodies in the great Wiesbaden manuscript of her works, while a shorter text closes the Scivias. It is often described as the earliest known morality play, and its staging by a community of nuns remains a matter of reconstruction. A sung drama in Latin in which the Soul, at first joyful, is persuaded by the Devil to abandon the Virtues and enjoy the world, then returns wounded and repentant and is received again by the Virtues led by Humility, while the Devil, who can only shout and never sing, is bound. A prologue of Patriarchs and Prophets and a closing song on the wounds of Christ frame the action.
Following the arguments
The Soul’s journey : Anima moves from innocence to revolt and back, so the drama stages conversion as a choice that the whole community witnesses and supports. Music and the Devil : Every character sings except the Devil, whose spoken shouts show that he is cut off from the harmony of heaven. Virtues as persons : Humility, Charity, Fear of God, Obedience and other Virtues speak as companions who teach, rebuke and heal rather than as abstract rules.
Continuing the reading
Read the text with a recording at hand, following the Devil’s spoken lines against the sung parts, then compare the shorter version at the end of the Scivias. Probably composed around 1151, perhaps for the new community at the Rupertsberg or for the consecration of its church in 1152, the play survives with its melodies in the great Wiesbaden manuscript of her works, while a shorter text closes the Scivias. It is often described as the earliest known morality play, and its staging by a community of nuns remains a matter of reconstruction.
Questions to carry into your reading
- Why does the Devil speak while every other character sings, and what does this suggest about Hildegard’s view of music?
- What do the Virtues offer the Soul when she returns, and how does the community take part in her conversion?
The Ordo Virtutum makes moral life audible: harmony belongs to the Virtues, and the Soul’s return is a return to song.
How to read it
Read the text with a recording at hand, following the Devil’s spoken lines against the sung parts, then compare the shorter version at the end of the Scivias.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method →