The Second Shepherds Play

The Second Shepherds Play goes against many of the characteristics that Horace believes should be in a play. The play does not stay in the boundaries of genres by mixing comedy with seriousness. It is not consistent; it is not without surprises. Finally, the author did not completely believe in Dulce Et Utile or does he carefully weigh the judgment of his work. This play combines a little bit of comedy with extreme seriousness. The …

…obviously good work or it wouldn't be published and studied today. Maybe The Second Shepherds Play does go against the characteristics that Horace feels should be included in plays, but then maybe it has characteristics of its own. The author of course will never see the profit that this play has generate from being published and performed, but maybe someday, someone will find out who the author is and give recognition where it is due.