English Language and Literature Commons^™

Lesser-Known Virtues: How The Ordo Virtutum Reflects Hildegard Of Bingen’S Monastic Worldview, Nathan Dowell

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The Ordo Virtutum, a twelfth-century musical drama by abbess Hildegard of Bingen, details a now-familiar theme: the spiritual battle between personified Virtues and the Devil over a human soul. Because this theme formed the basis for the later morality play genre, Hildegard is now considered to have written the first morality play—even though she lived three centuries before the genre became popular.

Like her work, Hildegard is also experiencing newfound prominence for predicting future trends. As a medieval musician, scientist, and abbess, Hildegard’s contributions to numerous fields are gaining increased attention. However, one consequence of this attention is that Hildegard’s …