A Satire of the Three Estates

A Satire of the Three Estates
Detail from the front cover of the programme for John McGrath's 1996 adaptation.
Written by	David Lyndsay
Date premiered	1540 (private) / 1552 (public)
Place premiered	Edinburgh, Scotland
Original language	Lowland Scots
Genre	Morality play

A Satire of the Three Estates (Middle Scots: Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis), is a satirical morality play in Middle Scots, written by the makar Sir David Lyndsay. The complete play was first performed outside in the playing field at Cupar, Fife, in June 1552 during the Midsummer holiday, where the action took place under Castle Hill. It was subsequently performed in Edinburgh, also outdoors, in 1554. The full text was first printed in 1602, and extracts were copied into the Bannatyne Manuscript. The Satire is an attack on the Three Estates represented in the Parliament of Scotland – the clergy, lords and burgh representatives, symbolised by the characters Spiritualitie, Temporalitie and Merchant. The clergy come in for the strongest criticism. The work portrays the social tensions present at this pivotal moment in Scottish history.