Bible Allegory
The plays are not so much an allegory as an actual recreation of the Bible, but not the Bible that we know today which derives from the beliefs around at the time of King James, the last of the Tudor kings. This interpretation of the Bible dates much earlier and as such is thought to be far closer to the traditional verbal and written traditions and Scriptures.
Obedience Motif
One of the more frequent motifs in the plays is that of obedience, and following on from that, the consequences of disobeying God's word. Adam and Eve, in succumbing to temptation, are essentially disobeying God, and the result of this is the Fall from Grace of mankind. The play also shows the glories that result from obedience to the word of God and this consequently guides the play's audiences with regards to their own behavior and actions.
Love Motif
Throughout the plays the importance and omnipotence of love is shown, as each of the stories re-enacted shows each of the characters acting as a result of their love of God, and also the way in which God loves mankind. The main example is the God's love for man that makes him sacrifice his only son; this is also shown by Abraham whose love for God enables him to be prepared to sacrifice his only son at God's word.
Jesus Predicting the Denial Symbol
The fact that Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times before morning is a symbol of the fact that everything that happened to Jesus was already written as something that had to happen, and that his destiny was already pre-determined. Peter protested fiercely and stated that he would never deny Jesus, yet his doing so symbolizes the fact that he was powerless to go against the events that were already in the destinies of both Jesus and himself.
Serpent Symbol
The serpent in the temptation of Eve story is symbolic of the devil and of the temptations that will be put in the path of those who are trying to follow God's word and lead a life of faith. The fall from grace is also symbolic of the events that can happen once man transgresses and veers away from what he knows to be the path of God.
