What did Morality plays use to convey their messages?

Morality plays used religious allegory and themes as a primary method to convey their messages. These plays, which were popular in the medieval period, were designed to teach moral lessons and illustrate the struggle between good and evil. By employing allegorical characters that represented virtues and vices—such as Good Deeds, Knowledge, and Sin—morality plays effectively communicated complex moral dilemmas and the human experience in a way that was accessible to their audiences, many of whom were illiterate.

Through this use of allegory, these plays engaged with themes such as redemption, the afterlife, and the consequences of one's actions in relation to divine judgment. This method was not just for entertainment; it served an educational purpose, aiming to instill moral values in audiences and encourage them to reflect on their own lives in the context of religious teachings. As a result, religious allegory and themes became a foundational aspect of morality plays, setting them apart from other forms of theatrical works that may have focused on different subject matter.