Abstract
This essay focuses on the tapster figure in medieval literature and art.
The subject appears marginally in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales but in one of the anonymous sequels, the so-called Prologue to the Tale of
Beryn, the figure of the tapster or barmaid plays a significant role. It also occurs in several other works of English medieval literature, such as the
Harrowing of Hell of the Chester Mystery Cycle, in Langland's Piers
Plowman, and Skelton's Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng. At the same time tapsters, especially women, appear in illuminated manuscripts, wall paintings, misericordia carvings and architectural sculptures.
The figure of the tapster is also found in Old Czech literature, with an important example in a play about the Resurrection of Christ. Both male and female tapsters appear in German theatre plays, particularly those dealing with the Harrowing of Hell. On the continent, as in England, the tapster figure is present in various artworks, especially wall paintings.
The topical figure of the tapster persisted at the intersection of literature, drama, and the visual arts, deep into the early modern period.