Historical and discourse analysis of 2 rhetorical competitions (the important Landjuweel and the smaller Haagspel) put on in Antwerp in 1561 by dramatic actors and most completely recorded in the 1562 publication of Spelen van sinne vol scoone moralisacien vvtleggingen ende bediedenissen op alle loeflijcke consten. The author examines in detail the social ideas addressed by these competitions, especially peace, knowledge and community.