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Analysis of the Morality Play Everyman

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on August 2, 2020 • ( 0 )

The great vice of English drama from Kyd to Galsworthy has been its aim of realism was unlimited. In one play, Everyman, and perhaps in that one play only, we have a drama within the limitations of art. . . . It is essential that a work of art should be self-consistent, that an artist should consciously or unconsciously draw a circle beyond which he does not trespass:  on  the  one  hand  actual  life  is  always  the  material,  and  on  the  other  hand  an  abstraction from actual life is a necessary condition to the creation of a work of art.

—T. S. Eliot, “Four Elizabethan Dramatists”

For T. S. Eliot the greatness of Everyman —the most famous medieval drama in English and the best example of the morality play—rests in its totality of vision,  in  its  joining  powerful  spiritual  and  human  insights  with  “ordinary  dramatic interest.” “The religious and the dramatic are not merely combined,” Eliot asserts, “but wholly fused. Everyman is on the one hand the human soul in extremity, and on the other any man in any dangerous position from which we wonder how he is going to escape.” A dramatized parable or allegory of the final judgment of a soul, Everyman achieves its sustaining force by the skill with which it embodies its abstractions in the particular to reach the universal. Everyman accordingly serves as a crucial prototype for Western drama and a key link between classical drama and the extraordinary flowering of Renaissance drama.

Possibly  an  English  translation  of  the  Dutch  work,  Elckerlijc   (or  Elckerlijk ),  published  in  1495  and  attributed  to  Petrus  Dorlandus,  Everyman  may  also have been adapted, along with the Dutch play, from an earlier, now-lost common  source.  There  are  no  records  of  actual  performances  of  Everyman but printed versions of the play, first appearing in 1508, were popular through the 16th century, even as religious dramas in England became seditious during  the  Reformation  and  were  banned  when  Elizabeth  I  took  the  throne  in  1558. Although the morality play is an unmistakable influence on Elizabethan drama, Everyman disappeared from view. It would not be reprinted until 1773. In 1901, it became the first medieval play to be revived in a modern production. Directed by William Poel, the revised Everyman was praised for its “naïve simplicity and uncompromising sincerity,” and the play became the sensation of the London theater season. William Butler Yeats and George Bernard Shaw admitted to being influenced by Poel’s successful production. After seeing it German director  Max  Reinhardt  commissioned  Austrian  playwright  Hugo  von Hofmannsthal to write a German adaptation, Jedermann, which was first produced in Berlin in 1911 and, after its debut in 1913 at the Salzburg Cathedral square, would ever after become a featured part of the annual Salzburg Festival.  Echoes  of  Everyman  are  detectable  in  the  existential  plays  of  Jean-Paul Sartre and Samuel Beckett and in Bertolt Brecht’s expressionistic dramas, and the play continues to be performed around the world, a testimony to its ability to communicate a powerful vision of the human condition that transcends the era and the doctrines of its origin.

Everyman serves as well as an essential text for illustrating the evolution of drama in western Europe in the period between the classical age and the Renaissance. What is most striking in considering the reemergence of drama in the Middle Ages is the role played by the Christian Church both in halting the classical dramatic tradition and in fostering the conditions for drama’s revival. The number of theaters and performances of Roman drama reached a high point in the fourth century before significantly waning. Drama’s decline to near extinction was precipitated both by the breakup of the Roman Empire and the bur-geoning Christian Church’s opposition to an art form with distinctively pagan roots. Theologians regarded drama as an illusionist art allied to idolatry, magic, and  devilry.  Church  authorities  actively  dissuaded  Christians  from  attending  performances, threatening excommunication of anyone who went to the theater rather than to church on holy days. Actors were forbidden the sacraments unless they foreswore their profession. The last recorded dramatic performance in the classical  tradition  occurred  in  Rome  in  549,  and  for  almost  a  half-millennia  organized  theatrical  performances  effectively  disappeared  in  western  Europe,  with the remnants of an acting tradition fitfully maintained by traveling entertainers. Ironically the church, which had played such a decisive role in closing the  theaters  and  halting  a  literary  dramatic  tradition,  returned  drama  to  the  similar initial conditions preceeding the emergence of formal drama in Greece in the sixth century b.c. As classical comedy and tragedy originated from religious celebrations and rituals, Western drama would be restored in the Middle Ages from a comparable spiritual foundation to serve a parallel religious need. Antiphonal  songs,  sung  responses  or  dialogues,  like  the  dithyramb  in  Greek  protodrama,  were  eventually  incorporated  into  celebrations  from  the  liturgical calendar, such as Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter. Short illustrative scenes evolved to vivify worship for a congregation that did not understand Latin, the liturgical language. First performed in the monasteries and churches around the 10th century, with clergymen or choir boys as actors, liturgical dramas would by the 13th century grow far too elaborate—with multiple scenes, actors, and stage effects—for proper staging indoors. Performances moved outdoors with nonclerical actors and secular organizations such as trade guilds producing vernacular mystery plays, scriptural dramas representing scenes from the Old and New Testament; miracle plays, dramatizing incidents from the lives of the saints; and morality plays, enacting the allegorical spiritual struggle of an average individual.  Like  Attic  Greek  plays,  medieval  drama  therefore  evolved  out  of  religious observances, was supported by wealthy citizens or organizations to serve both a civic and religious function, and, just as the Greek choral performances in honor of Dionysus were expanded to enact the stories of multiple gods and heroes,  medieval  drama  gradually  became  more  secularized  by  incorporating  aspects  of  familiar  life  and  recognizable  situations  and  characters  in  its  performances. Enacted episodes from the liturgical calendar were joined to form complete cycles of biblical plays in increasingly more complicated productions involving  realistic  stage  effects.  Religious  dramas  became  all-purpose  moral  entertainments  combining  serious  devotional  and  didactic  purposes  with  low  comic, often bawdy farce. By the 15th century religious drama had established a strong, robust theatrical tradition in western Europe that would be combined with  the  rediscovery  of  the  classical  dramatic  tradition  in  the  Renaissance  to  create the greatest explosion of dramatic achievement in history.

Everyman is the best-known example of the morality play, the late-developing medieval dramatic genre that is the essential bridge between religious and secular drama. If mystery plays treated the divine as revealed in the Bible, and miracle plays, the saintly, morality plays took for their subject the spiritual struggles of representative and recognizable mixed human characters. Morality  plays,  which  flourished  between  1400  and  1550,  are  didactic  allegories  enacting the combat between Vice and Virtue for the possession of a human soul. Examples in English include Pride of Life (c. 1410), Castle of Perserverance (c.1425),  and Mankind  (c.  1475).  Everyman   is  actually  atypical  of  the  form  due  to  its  restricted  scope.  Instead of  covering  the  temptations  of  an  entire  life, as do most morality plays, Everyman achieves its unity and intensity by concentrating only on the preparation for death, on the last act in the story of salvation or damnation. The usual enacted battle between Vice and Virtue for possession of an individual soul is over at the play’s outset. Everyman is a confirmed sinner who is to be shocked into a reevaluation of his life and values. As the play opens, God, disappointed in humankind’s sinfulness, in which “Every man liveth so after his own pleasure,” ignoring their inevitable end and purpose on earth, proclaims a final reckoning. He orders Death to summon Everyman to “A pilgrimage he must on him take, / Which he in no wise may escape.” Everyman greets this news with a range of psychologically believable reactions from incredulousness, delusion, and self-pity to rationalization that it might not be as bad as he fears, even attempting to bribe Death to “defer this matter till another day.” Death is implacable but agrees to allow Everyman to gather whomever he can persuade to accompany him on his journey to the grave.

Having lost his initial battle with Death to avoid his reckoning, Everyman is next reduced to helpless, isolated despair as one by one his expected faithful and steadfast companions—Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin—abandon him. Forced  to  forego  human  companionship  from  friends  and  relatives  on  his  journey, Everyman next turns to his Goods, which he had valued most of all, for support. Convinced that money is all powerful, Everyman is corrected by Goods, who says that love for him is “contrary to love everlasting”:

A season thou hast had me in prosperity. My condition is man’s soul to kill; If I save one, a thousand I do spill. Weenest though that I will follow thee? Nay, not from this world, verily.

If  the  material  fails  him,  Everyman  next  turns  to  his  virtuous  accomplishments on earth, to Good Deeds, who is willing to accompanying him but is constrained by Everyman’s sins, and the pilgrim is sent to Good Deeds’s sister, Knowledge, to learn what he must do. At this point in the drama Everyman’s spiritual  journey  has  forced  him  to  look  from  exterior  support  to  internal  resources. Knowledge provides the key to Everyman’s salvation, leading him to Confession and Penance that releases Good Deeds to accompany him to his  reckoning.  The  play  thus  embodies  essential  Christian  doctrine—that  a  person’s life on earth is fl eeting and deceptive, that all must face death alone, and that good deeds are worthless without self-knowledge, faith, contrition, and absolution—in understandable human terms that invite audience identification. The play’s message is delivered not through direct statement but in the interaction of a psychologically understandable Everyman with the personified and magnified abstractions that underscore a universal meaning.

No  longer  reluctant  and  despairing,  with  a  renewed  faith  and  self-understanding,  Everyman  now  feels  comforted  and  confident  to  undertake  his  journey, summoning Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five Wits to join Good Deeds as his companions. Doctrinally the play seems to have reached a secure moral conclusion. Everyman is no longer deceived about the world or himself and is now ready to face his final reckoning aided by worthy intrinsic companions. The play, however, delivers a surprising dramatic reversal. The companions that Everyman has counted on one by one fall away as he comes closer and closer to his journey’s end at the grave. The allegory here captures an entire life in miniature in which a person’s essential attributes eventually are defeated by time along life’s journey: the beauty of youth fades, the strength of manhood weakens, mental acuity in maturity declines, and the senses of old age fail. In a neat, structural parallel the excuses of Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, and Goods not to accompanying Everyman on his journey are matched by the regrets of Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five Wits for failing to complete the pilgrim-age. Once again Everyman is stripped of support to face death alone, forced to give up his dependence not only on the externals of life but the internal faculties and attributes as well. Everyman reaches an existential moment of dreadful isolation that prompts his cry, “O Jesu, help! All hath forsaken me.” But he is consoled by Good Deeds, who alone will stay with him to the end:

All earthly things is but vanity: Beauty, Strength, and Discretion do man forsake, Foolish friends, and kinsmen, that fair spake— All fleeth save Good Deeds, and that am I. . . . Fear not; I will speak for thee.

Good  Deeds  will  make  the  case  for  Everyman’s  salvation,  and  the  pilgrim  seeking God’s mercy is shown sinking into his grave. An Angel is heard welcoming his soul to his heavenly reward:

Now shalt thou into the heavenly sphere, Unto the which all ye shall come That liveth well before the day of doom.

Everyman  converts  the  theological  doctrine  of  a  soul’s  recovery  and  redemption into a series of strikingly dramatic conflicts, each pushing Every-man  to  a  greater  understanding  of  the  world  and  himself.  What  contrasts  Everyman from other morality plays in which Vice and Virtue contend for the possession of a man’s soul is that the forces that essentially divide Everyman and imperil his salvation reside within him, personified both in the external aspects of a man’s life and his inherent attributes. The play takes its audience deeply  into  a  moral  and  psychological  arena  that  will  increasingly  form  the  theater to follow as religious drama gives way to the secular. Dramatic allegory is to be dressed in the costumes and traits of the particular and the individual. Notably, Everyman  puts  an  average,  representative  man  at  center  stage  for  one  of  the  first  times  in  theatrical  history  and  considers  his  self-knowledge  and salvation as its central issue. Neither a divinity nor a paragon, Everyman is  made  recognizable  to  every  member  of  the  audience—noble  and  peasant  alike—and psychological realism, even in an allegory of contending abstractions, makes a powerful theatrical debut. Everyman proves triumphantly that the sufferings of someone like the rest of us can engage us emotionally and intellectually while supplying a crucial lesson on how the real, the symbolic, and insights into human nature and human existence—the key components of all drama—can be effectively combined.

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The play opens with a messenger calling for the audience’s attention to this “moral play,” which will demonstrate the transitory nature of human life. Next God appears, lamenting the unworthiness of humans, who no longer revere him and who sinfully indulge in greed and lust. Deciding to make people account for their sins, God orders Death to summon Everyman so that he can be judged by his “ reckoning ,” a ledger of his good and ill deeds. However, when Death approaches Everyman on earth, Everyman is unwilling to die and unprepared for his reckoning. Clinging to the life he had, Everyman begs Death for more time. Death refuses, but he allows Everyman to seek a companion for his “pilgrimage,” provided that he can find someone willing to accompany him to the afterlife.

A disconsolate Everyman seeks out his friend Fellowship for comfort and counsel, and Fellowship appears, promising his undying loyalty. However, when Fellowship learns that accompanying Everyman on the journey means that Fellowship, too, will die, he refuses to help his friend. Fellowship leaves, and Everyman seeks the help of his relatives Kindred and Cousin instead, thinking that blood will be thicker than water. However, while Kindred and Cousin promise to stand by him in “wealth and woe,” they also forsake him, as they too are afraid of death. Alone, Everyman bemoans this abandonment by his friends and family and wonders whom he can turn to next for help. He decides to ask for the assistance of his friend Goods , whom he has long loved. Though Goods (like Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin) promises to help Everyman, he immediately reneges on his promise after learning of Everyman’s predicament. In addition to refusing to join Everyman, Goods also informs Everyman that he has been damaging Everyman’s reckoning all along: because Everyman loved Goods so much instead of loving God, Everyman will be condemned to hell.

Shocked by Goods’ treachery, Everyman is in despair, as he is completely alone, with no one willing to help him. He decides to seek out Good-Deeds , though she is so weak from Everyman’s sin and neglect that she cannot stand. Unlike his other friends, Good-Deeds is willing to help him, but she is too weak to do so. Though she cannot accompany him in person, she says that her sister Knowledge can help him to clear his reckoning. Knowledge guides Everyman to Confession , who teaches Everyman to repent. To atone for his sins, Everyman prays to God, begging for mercy, and he uses a scourge (a whip) for self-mortification.

As a result, Good-Deeds is healed and she finds Everyman in order to accompany him on his journey. Knowledge then bestows upon Everyman a “ garment of sorrow ,” which allows Everyman to show contrition. She and Good-Deeds request the presence of Everyman’s friends Discretion , Strength , Beauty , Five-wits , who all agree to help Everyman during his pilgrimage. At Knowledge’s instruction, Everyman sees a priest for the holy sacrament and unction. While the rest of the group is waiting for Everyman’s return, Five-wits makes a speech about the superiority of priests, claiming that they are “above angels in degree.” Knowledge reminds him that not all priests are good, but Five-wits argues that one should nevertheless honor priesthood. At that point, Everyman returns, having undergone the remaining sacraments of last rites, and the group continues on their journey.

Approaching death, Everyman weakens and decides that it is time for him to make his reckoning. When he tries to climb into a grave and asks his companions to join him, Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five-wits all desert him, making him realize that “all earthly things is but vanity.” In contrast, Knowledge agrees to stay with him until the moment of his death, and Good-Deeds promises to make his case as he faces God’s judgment. Good-Deeds and Everyman’s soul pass over to the afterlife, and Knowledge, who is left on stage, remarks that she hears angels singing and that Good-Deeds will make sure that Everyman goes to heaven. An angel then appears, welcoming Everyman into heaven because of his “crystal-clear” reckoning. The play ends with an epilogue from a doctor , who tells the audience that they must make “amends” for their sins before they die and that they can only rely on good deeds to save them from hell.

Everyman Study Guide

This Morality Play Examines What Happens When Everyman Faces Death

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Written in England during the 1400s, "The Summoning of Everyman" (commonly known as "Everyman") is a Christian morality play. No one knows who wrote the play. Historians note that monks and priests often wrote these types of dramas.

Morality plays were vernacular dramas, spoken in the language of the people, rather than the Latin of the Church. They were meant to be seen by the common people. Like other morality plays, "Everyman" is an allegory. The lessons being relayed are taught by allegorical characters , each one representing an abstract concept such as good deeds, material possessions, and knowledge.

God decides that Everyman (a character who represents an average, everyday human) has become too obsessed with wealth and material possessions. Therefore, Everyman must be taught a lesson in piety. And who better to teach a life lesson than a character named Death?

Man Is Unkind

God’s chief complaint is that humans are ignorantly leading sinful lives; they are unaware that Jesus died for their sins. Everyman has been living for his own pleasure, forgetting about the importance of charity and the potential threat of eternal hellfire.

On God’s bidding, Death summons Everyman to take a pilgrimage to the Almighty. When Everyman realizes that the Grim Reaper has called upon him to face God and give a reckoning of his life, he tries to bribe Death to “defer this matter till another day.”

The bargaining doesn’t work. Everyman must go before God, never to return to Earth again. Death does say that the hapless hero can take along anyone or anything that may benefit him during this spiritual trial.

Friends and Family Are Fickle

After Death leaves Everyman to prepare for his day of reckoning (the moment in which God judges him), Everyman approaches a character named Fellowship, a supporting role that represents Everyman’s friends. At first, Fellowship is full of bravado. When Fellowship learns that Everyman is in trouble, he promises to stay with him until the problem is resolved. However, as soon as Everyman reveals that Death has summoned him to stand before God, Fellowship abandons him.

Kindred and Cousin, two characters that represent family relationships, make similar promises. Kindred declares, “in wealth and woe we will with you hold, for over his kin a man may be bold.” But once Kindred and Cousin realize Everyman’s destination, they back out. One of the funniest moments in the play is when Cousin refuses to go by claiming he has a cramp in his toe.

The overall message of the play’s first half is that relatives and friends (as reliable as they may seem) pale in comparison to the steadfast companionship of God.

Goods vs. Good Deeds

After getting rejected by fellow humans, Everyman turns his hopes to inanimate objects. He talks to a character named “Goods,” a role which represents Everyman’s material possessions and wealth. Everyman pleads for Goods to assist him in his hour of need, but they offer no comfort. In fact, the Goods chide Everyman, suggesting that he should have admired material objects moderately ​and that he should have given some of his goods to the poor. Not wanting to visit God (and subsequently be sent to hell), Goods deserts Everyman.​​

Finally, Everyman meets a character who will genuinely care for his plight. Good-Deeds is a character who symbolizes the acts of charity and kindness performed by Everyman. However, when the audience first meets Good-Deeds, she is laying on the ground, severely weakened by Everyman’s many sins.

Enter Knowledge and Confession

Good-Deeds introduces Everyman to her sister, Knowledge. This is another friendly character who will provide good advice to the protagonist . Knowledge serves as an important guide for Everyman, instructing him to seek out another character: Confession.

Everyman is led to Confession. Many readers expect to hear scandalous “dirt” on the main character, and expect him to beg forgiveness, or hope he will at least apologize for whatever sins he has committed. Such readers will be surprised here. Instead, Everyman asks for his vices to be wiped clean. Confession says that, with penance, Everyman’s spirit may become clean once more.

What does penance mean? In this play, it means that Everyman undergoes a severe and purifying form of physical punishment . After he suffers, Everyman is amazed to discover that Good-Deeds is now free and strong, ready to stand by his side during his moment of judgment.

The Five-Wits

After this purging of the soul, Everyman is ready to meet his maker. Good-Deeds and Knowledge tell Everyman to call upon “three persons of great might” and his Five-Wits ( his senses ) as counselors.

Everyman calls forth the characters Discretion, Strength, Beauty, and Five-Wits. Combined, they represent the core of his physical human experience.

Unlike the first half of the play when he begged for help from his friends and family, Everyman is now relying on himself. However, even though he receives some good advice from each entity, he realizes that they will not go the distance as he journeys closer to his meeting with God.

Like previous characters, these entities promise to stay by his side. Yet, when Everyman decides that it is time for his body to physically die (perhaps as part of his penance), Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and the Five-Wits abandon him. Beauty is the first one to leave, disgusted by the idea of lying in a grave. The others follow suit, and Everyman is left alone with Good-Deeds and Knowledge once again.

Everyman Departs

Knowledge explains that he won’t be going into the “heavenly sphere” with Everyman, but will stay with him until he departs from his physical body. This allegorically implies that the soul does not retain its Earthly knowledge.

However, Good-Deeds (as promised) will journey with Everyman. At the end of the play, Everyman commends his soul to God. After his departure, an angel arrives to announce that Everyman’s soul has been taken from his body and presented before God. A final narrator enters to explain to the audience that all should heed the lessons of Everyman: Everything in life is fleeting, with the exception of acts of kindness and charity.

Overall Theme

As one might expect from a morality play, "Everyman" has a very clear moral , one that is delivered at the beginning, middle, and end of the play. The blatantly religious message is simple: Earthly comforts are fleeting. Only good deeds and God’s grace can provide salvation.

Who Wrote 'Everyman?'

Many morality plays were a collaborative effort by clergymen and residents (often tradesmen and guild members) of an English town. Over the years, lines would be changed, added, and deleted. Therefore, "Everyman" is probably the result of multiple authors and decades of literary evolution .

Historical Context

When Everyman summons the Five-Wits, a fascinating discussion about the importance of the priesthood follows.

FIVE-WITS: For priesthood exceedeth all other thing; To us Holy Scripture they do teach, And converteth man from sin heaven to reach; God hath to them more power given, Than to any angel that is in heaven

According to the Five-Wits, priests are more powerful than angels. This reflects the prevalent role of priests in medieval society. In most European villages, the clergy were the moral leaders. However, the character of Knowledge mentions that priests are not perfect, and some of them have committed egregious sins. The discussion concludes with a general endorsement of the Church as the surest path to salvation.

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Everyman: Morality Play

By anonymous - everyman, everyman: morality play essay questions.

Imagine that you are the director of a production of Everyman . Describe the choices you would make to bring the play to life, focusing on acting, set design, costume, music and lights.

This question asks you to consider Everyman as a play in the theatre, and to consider ways of translating it to the stage. Remember that we have no evidence Everyman was performed on stage in the late medieval period, so it might be worth you looking carefully at the text for clues as to how an original production (if indeed there was one) might have dealt with the play in production.

Everyman is primarily a play about death. Do you agree?

This question asks you to examine a statement about the play and consider how much you agree with it. Remember that, with questions like this, it is always good to see two sides to the story: in some ways the play is about death, but it is also about other things - and a good essay will weigh up both sides before coming to a conclusion.

Is Everyman himself a sympathetic figure? Should he be?

This question asks you to consider the central character, Everyman, and consider whether or not he has the sympathies of the audience, before looking more generally at the role he has to play within the structure of the play as a whole should be sympathetic. Do you feel sorry for him? Would a medieval Christian audience have pitied him?

Everyman 's tone is extremely simple: like a reading from the Bible, it exists only to reinforce the Christianity of its audience, not to shock them or change them in any way. Do you agree?

This is another question that asks you to consider a statement made about the play. In this instance, I would advocate disagreeing with the idea that Everyman's tone is "extremely simple" (see the Summary and Analysis section of this note for more information) - it is sometimes incredibly difficult to pin down. Remember to weigh up arguments for the statement and against the statement before coming to a conclusion.

Allegorical characters simply make for boring, didactic drama. Do you agree?

This question asks you to look specifically at the use of allegorical figures - in Everyman , this is almost every character except God, Death, the Angel and the Doctor! How do they work dramatically - are they simply boring, two-dimensional mouthpieces for a single viewpoint? Or, perhaps, can they be more complex and more interesting? It is, again, helpful to weigh up both sides before concluding.

Watch Ingmar Bergman's 1956 film 'The Seventh Seal', taking careful notes. Compare and contrast the presentation of the relationship between man and Death in both this film and Everyman .

This question asks you, somewhat unusually, to make a comparison cross-media, between an old play and a more modern film. The two works do not necessarily have any overt connection, but there is clearly good thematic reasons for considering them together. Ask yourself first about Death - is he personified? How is he dressed? What does he say? Why has he come? How does man react? Who is the 'Everyman' figure? These questions should give you more than enough information to get started!

Examine closely the discussion of the priesthood in this play. What do you think is the purpose of the writer in including this material?

This question asks you to speculate about the writer's intention in the discussion of the priesthood that happens in the final third of the play. Remember that two opposing perspectives are put: there are speeches made praising priests, and some condemning sinful priests. It might also be a good idea to look up some of the religious and historical context for Everyman to understand more about clerical abuses.

Examine the presentation of God, Death and the Angel in Everyman , paying attention to the doctrine of what they say, and the way they might be brought to life on stage.

This question asks you to pay attention to the way the play dramatizes three figures about whom the audience might already have expectations. Consider what they say (and where its foundation is in Catholicism) but also how they say it - what sort of character do they each seem to be? How might they be dressed?

Examine the theme of clothing and garments in Everyman .

This question asks you to trace a theme throughout the play as a whole. Firstly, read the text and note down any time clothes or garments are mentioned (don't forget stage directions!). Then, try and construct a broader argument about what that theme appears to mean - what is its relevance to the other themes and issues in the play?

What do you think the allegory in Everyman is trying to teach its audience? How is this message made clearer by being told using allegorical means?

This questions asks you to consider the play's use of allegory, to outline broadly what you think the play is trying to teach its audience, and then to consider how the two fit together. Why might some ideas be better told using allegory? Why might allegory be a "good fit" for certain types of lessons? (See Summary & Analysis for Section 2 for more help).

Compare and contrast Everyman with Mankind . Do you think the somberness of the former or the humor of the latter is a more effective means of communicating the Christian message?

This question asks you to read and compare two morality plays, and then to weigh up which one you think is more effective. There is, remember, no single right answer to this question, so you need to support your opinion with textual evidence. What do you think the best way to teach is - through seriousness or through humor? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?

Everyman: Morality Play Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Everyman: Morality Play is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Discuss Everyman as an Allegorical play?

Everyman uses allegory as a means of teaching moral lessons. Everyman's journey, his life and death, allegorically represents Christian's journey. Everyman represents humanity as a whole,

In the play Everyman, what is common to Discretion, Strength, Five Wits, and Beauty?

They all forsake him on his final journey.

Importance of ending as reflected to the play, Everyman.

Everyman, as Good Deeds accompanies him to the grave, seems to speak directly to the audience – now, in the words of G.A. Lester “as firm in understanding as he was formerly in ignorance”:

Take example, all ye that this do hear or see How they...

Study Guide for Everyman: Morality Play

Everyman: Morality Play study guide contains literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Everyman: Morality Play
• Everyman: Morality Play Summary
• Character List

Essays for Everyman: Morality Play

Everyman: Morality Play essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Everyman and other Miracle and Morality Plays.

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• Spirituality and the trappings of the material world in medieval morality plays
• Examining Allegory: A Versatile Concept in Beowulf, Everyman, and Mother!
• Morality Plays or Mortality Plays: Religion in 'Everyman' and 'The Brome Play of Abraham and Isaac'

Lesson Plan for Everyman: Morality Play

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Everyman: Morality Play
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Everyman: Morality Play Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Everyman: Morality Play

• Introduction
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Everyman — A Theme Of Death In Everyman, A Morality Play

A Theme of Death in Everyman, a Morality Play

• Categories: Everyman

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Words: 1011 |

Published: May 17, 2022

Words: 1011 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Arem, H. (2018). The Connection Between Physical Activity and Life Expectancy. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-connection-between-physical-activity-and-life-expectancy-2018072514384
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight.
• Harvard School of Public Health. (2022). Healthy Eating Plate.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2019). The Nutrition Source.
• Hill, J. O., & Wyatt, H. R. (2005). Role of Physical Activity in Preventing and Treating Obesity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 99(2), 765-770. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00023.2005
• Mayo Clinic. (2022). Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2019). Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Across Your Lifespan.
• O'Donovan, G., Blazevich, A. J., Boreham, C., Cooper, A. R., Crank, H., Ekelund, U., . . . Stamatakis, E. (2010). The ABC of Physical Activity for Health: A consensus statement from the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(6), 573-591. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2010.484027
• Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. (2018). 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/PAG_Advisory_Committee_Report.pdf
• World Health Organization. (2022). Diet and Physical Activity.

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Essay Samples on Everyman

Everyman, a timeless allegorical play, delves into the universal journey of the human soul. This remarkable piece of literature, believed to have been written in the late 15th century, resonates with audiences across generations.

In this thought-provoking play, the protagonist, Everyman, represents all of humanity. He embarks on a profound pilgrimage, facing the inevitability of death and grappling with the weight of his own actions. Everyman’s journey becomes an allegory for the human struggle with mortality, morality, and the pursuit of eternal salvation.

How to Write a Essay on Everyman

When writing an essay, there are numerous fascinating Everyman essay topics to explore. For example:

• You could delve into the religious and moral implications within the play, analyzing the representation of virtues and vices.
• Alternatively, you might examine the character development of Everyman and how it reflects the complexities of human nature.
• Furthermore, exploring the historical and cultural context of the play can provide valuable insights into its enduring significance.

To craft a compelling Everyman essay, begin by immersing yourself in the play. Read it carefully, taking note of key themes, symbols, and character dynamics. Conduct thorough research on the historical context and the play’s literary influences. Develop a strong thesis statement that encapsulates your unique perspective on the text. Support your arguments with evidence from the play, relevant scholarly sources, and critical analyses.

Immerse yourself in Everyman’s profound journey and unleash the power of your words in exploring the depths of human existence. Explore the vast array of Everyman essay topics and embark on a captivating exploration of this timeless allegory.

The Use of Allegory And Other Literary Devices In "Everyman"

Written anonymously, the morality play, Everyman, is a literary masterpiece that dates back to medieval times. Its words and teachings continue to influence many to this day. The allegorical play lists the main character by the name, Everyman; a person who is confronted by the...

• Allegory in Literature

Theme of Death in The Summoning of Everyman

Death is sudden, certain, universal and private; yet it is not to be feared, because with good deeds, it is never the end of life, but only the continuation of it from one form to another. In the morality play The Summoning of Everyman, simply...

• Literature Review

Exploring Themes and Characters in Trifles and Everyman

Trifles by Susan Glaspell and Everyman by Anonymous are two plays that explore various themes and characters in different ways. Despite the differences in genre and time period, both plays present a powerful commentary on human nature and societal norms. Trifles is a play that...

Comparison of Plays: Everyman vs. Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus and Everyman by an anonymous playwright are morality plays, written and published at different periods. Marlowe’s play was written and first published in the Renaissance-era, approximately 1604, and then revised in 1616 (Jump). As a genre study, Doctor Faustus embodies...

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A Study of The Somonynge of Every Man

Better known as Everyman, this play is considered the greatest example of the medieval morality play. Written by an unknown author in the late fifteenth century, the play was judged to be only of a historical value. However, it was successfully revived on stage at...

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1. The Use of Allegory And Other Literary Devices In “Everyman”

2. Theme of Death in The Summoning of Everyman

3. Exploring Themes and Characters in Trifles and Everyman

4. Comparison of Plays: Everyman vs. Doctor Faustus

5. A Study of The Somonynge of Every Man

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OPINION - So who wore it best? Keir Starmer vs Rishi Sunak general election style race: our verdict

I n this day and age, campaign optics are as critical as any professed policy. Just look at Nigel Farage’s confrontational Union Jack socks. For their July 4 reckoning, Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have both leant into a strong and stable polish. 

They are impeccably clean shaven at all times, hair as solid and compact as a Lego figurine, attempting to signal that there is no chaos here, not a follicle is out of place, you can trust us (compare and contrast with the chaos of Boris Johnson’s comically unwieldy blonde thatch and Jeremy Corbyn’s scruffy beard). 

In terms of their wardrobe what can be divined? Multi-millionaire Sunak favours his much-tittered scant-of-leg Savile Row suits by Henry Herbert (about £3,500), while Sir Keir is more man of the high street in his reportedly Charles Tyrwhitt numbers (from £350). The Labour leader has levelled up his opticals — stylistically at least, his new Garrett Leight Hampton 1001s are £300 cheaper than his previous bland, outdated square metal yet £500 frames — in come the more Hackney-esque rounded rims which add a certain confidence. 

Sunak recently toted a £750 Tumi rucksack on the train to one of the country’s most deprived areas. But, he’s exceptionally rich. It may have appeared tone deaf, but at least it’s authentic. It would have been more crass to have brought along his briefing papers in a specially purchased Primark shopper. You shouldn’t need to cosplay as your constituents to understand them. 

I don’t have an issue with politicians spending money on their clothes. Why would you? They are both wealthy men in the public eye representing our country, they should be well dressed. 

Reactionary headlines over £500 jackets abound, still. But so what? I’d rather Sir Keir wore British rather than the natty Sandro number some got their knickers in a twist over, but it sums up a tedious collective attitude to clothing that it’s somehow frivolous and stupid to invest in it. It’s no wonder our home-grown fashion industry is floundering. Who wants to be led by someone in a cheap suit churned out of a factory paying its workers a pittance? Fashion is a helpful way of deciphering personality. Arguably, in their identikit suiting there is little to tell them apart. 

The only insight we’re getting is through their everyman attempts at casuals. Sunak once again leaning into his grey Everlane hoodie (£123), as well as stretchy beige chinos which look like the sort of thing they sell on three for two deals in the back of Sunday supplements, and age him at least 20 years. 

Vogue-star Sir Keir has more bite here. The £50 England hoodie was awful, obviously, the jeans trad-Dad-bad. But I can get on board with his mod-ish Stone Island polo shirts and worn-in Adidas (versus Sunak’s painfully box-fresh Sambas), there is, at least, a glimmer of the individual in there. Campaigning of course brings out the awkward reality that politicians need to look like normal people.

They’re not, clearly. But I know who I’d rather walk into the pub with. 

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