Everyman is an English morality play written in the fifteenth century by an anonymous author based on the early Dutch morality. One man, in particular, Everyman, seeks worldly pleasures and is not thankful to God for what he has; God sends Death to bring him, Everyman. When Death meets Everyman, Everyman is surprised and asks him why he has come; Death tells Everyman that he has forgotten God, seeing as he is living an evil life. Consequently, Death asks Everyman to account to God for his lifestyle. Everyman tries to bribe Death for him to come another time but Death tells Everyman that if he were to take bribes, then the richest men in the world would have never died (Roth 2006). Everyman makes fails attempts, desperate to save himself from his impending death. Eventually, he goes to confession and in his grave, Good Deeds, and knowledge save his soul as Discretion, Strength and Beauty leave him. Although Everyman is a play written in the 15th century, it is currently applicable as it gives a universal message (Anonymous 2012). The play Everyman is written from a Christian point of view, and the author uses death not only as God’s messenger but also as a way of making people reflect on their way of living in order for them to confess their sins and get eternal life with God.
Treatment and Perception of Death
Everyman is a religious morality play whose main character represents all of the people on earth. Moreover, the author has personified different virtues and vices to fit as characters in the play. It shows how people live in sin and abandon their spiritual lives on earth, in spite of the fact that their worldly obsessions cannot spare them death (Chesterton & Ker2011). The author focuses on different themes, the main one of which is death. The play talks about death as something that puts an end to the efforts of man on earth. It perceives death as God’s messenger; an inevitable path to redemption and eternity.
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God’s Messenger
The author represents God as the originator of death; this is seen when Death is sent to Everyman, and as a messenger, Death has to deliver the message that he bears, regardless of its content as it is the express word of God. As Death is the messenger of God, he does not conform to the wishes of men. For instance, he declines Everyman’s attempted bribery of him to delay his coming (Woodworth 2002). Although Everyman fears Death, he cannot understand Death’s reverence of God, who in fact, is the supreme controller of the universe.
Death is inevitable
Everyman cannot escape death in spite of his evident material affluence. This is because of Death, as it occurs, is indiscriminate in its treatment of men. Even Everyman’s confession of his sins and consequent character reformation do not spare him death (Workman 2007). Moreover, death is a personal matter for even Everyman’s cousin cannot accompany him on his death.
Redemption and Repentance
Death is not always a bad thing; the fear of death brings people to repentance and conviction. In the play, God sends Death to lead Everyman who is in his final days, and when Everyman realizes that he cannot escape Death, he comes to repentance and his soul is saved. Moreover, Everyman sees the importance of Good Deeds in life. Consequently, he reconsiders his obsession with worldly riches. Good Deeds becomes the final hope for Everyman to enter eternal life and as such, it is clear that death shows people the way to repentance and redemption through their actions and that, it also shows people the importance of saving their souls for eternal life (Van Laan 2008).
End of Life
When death comes, it marks the end to a person’s dreams, inspirations in life, friendships and family relationships, and talents amongst other worldly activities. In the play, Everyman’s death occasions his loss of personal attributes. These include his strength, beauty, and discretion. Notably, even though a person retains his soul long after his death, usually in no way is he in a position to determine its fate. Conversely, its fate is determined following a consideration of the person’s deeds whilst he was still alive. (Spice & Roth 2006). Also, death opens men to the irrelevance of material possessions with respect to life after death. This perception signifies the importance of spiritualism, seeing as God alone determines the positions of men after their death.
Conclusion
The play uses death to show that people can live their lives without fear if they recognize that God is in control of their end. The performance of good deeds, alongside a strong commitment to God, are the keys to eternal life. Furthermore, spiritualism is more essential to the human existence than materialism, seeing as it is the only assurance of eternal life. The author also talks to the audience about the importance of choosing Christian ideals to learn the love of God and be saved as judgment will happen at death; the soul of Everyman is judged at his grave. Since everyone will face death, it is essential to repent in order to join the Christian hope and faith in eternal life after death.
References
Anonymous (2012). Everyman . Dover Publications.
Chesterton, G. K., & In Ker, I. T. (2011). The Everyman Chesterton . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roth, P. (January 01, 2006). Everyman. Raritan, 26, 1, 51-63.
Spice, N., & Roth, P. (January 01, 2006). Everyman. The London Review of Books, 28, 10, 3.
Van Laan, T. F. (2008). Everyman: A structural analysis. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America , 465-475.
Woodworth, B. D. (January 01, 2002). Everyman: [review of The miracle life of Edgar Mint]. Sunstone.
Workman, S. (March 21, 2007). Everyman. Jama, 297, 11, 1259.
