Everyman: A 15th Century Morality Play of Life & Death - Essay Sample

Introduction

Everyman is a morality play written in the fifteen century by an anonymous individual. The ply was first published in 1508, and it mainly relates through allegory the tale of a man who is dying and the qualities and items he values most, which attend to him in his death. The play primarily opens with a messenger who is preparing the way for God. After the opening mediation, the messenger commands death to seek Everyman and warn him that God will judge Everyman's soul (Nilsson, 2018). Moreover, as death is inevitable, it mainly does not agree with Everyman, and it reminds that it comes for all individuals at its own time, and no one can cause any delay. Therefore, Everyman tries to get a companion who can accompany him to face God.

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Every man goes to different people to ask them if they can accompany him to face God, and they include his friends who are allegorically represented by the Fellowship. Fellowship abandons him, and he then turns to his family, who also abandon him. Saddened by this, he turns to Goods, which he spends most of his time collecting for the luxuries and pleasures of life (Badir, 2017). However, the goods are perishable and cannot accompany him to his journey, and this leaves him alone to walk alone over his fate. Everyman starts to think of his Good Deeds, but his sins are more than his Good Deeds (Nilsson, 2018). His Good advice him to consult his Knowledge and Knowledge plays a crucial role as he confesses and makes sincere regret of his past life. His Good Deeds then gain the courage and rise to accompany him.

Good Deeds then request Everyman to call his other traits, which are Beauty, Strength, Five Wits, and Discretion, who help in the journey. All the men are now happy and support him and give some suggestions and wisdom to face death (Schermbrucker, 2015). Primarily, they all wish to stand with him to face death, but when the moment arrives, the first to leave is Beauty, followed by Strength, and all the other follow except his Good Deeds. He now realizes that only Good Deeds gives people company up to the grave (Meshram). He is received by an Angel, and because of his Good Deeds, his suffering, and his sincere confession, he is allowed to enter Heaven.

The Author's Perception of Death and Treatment of Death in Every Man

Death is an unavoidable part of life, and everything has its end. In the play Everyman, the author looks at death as a spiritual process that naturally takes place. Moreover, no individual or human being is able to prevent its occurrence (Meshram). Importantly, the author emphasizes that each individual perceives death in different ways. Some people may see death as a way of salvation and become close to God, while other people are afraid of death. Therefore, it is evident that paly (Lester, 2014).

The author uses emotions, spiritual believes, and faith in God to perceive death. Death is not based on specific facts, evidence, or knowledge in the story. Moreover, the story indicates that death is an individualized life journey, although humanity has similar thoughts and wants bout eternal life and death. Therefore, people believe in God because they want to, and they want to because they have various motives and reasons regarding death.

Primarily, in the play, the author's perception regarding death is straight forward. Mainly, through his moral story, the author indicates that death and its treatment can be argued as part of God's existence (Hadfield, 2012). This is because of the strict norms, conceptions death, and the rule is impossible to avoid. Consequently, the author drives the narrative that death can be beaten through religious practices, high moral ground, strong faith in God, and hope for eternity. Moreover, through particular personifications, abstractions, and interactions in a morality play, the author indicates that only people with Good Deeds acts according to God's laws.

Consequently, people's right choices along life's path can allow them to stand before God and Death in the judgment day (Schermbrucker, 2015). The author portrays death as something people are afraid of. From the play, it is evident that Everyday man looks people to accompany him to face God. His family and friends abandon him in this journey to face God (Hadfield, 2012). The only person who decides to accompany him id only Good Deeds, and this happens after he repents his sins. This teaches that the only way to get to enter even is if people do not sin. Everyman sins are more significant than his Good Deeds, but when he repents, he is able to find his way to even.

Importantly, in the play Everyman, Death is mainly a spiritual occurrence, and the body, mind, and all physical manifestations of life can be said to be temporary. Primarily, its soul is permanent, as is God. Moreover, each individual should expect death, but people should live with gal immorality (Lester, 2014).

People should also treat death as a way or path to Heaven. The author also states that what was one's earthly actions can prevent him or hear from entering Heaven. Death as a character in the play is under the control of God as it is part of God (Badir, 2017). Death is also strict, and God cares only if the person dying has avoided the seven sines, and God cannot accept gifts or bribes. In the play, death is unavoidable, and it can only be beaten through repentance, Christianity, and seeking eternity in Heaven through God.

Conclusion

To sum up, the morality play indicates that death and human existence are closely connected, and they depend on each other. The author's perception and treatment of death in the play are the death is a spiritual process that occurs naturally, and people cannot prevent its occurrence. The only thing that human beings can do to beat death is to repent and have a strong faith in God, hope for eternity, follow honest concepts, and develop trust to cope with the fearful thoughts and emotions of death occurring. Moreover, the author perceives death as a spiritual process in which the human body, mind, and physical functions are all temporary. Although the play indicates the story as a scary thing and a tragedy to humanity where all people are afraid of its occurrence. The play also teaches people to analyze their behaviors and actions on their life path, evaluate their life desires and choices, set the right priorities and goals, and treat death as a path or way to go to Heaven.

References

Badir, P. (2017). Everyman. The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain, 1-3.

Hadfield, A. (2012). The Summoning of Everyman. In The Oxford Handbook of Tudor Drama.

Lester, G. A. (Ed.). (2014). Three Late Medieval Morality Plays: Everyman, Mankind and Mundus et Infans: A New Mermaids Anthology. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Meshram, V. Depiction of Moral Degradation of Everyman Through Fantasy in Elkunchwar's "Reflection".

Nilsson, E. (2018). Bringing Death to Life: The Personifications of Death in Zusak's The Book Thief, Moore's A Dirty Job and Pendle's Death: A Life.

Schermbrucker, B. (2015). "There's No Remaking Reality": Roth and the Embodied Human Condition in Everyman. Philip Roth Studies, 11(2), 39-53.