Everyman analysis

624 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Art and literature in the middle ages

“I am Death, who no man dreadeth; For every man I arrest, and no man spare, For it is God’s commandment that all to me should be obedient.”

Medieval theatre started in the 550’s. The people of the Byzantine Empire kept Greek and Roman plays alive until the collapse of the empire in 1453. In western Europe, however, Christians abolished theater since they didn’t approve of it. In the 550’s, they were faced with the challenge of explaining biblical events to a largely illiterate audience, since during the time all masses were held in Latin. As a result, Medieval plays started out as liturgical dramas. These were short plays performed in churches, and also, the lines were sung responsively by two groups. There were no actors. The first known liturgical drama was called “Quem Quaeritis”, “Whom do you seek?”. After people, especially members of trade guilds, started to perform plays outside of church in the 1200’s, they were usually performed in the common language. Also, there were no specific buildings for theatre. Therefore, people used whatever available spaces they could find.

Plays in the Middle Ages were emblematic, meaning that all costumes and props were symbolic. For example, an animal mouth symbolized hell and a revolving globe heaven. There were three kinds of plays: mystery plays, miracle plays and morality plays. Mystery plays were about Christ or the Old Testament. Morality plays, also called didactic allegories,told the story of good versus evil, and were usually about a common man’s struggle for salvation. Miracle plays were historical, dramatized lives of Roman Catholic saints. The dramatic techniques of the time included high seriousness...

... middle of paper ...

...ession, Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Five wits. The play addresses very clearly, how not all things matter in life. What really matters is what’s inside and how you lives your life. “Everything in our lives is fleeting, with the exception of our acts of kindness and charity.”(Wade Bradford)

Altogether, Everyman is a play with a high moral. It is a play that can still teach people something valuable with its themes, ever to this day. The overall message of the play is that relatives and friends (as reliable as they may seem) pale in comparison to the steady companionship of God.

.

Works Cited

Cummings, Michael. Everyman: A Morality Play. cummingsstudyguides.com 2005

Bradford, Wade. Everyman - Part Two of Study Guide for "Everyman". plays.about.com. web 20 Dec 2013

.
Jokinen, Anniina. “Everyman: An Introduction.” Luminarium. 21 January 2010

Show More
Related

  • How Act 2, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet May Have Been Staged

    2215 Words  | 5 Pages

    Open in London in 1599, William Shakespeare’s Globe theatre grew to be recognized as the most popular playhouse in the region and home to some of the greatest players in England. The King’s Men, previously the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, were a playing company for whom Shakespeare was a member of for most of his career. They frequently performed in the Globe and staged many of Shakespeare’s works. Nevertheless, the lack of stagecraft information provided from these XVI century texts has made it hard to interpret how Shakespeare originally intended his plays to be performed in the Globe. In particular, the famous tragedy of Romeo and Juliet suggests that there are many alternative staging options for each scene. However, from a close reading of the play-text as a manual for performance, it is possible to describe how the play may have been staged, specifically in Act 2, Scene 1, by analysing elements such as the acting measures, the costume design and the stage setting.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Comparison Essay

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    To conclude, reading the plays of Shakespeare is not only about an entertainment, there is more about learning manhood and the importance of the role that morality plays in everyday life. That is the reason of Shakespeare’s plays are so popular because through his work, he illustrates that: life is a play, which is performed on the earth stage, and his world stage will continue influences the past, modern and further.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragedies in the Greek and Renaissance theater were very effective in portraying the social and religious constraints that tainted society. Both playwrights, through the use of their ingenuity and vast literary knowledge were able to perfect and display such flawless spectacles. The differences and similarities between Greek tragedy and Renaissance tragedy, although vast, can be narrowed down to the audience. Greek and Renaissance theater targeted very different audiences that demanded a certain type of play in order to be entertained.

    Read More

  • A Streetcar Named Desire

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    of it. The play deals with the social intolerance of gay men and unfit women.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Medieval Era

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    intended to help reinforce the importance of God and religion people's lives (Everyman). The play

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Plays

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the time of Shakespeare the theatre was much different than it is today. There was much stricter rules and guidelines, as well as limitations that were placed on the actors. Throughout Shakespeare’s own life the theatre had changed a lot, which it still continues to do even today. Many of the actors in Shakespeare’s time were restricted to practicing the art of acting on the city’s streets (Rosmanitz). Both the Church and the police limited these practices as they thought it would promote bad behavior and keep the people out of the Church. Before some of the theatres were constructed the actors would perform in the courtyards of inns or sometimes even the homes of noblemen (Britannica). Some influential people such as Queen Elizabeth, truly enjoyed going to the theatre and watching the actors perform, to which she helped promote these practices (Rosmanitz). New reigning popularity of the theatre caused the construction of theatres to be built outside the city’s limits.

    Read More

  • Love, Anger, and Impulsiveness: Emotions That Impact Behavior

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...onnects his audience to the characters and although the play is written for the Elizabethan era, it remains pertinent by invoking the notion of human nature. He implements themes of love, anger, and impulsiveness and demonstrates the influence these emotions have on human behavior. It is evident that because human nature is constant, people have and will continue to be affected by these emotions.

    Read More

  • Skakespeare and his style of writing

    2363 Words  | 5 Pages

    This is how Shakespeare’s plays are a product of the Elizabethan theatrical context in which they were first performed.

    Read More

  • Essay On Elizabethan Theatre

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theater in the Elizabethan Era changed the way people lived, and vice versa. Without theater back in the 16th century, life today could, and would, be very different. The Theatre in the Elizabethan Era was greatly impacted on the different historical events that were in the Era and they were mirrored in many plays, specifically Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. Other people could argue that theater was merely another extracurricular activity people could partake in. However, facts collected over the years have shown that theater was very important to the people whether it was back in the 1500’s or now in the 21st century, theater is still a huge impact on daily life.

    Read More

  • All For Love: More Sentiment than Tragedy

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    The heroic play was the special product of the Restorations drama. The Puritan rule closed the theatre in England in 1642. But the drama retained its hold under the Cromwell government. The playwright William Davenant obtained permission to stage a play called ¡§The Siege of Rhodes¡¨ an opera* in 1656. To this opera pattern, Dryden contributed the heroic play, ¡§The Conquest of Granada¡¨. In it he cited examples of the ancient Greek writer Ariosto, with his story of love and valour (great bravery) as to his conception of the heroic play. Thus the heroic play combined some of the features of an Epic poem with some features of drama but was utterly unlike Elizabethan tragedy. This kind of the play was, generally, written in Heroic Couplets. Dryden's major heroic plays like ¡¥Indian Emperor¡¦, 'Tyranic Love', ¡¥The Conquest of Granada¡¦, ¡¥Aureng Zebe' are more than heroic plays. After 1675 Dryden gave up writing heroic plays. (Opera: Drama in which all or part of the dialogue is sung, and which contains instrumental overtures (proposition), interludes, and accompaniments. Types of musical theatre closely related to opera include musical comedy and operetta.)

    Read More

  • Greek Theater Analysis

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many cultural enthusiasts, archaeologists, and architects have a common interest in theatre and its origins. People from a few decades back have located the remaining of the oldest theatres in Greece, England, France and some parts of minor Asia. Theatre was a part of people’s lives as it was one of the few sources of entertainment, and it was originated from when people collectively sit in a gathering and listen to a storyteller. There were performances done by different people present at that moment. Later on, this activity kept improving and innovating, and in the result, many theaters for entertaining purposes were built by emperors who ruled the countries or kingdom in those days. The design of these theatres

    Read More

  • Essay On Greek Theater

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since there was a limited number of actors allowed on-stage, few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform on-stage. The chorus quickly evolved into a very active part of Greek theater. Theatrical culture began to flourish throughout Greece during the year 700 BC. Tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays were the theatrical forms that were performed in the theaters. During this time tragedy and comedy were viewed as completely separate genres. While the Satyr plays dealt with the mythological subject in comic manner. Every Greek theater consisted of three main elements, the orchestra, the skene and the audience.

    Read More

  • Greek Theater Chorus

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Drama and Theater in the Ancient World." Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World. Facts On File, 2007. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. In the early ancient time people preformed without scripts or line. Bogucki states “The nature of these performances was often dictated by geography.” They were very spontaneous. Their performances occurred to celebrate victory in battle, births marriages, and also as well to mourn the dead, or fertility. When it comes to theater it was based off religious elements. The performance where made to honor or appease a God. In India the earliest performances where based off sacred texts. Dramatic presentations became common in Ancient India, Japan, and China. They often used makeup, mask, costumes, and other conventions. Most performances where done outside. The theaters resembled modern time. According to Bogucki “The development of theater as the word is understood in modern times began with the ancient Greeks and Roman.” A lot of the plays performed by the ancient Greeks where Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The Greeks distinguish tragedies and comedies with comic play. The Ancient Romans continued the Greeks tradition. The Romans as well performed the Greeks play, but produced their own

    Read More

  • Greek and Elizabethan Theatre

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    of interest to the play making it a great play to read and also act

    Read More

More about Everyman analysis

Open Document