English Morality Play Everyman

2037 Words5 Pages

In the English morality play “Everyman”, whose author is unknown, characters of the play try to find what Everyman really values in his life. When Everyman realizes that he has not been living a life focused on God. Instead, Everyman has been focusing more on worldly issues and riches than he should have. Once the play goes on further, Everyman is then approached by a character, whose name is Death. At that time, Everyman notices that he is about to die. However, he also realizes that all the earthly things that he had once held on to now mean nothing and will end up abandoning him. Everyman knows he must repent of his sins. He is also on the look out for someone to go along with him on this journey so that he could show an account of his own life to God.

In the beginning of the play, the Messenger, who reads the prologue, talks about the purpose of the play. This shows us our life, our death, and how everyone is constantly changing. Once the Messenger has finished, God speaks up about how all of His creation is not serving him in the most proper way. People live with fear, and don’t even think about heaven or their judgment that will happen at the end of their life. People live for their own pleasure, but they still aren’t content with their life like they could be. Every day, things on earth get worse, and God gets torn up and more upset as each day goes on.

After God has finished speaking, he calls his “mighty messenger” in, also known as Death. If Death sees people with any worldly goods or riches he will strike them down with his dart and then they will be sent to hell for eternity. Next Death says, “Except if Alms be his good friend”. The word “alms” basically means the act of good deeds. In summary, if someone were to ha...

... middle of paper ...

...e we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

Works Cited

Fletcher, Alan J. "Everyman An Unrecorded Sermon Analogue." English Studies 66.4 (1985): 296. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Garner Jr., Stanton B. "Theatricality In Mankind And Everyman." Studies In Philology 84.3 (1987): 272. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Homan, Richard L. "The Everyman Movie, Circa 1991." Journal Of Popular Film And Television 25.(1997): 21-30. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Keyishian, Harry. "The Summoning Of Everyman." Shakespeare Bulletin 26.3 (2008): 45-48. Humanities International Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986

Rasmussen, Eric. "Shakespeare's Use Of Everyman In Timon Of Athens." American Notes & Queries 23.9/10 (1985): 131. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Show More
Related

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth - The Proud Characters of Macbeth and Duncan

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clark, W.G., and W. Aldis Wirhgt, eds. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol 2. USA: Nd. 2 vols.

    Read More

  • Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's On Death And Dying?

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Otherwise we never acknowledge him (Paulson 122). The author perceives death as a denial of humanity. Which makes character treat death us a surprise to his existent (Goldhamer 5). It perceives man being to concern about worldly matters that forget to acknowledge God. Everyman used "blind," as a metaphor to acknowledge how people react when they think about death (Goldhamer 3). As the book of Isaiah when it describes the true advocates when they recognize that they are sinners, who confess their sin and lament deeply by its situation but seems hopeless. "We touch the wall like the blind, and fondled to walk like no eyes..." (Isaiah 59:11). Of all the creatures that God made human beings are by far the supreme and more complex. However, because of pride humans often forget that God is its creator, that are created beings, and which are therefore dependent on God. God sends Death to Everyman because of their ignorance toward him (Goldhamer 2). On some point of our lives we well have to give an account for our actions. Death warns the hero that "before God thou shalt answer" (107). In other words, Death tries to frighten the reader and the character (Goldhamer 3). Death can appear when least expected. Just like the coming of God. The play tries to teach the reader that this is why we should live a life of righteousness before the lord (Goldhamer 3)

    Read More

  • Othello’s Copious Imagery

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kernan, Alvin. “Othello: and Introduction.” Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Alfred Harbage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1964.

    Read More

  • Henry V by William Shakespeare

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.

    Read More

  • The Fool as a Playwright in Twelfth Night

    2845 Words  | 6 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.

    Read More

  • Othello is Not a Tragic Hero

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.

    Read More

  • The New Negro Movement

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    Theatre Journal 37.4 (1985): 426-439. Print. Wheeler, Kip. " Literary Terms and Definitions M." Literary Terms and Definitions "M" Carson-Newman University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Love in Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest

    1958 Words  | 4 Pages

    Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Romantic Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Othello's Speech

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1

    Read More

  • Perception of Death in the Play “Everyman"

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play “everyman” death is depicted as something that is terribly feared as no one seemed ready for it, death is perceived as something that takes one away from the pleasures of this world.

    Read More

  • Yank’s Absurd Inheritance in The Hairy Ape

    3197 Words  | 7 Pages

    Worthen, William B. Modern Drama and the Rhetoric of Theater. Berkeley: U of California P, 1992.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Death In Everyman

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyman then asks the question we all would ask since we would not go with death willingly. Everyman tries to bribe death into postponing his long journey. With his life book not fulfilled, and nothing to show God. Everyman begins to question his mortality.

    Read More

  • Freedom and Servitude in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    3352 Words  | 7 Pages

    James, D.G. (Excerpt from a series of lectures delivered in 1965 at University College, London.) The Shakespeare Criticism Volume 8. Gale Research Inc., Detroit. 1989: 429-434.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Play "EveryMan" by Anonymous Author

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this play Everyman makes a point and big emphasis that death is inevitable to every human being. This play is simply in its morality and in its story. You shouldn’t be so keen on all the material things in life and forget the purpose of your life. Your personal pleasures are merely transitory, but the eternal truth of life is that death is imminent and is eternal. It is the bitter truth that everyone has to accept it. If you are born you will die one day. Science does not believe in religion. But one day Science will also end in Religion. Everyone should live their life fearful of God and accept Christ as their Savior.

    Read More

More about English Morality Play Everyman

Open Document