The Percepciont of Death on the Play "Everyman"

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Everyman is a Christian morality play written during the 1400s. No one yet knows who wrote this play. It is said that Everyman is the English translation of similar Dutch morality play of the same period called Elckerlijc. Everyman is generally represented as the best and most original example of the English morality play. “Like other morality plays from the late medieval period, it is meant to communicate a simple moral lesson to both educated and illiterate audiences” (Gyamfi & Schmidt, 2011). “Everyman” is about a man who is content with his life when Death calls and tells him about his end. The author has used metaphorical names for characters to show up the moral of the play. “Everyman” is a metaphorical story that shows the value of life and death. In the play Everyman, death is exemplified and treated as a messenger of God that goes to visit Everyman. Everyman is a character that represents human and everything that human have to go through in life until the Day of Judgment. The author of the play uses Death as a character to portray a real truth that all human will have to face. The word "death" attracts people's attention because it is a strong word. Death strikes a fear in people’s heart and it is a truth of life that every human will have to face it one day. The author knows the effects of death and he uses it in the play as a character to attract the reader. A character Death is used as an allegorical picture of physical death and is under God's control. Death is sent to Earth by God to judge Everyman. The story is shown as life lessons for others in the path they have chosen in their lives. The play starts with "here beginneth a treatise how the High Father of Heaven sendeth Death to summon every creature to come a... ... middle of paper ... ...ted Aston, E. & Savona, G. (1991). Theatre as Sign-system: A Semiotics of Text and Performance. New York, NY: Routledge Fitzgerald, C.M. & Sebatian, J.(2013). The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Drama. Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Press. Gyamfi, Y.A. & Schmidt, M.R. (2011). Literature and Spirituality. Everyman. Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Inc. Paulson, J. (2007). Deaths Arrival and Everyman’s Separation. Theatre Survey.(48)1.121-141. Retrieved on March 5, 2014, from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0040557407000397 Spinrad, P.S.(1987). The Summons of Death on the Medieval and Renaissance English Sage. Retrieved on 6 March, 2014, from https://ohiostatepress.org/Books/Complete%20PDFs/Spinrad%20Summons/01.pdf Van Laan, T.F. (1963). Everyman: A Structural Analysis. (78)5. 466-467. Retrieved on 6 March 2014, from, http://www.jstor.org/discover

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