Source
Introduction/ Thesis-
the thesis statement- the perception and treatment of death in Everyman
Death is shown in a way that Medieval audiences would understand
Summary of the Play
The summary tells the story of Everyman who is trying to find someone to go see God with him.
Medieval Concept of Death
Death was seen as something that was inevitable.
Life was also seen as something that a person only got one chance at.
Fear of Death equals fear of God
Death as God’s Servant
God is in ultimate control of a person’s life.
Death is required to gain access to God
Death Provides the way for Repentance
It is only when a person realizes that everything they thought was important was just interfering with their good will.
People are given a chance to see the error of their ways
Conclusion-
Reiterates that death in a way a Medieval audience would find comfortable.
Death motivates people to come to God
Bibliography
Introduction/Thesis
The Summoning of Everyman or as it is better known Everyman is a morality play that was written by an unknown author. Morality plays were plays that were extremely popular in England during the 1400 to 1600’s. The purpose of the plays was to teach the audience a lesson in Christian morals. Many Morality plays centered on the battle between good and evil. David Bevington in Medieval Drama defined Morality plays as being “the dramatization of a spiritual crisis in the life of a representative mankind figure in which his spiritual struggle is portrayed as a conflict between personified abstractions representing good and evil” (Bevington)
Everyman is one of best known of the morality plays. In the play there are numerous characters all of which are allegories of various concepts. These concepts include, Goodwill, Kindness, Five-Wits, Fellowship and many more. In the play Everyman is the main character, who represents all of mankind. Mankind lives a life full of pleasure and vice. God is annoyed with the behavior of Everyman so he sends Death to retrieve him. It can be argued that the most significant character in the play is Death. This is because it is the existence of Death in the story, that allows a story to be told. Frankly, put without Death there is no story. Even if there was still a story to be told, it would have lost the weight of its moral message. In this paper I will look at the authors perception and treatment of death in Everyman
Summary of the Play
Everyman is a morality play written in the fifteenth century. The main character is Everyman, who is representative of all mankind. The author, who is anonymous personifies various traits such as Confession, Knowledge and Kindred. At the start of the play God sends his servant Death, who is his messenger on earth to bring Everyman to him. When Death finds Everyman and tells him that he is to bring him to God. Everyman tries to bribe his way out of death saying, “Everyman: O Death, thou comest when I had thee least in mind; In thy power it lieth me to save, Yet of my good will I give thee, if ye will be kind” (“Everyman” 29)
Everyman then asks Death if he could bring company along with him. Death says this is fine if there was anyone who wished to join him. Everyman goes around asking all of his “friends” if they would like to accompany him on his journey to God. They all turn him down. He finally meets knowledge, who introduces him to Good Deeds. When he first meets Good Deeds, she is weakened because of his selfish and materialistic behavior. He does penance and some charitable acts which then strengthens her. The only one who is willing to join Everyman on his journey is Good Deeds.
Medieval Concept of Death-Death is Inevitable
Death is inevitable in the author’s view. It is something that is going to happen to everyone, no matter their wealth, education or virtue. When the audience first meets Everyman he is dressed in the finest clothes. So it is obvious that Everyman put a lot of importance on material things and his possessions. Everyman even tells Death about how much he loves his possessions. In the end none of this mattered as it was now time to face Death and Death cares not for one’s position in society, or one’s possessions. Death’s job is to take everyone no matter what. On the way to death everything that Everyman thought was important like Beauty, Goods and Strength would not accompany him on his trip. This is because they know that eventually their time will be up and they want enjoy their own lives.
Death as God’s servant
Death is represented as a messenger of God. His main job is to make sure people are punished accordingly for their faults and actions. When he first meets Everyman, Everyman says to him “O Death, thou comest when I had thee least in mind” (Everyman 118). This shows that neither God or Death is ruled by the will of man. Everyman tries to bribe him but this does not work, for Everyman’s time is scheduled to pass. Death tells Everyman about the book that lists a person’s good and bad deeds in it. If the list of a person’s bad deeds is longer than their good ones, they will go to Hell. He goes on to tell Everyman that there is only one chance at life. Death says, “That shall I show thee; A reckoning he will needs have Without any longer respite” (“Everyman” 100). This shows that Death is not just there to judge the wrongs of Everyman, but to show him where he has gone wrong in order to give him a chance to change his destination.
In the play Death is not only a servant and messenger of God, he is inevitable. Death is the one thing that no one is going to get away from and that everyone should expect. Everyman is afraid of Death, Death serves God, therefore Everyman is afraid of God. The purpose of this connection is to showcase the power of God. Death in its inevitability seems as though it is the most powerful thing that a person encounters. In actuality Death is only a servant to God. This means that ultimately God is in control and it is only through God’s mercy that Everyman will get into “heaven”. Death’s job is bringing people who have strayed from God’s path back into God’s grace.
The personification of Death allows the reader to get a better idea of the medieval church’s idea of the Christian faith, especially in terms of death, resurrection, reincarnation and judgement. Even though Death acts as sort of an intermediary between God and mankind. His job is to show people where they have gone wrong in life and punish them if they do not change their ways. In the beginning of the play we are shown that Death is not happy about the role he plays in regards to humanity as he wishes for Everyman to pay for his wrongdoings, saying “thy reckoning to give before his (God’s) presence” (“Everyman” 112).
Death provides the way for Repentance
Even though no one looks forward to Death and Death can be unpleasant. Death is not evil. Death is ambiguous in that it is neither good or bad. Death acts according to God’s will. The ultimate job of Death is to bring man to their salvation allowing them the chance to spend eternity with God. In the play Everyman before he knows he is facing Death is kind of arrogant, but once he realizes that death is inevitable Everyman begins to get afraid and to mourn his past actions. He mourns his actions because he knows that they will count against him in the book of life. Everyman will later fix his problem by doing some Good Deeds. Everyman will be allowed to spend eternity with God. In this eternity with God, Everyman would be free from sin, free from pain, anger, sorrow. He would be free from any of the sorrow and ills of the physical world.
During his journey to God he realizes the error of his ways and actually comes to be truly repentant, rather than just playing a part in order to avoid the pain of damnation. This shift in priorities is helped along by the abandonment of everything he thought would be willing to accompany him to his death. He is abandoned by everyone, who he basically chastises as false friends, deceivers and traitors. He also accepts that it is his fault that he has no one to accompany him on his journey because he has declined to strengthen his Good Deeds, who is the only one who is willing to go with him on his journey. Good Deeds will become strong enough to join him once he does some penance and charitable works. His willingness to do penance and charitable work not only makes it possible for Good Deeds to come with him on his journey. It also helps to balance out his ledger and it keeps him from having to be condemned to Hell.
This is where the author treats Death as the most valuable character in the play. Death is the antithesis that allows for Everyman to see the error of his ways. This shift in Everyman’s point of view allows him to make better decisions. These decisions include being less arrogant and materialistic and being more willing to attend church and to do things for others. It is the choices that Everyman makes knowing that his ultimate destination is either Heaven or Hell, that not only result in him possibly being a better on earth. His actions also show that he has changed his ways, which guarantees him a spot in Heaven.
Conclusion
The play Everyman portrayed the idea of Death in a way that a Medieval audience could understand. The author did this by creating allegories of concepts that people could find more important than salvation. The author does not seem to be trying to make people afraid of death. He seems to want to get people to accept that death is going to happen. He wants for his audience to do what is necessary in order to secure their place in Heaven. By having God tell Death to bring Everyman to him. The Author is telling the audience that Death is only a servant of God and has no power except for that which God gives him. The ideal end result would be that mankind would be less afraid of death as they would know that he is under the rule of God. The people would also realize it is only by taking the journey to death that they achieve eternal life. So ultimately Death acts as the motivator who brings people to God.
Bibliography
Alford, John A., ed.. From Page to Performance: Essays in Early English Drama. Ed. John A. Alford. Michigan State University Press, 1995. Web.
Bevington, David M. Medieval Drama. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975. Print.
Luther, Martin, and Scott H. Hendrix. Treatise on Good Works. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012. Print
"Medieval Sourcebook: Everyman, 15th Century." Internet History Sourcebooks. Fordham University. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
“Resurrection and Death in Everyman”. “Resurrection and Death in Everyman”. Reflections on Life, Death, and the Constitution. University Press of Kentucky, 2009. 25–30. Web
Ryan, Lawrence V. “Doctrine and Dramatic Structure in Everyman.” Speculum 32 No. 4 (1957), 722-735. Web
