Everyman as an English Morality Play - Research Paper Example

?Thesis: The play tries to show the people that although every one irrespective of gender, age, status, etc, has to meet death; it is far more important how he/she should live their lives. Thus, the anonymous author perceives death in a different perspective and so this paper will discuss the author’s perception of death and the treatment of death in Everyman Outline Introduction Everyman is an English Morality play Focuses on the relationship between the life one lives and the life after death Body God laments that humans all over the world are after material wealth instead of focusing on virtues Sends his messenger, Death to Everyman to summon him to death Death allows him to find a companion Companion are portrayed as allegorical representation, with each personifying important facets Good Deeds accompanies Everyman after he apologizes for his sins and punishes himself Conclusion Everyman achieves salvation after understanding his follies and correcting his mistakes Play can be divided into two halves, first half focusing on the impeding death, and the second half focuses on how Everyman achieves a contended death Death can get a contented feeling, if individuals live a life filled with good deeds and no sins Everyman Everyman is an English morality play of late fifteenth century, without any record of an author writing it. It focuses on the efforts of the central character simply named Everyman to achieve salvation, thereby bringing into focus how there is a clear relationship between the life one lives and the life after death. Also referred to as the The Somonyng of Everyman or The Summoning of Everyman, the play’s focal point is on the event of death because death was a common event in the period in which the play was written. Death happened due to sizable number of natural as well as man-made causes. “The topic of "man summoned by death" was commonplace during the fifteenth century. Frequent warfare, bubonic and pneumonic plague, starvation, and crime made death a frequent and often public experience.” (“Everyman (after 1485)”). In the play, it is implied that when death happens, the journey of human life does not ends, instead the good as well as the evil deeds committed by an individual during his/her lifetime will be tallied by the superior being after death in the form of a ledger book. Thus, in a way, the play tries to show the people that although every one irrespective of gender, age, status, etc, has to meet death; it is far more important how he/she should live their lives. Thus, the anonymous author perceives death in a different perspective and so this paper will discuss the author’s perception of death and the treatment of death in Everyman The play, Everyman starts off with a prologue, with a messenger asking the audience to make their presence felt in the action that is going to unfold. After this initiation, the God starts to speak lamenting that humans all over the world are not focusing on the key virtues of life, and instead have become too focused on accumulating the material wealth and just enjoy the spoils. As the humans’ concentration was mainly on material riches, the God feels that the humans have taken him for granted. He further strongly condemns that the humans are showing no appreciation for all the good things that he have been bestowing on them. “Of ghostly sight the people be so blind, Drowned in sin, they know me not for their God; In worldly riches is all their mind, They fear not my rightwiseness, the sharp rod...” (Anonymous 184). So, as a form of teaching the humans a lesson, the God orders his messenger, Death to approach Everyman and inform him about his death and summon him to heaven. Here Everyman represents all the humans or entire mankind. That is, author gave the character the name of Everyman to represent all the humans who have taken the negative path of material wealth. On the other hand, Death is portrayed as a fully developed human creature, who begins the chain of events in the play. (Spinrad 69). The messenger, Death approaches Everyman and informs how he is going to die and he will be judged on the basis of his deeds in his lifetime. “On thee thou must take a long journey: Therefore thy book of count with thee thou bring; For turn again thou can not by no way, And look thou be sure of thy reckoning...” (Anonymous 189). That was when, Everyman realizes that he has not kept or prepared a proper account of his life’s deeds. In order to overcome this ‘shortfall’, Everyman tries to bribe Death and also requests Death to grant him more time to do that. However, Death rejects all the requests of Everyman's requests, just giving him one option. That is, Death allows him to search and find a companion, who could accompany Everyman on his journey to the God, and importantly who can speak about his good virtues. After being told by Death that he can find anyone to accompany him in his journey he approaches everyone. Everyone here represents some of the key facets or characteristics or necessities of human life and includes Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin (representing family), Goods (material wealth), Good Deeds, Knowledge, Confession, Beauty, strength, Discretion, Five Wits. All these facets of human life are only portrayed as the characters in the play, with Everyman approaching each of them to accompany him. All these characters are portrayed as allegorical representation, with each personifying important facets or an abstract idea of human life. This allegorical representation seems to have worked well for the play. Everyman works successfully as a morality because “nothing in the play is extraneous to the central homiletic purpose” and “all elements of style, structure, and theme are governed by the conventions of allegory.”(Eliot qtd. in Kaula 9). Although, Everyman approaches all of them to accompany him on his journey of death, no one commits to do that. “After being summoned by Death to the court of his lord to make an accounting for the life which was lent him, Everyman seeks counsel and companionship for the dangerous journey. Many promise to accompany him, but few make good on that promise.” (“Everyman (after 1485)”). On the advice of Confession, he apologizes for his sins and punishes himself, upon which Good Deeds agrees to accompany him in his journey, “Everyman, pilgrim, my special friend, Blessed by thou without end; For thee is prepared the eternal glory, Ye gave me made whole and sound, Therefore I will bid by thee in every stound”. (Anonymous 225). The Good Deeds also summons other positive facets including Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Five Wits, who also join Everyman. However, they state that they will abandon him, when he ‘enters’ the grave, with Good Deeds being the only constant companion. Thus, Everyman becomes a contented individual and eventually ‘enters’ the grave and dies, with Good Deeds by his side. After which both of them ascend into the heaven, with an Angel receiving them. Everyman succeeds in his attempts for salvation for he realizes that good deeds of a person are the only things that will stand by him. “The second movement, a rising action, carries him from this nadir to his final salvation, symbolized by the words of the welcoming Angel.” (“Notes on Everyman”). From this ending, it is clear that although Everyman was skeptical about his life’s deeds, when Death approaches, after he chooses the path of virtue, his life reaches a logical and positive end. Everyman in the play “Everyman” truly believes in salvation after death, and so follows the right path and does the right things to achieve it. Everyman realizes that good deeds of a person alone accompany him beyond his life, “How they that I loved best do forsake me, Except my Good-Deeds that bideth truly”. (Anonymous 242). This realization by Everyman makes his pursuit for salvation successful. The efforts of Everyman bring forth the significance of how deeds done in living life would have positive impact after death. Thus, the anonymous author perceives death and the life after death as something, which will be clear reflection of the life lived by individuals. That is, what all the things done by an individual during his/her living life, which might include good things or bad things, will reflect exactly after death. Although, the author fore-grounded about death in the initial phase of the play, as the play moves on, it is more about what individuals do or importantly have to do before their deaths. Thus, the play can be divided into two halves, with the first half focusing on the impeding death of Everyman without salvation, and the second half focuses on how Everyman achieves a contended death by focusing on virtues. That is, when God’s messenger, Death enters the play, it seems that Everyman’s life will be ended soon, without any chance of salvation. Everyman's fortunes starts to decline from the moment Death's enters, shattering “the apparent serenity of his life, to the depth of his despair, where he can foresee only eternal damnation.” (“Notes on Everyman”). However, as he undergoes realization and corrects all the wrongs of his life, Good deeds ‘associates’ with them, thereby providing him with a positive death and salvation. “Everyman goes far beyond the overly simple moral lesson that is likely at first glance to be taken as its theme: "Do good deeds and you will be saved." It offers, in effect, a concise presentation of the orthodox teaching on the matter of man's salvation.” (Ryan 724). Thus, the author wants to imply death is not a preventable event, and every human has to face it in some time in their life. Although the death cannot be predicted nor forestalled, humans at the time of death and also after death can get a contented feeling, if they live a life filled with good deeds and no sins. Everyman in the play is a humble person who upon comprehending his mistakes takes the efforts to rectify his folly. The eventual salvation of Everyman conveys the author’s perception that good deeds during the life time will provide a contented death to the individuals, and so it is more important how the individuals lives, which will aptly reflect during and after death. Works Cited Anonymous. “Everyman.” Everyman and Mankind. Ed. Douglas Bruster and Eric Rasmussen. A&C Black, 2009. “Everyman (after 1485).” Goucher College, n. d. Web. 16 Dec 2011. http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng211/Everyman.html Kaula, David. “Time and the Timeless in Everyman and Dr. Faustus.” College English 22.1 (1960): 9-14 “Notes on Everyman.” Montreat College, n. d. Web. 16 Dec 2011. http://www.montreat.edu/dking/MiddleEnglishLit/notesonEveryman.htm Ryan, Lawrence V. "Doctrine and Dramatic Structure in Everyman, Speculum 32.4 (1957): 722­735 Spinrad, Phoebe S. The summons of death on the medieval and Renaissance English stage. Ohio State University Press, 1987. Read More