Major Allegorical Themes in Everyman - Essay Example

Major Allegorical Themes in Everyman A quick glimpse at the morality play “Everyman” almost immediately reveals three main allegories that are described by the play: the call of Death, the redeemable nature of man and the worthlessness of earthly wealth in the face of death. Although the characters of Death and Everyman are present and bring their own addition to the overall allegorical content, the three main concepts that will be discussed rely a great deal upon other aspects of the play. These aspects encode as well as provide the means of decoding the subtext in such a way as to make the overall allegory impossible to misunderstand. By paying careful attention to the way in which the action takes place, the author has ensured that linguistic issues are correctly interpreted to mean what he intended for them to mean. These concepts are reinforced by yet further lexical means that support and underlie the main concepts or allegories as they are intended. The structure of the play provides the final piece in ensuring that the allegories are received as planned. Throughout the play, these three allegories of Death as a journey rather than an end, the worthlessness of earthly goods and the redeemable nature of man are conveyed through the action, the language and the structure of the finished production. The concept that Death is a journey rather than an end is immediately apparent in “Everyman” as God sends the character Death to bring Everyman to account for his life on earth at the opening of the play. Despite the obvious allegory of the names involved, this is not merely a base idea involving a few symbolic characters. As God recounts the various ways in which he has provided every man with the ability to enjoy life in his own image, he also laments the ways in which every man has forsaken his memory and his sacrifice, instead choosing to focus on developing the earthly riches he discusses. Thus, he sends Death with the commandment that he must bring Everyman to his final reckoning. “A pylgrymage he must on hym take, / Whiche he in no wyse may escape; / And that he brynge with hym a sure rekenynge / Without delay or ony taryenge.” (68-71). The playwright’s use of the word ‘pilgrimage’ indicates that death is not a final state, but rather a spiritual journey, a voyage that cannot be delayed or avoided during which his final destination will be made clear. To help determine what that final destination might be, Everyman is instructed to “bring with him a sure reckoning” (70) indicating that there are some things that Everyman can bring that might help provide him with a favorable destination. Thus, the journey becomes multi-faceted, compelling Everyman to follow Death, but also to find his own means of reckoning for himself, undertaking a ‘pilgrimage’ to find those things that can and/or will accompany him to this judgment. Although the various other individuals Everyman encounters and tries to persuade to join him on this journey admit that they, too, will one day face Death, reinforcing through structure the concept that Death comes to every man, very few of these are willing to go earlier than necessary. Because the action of the play takes the form of a journey undertaken by Everyman after he meets up with Death, the allegory cannot be mistaken. Death’s personification as a character in the play only serves to further reinforce the idea that Death is not necessarily a static, unchanging thing, but is rather a mutable, interactive being that is nevertheless fully committed to the faithful execution of his duty. The allegory of the true value of earthly possessions is also introduced immediately at the opening of the play. In sending Death after Everyman, God explains several of the various concepts involved in this action. He looks down upon earth and remarks “How that all creatures be to me unkynde, / Lyuynge without drede in worldly prosperyte. / Of ghostly sight the people be so blynde, / Drowned in synne, they know me not for theyr God / In worldely ryches is all theyr mynde” (23-27). The words used here paint a mental picture of man that shows a profound ignorance of the concept of death and an overwhelming obsession with things of the world that is impossible to ignore. This mind-image leads one to semi-consciously begin to link those things that occupy one’s day with the concept of spiritual worth. As this thought process progresses, it brings in the concept of not only tangible items, but intangible actions and deeds as well, thus portraying the allegory of the worthlessness of earthly goods. Invoking the question of the worth of worldly achievement, Death responds to Everyman’s attempt to buy more time by saying “I set not by golde, syluer, nor rychesse, / Ne by pope / emperour / kynge / duke, ne prynces;” (125-26). Even in listing the titles of nobility that might be brought to bear, the poet couches the terms in lowercase letters, giving them no greater importance than any of the other words being used to describe what might be offered in exchange for more time. The action of the play further develops the allegory of the worthlessness of worldly possessions. Fellowship “I wyll not a fote with the go / But, and thou had taryed, I wolde not haue lefte the so. / And as now God spede the in they iournaye, / For from the I wyll departe as fast as I maye.” (293-96) proves worthless in helping Everyman give an accounting of how well he is thought of among his friends. Kindred tells him “But one thynge I warne you, by Saynt Anne -- / As for me, ye shall go alone” (353-54) and Cousin’s answer “No, by our Lady! I haue the crampe in my to / Trust not to me; for, so God me spede, / I wyll deceyue you in your moost need” (356-58) prove them equally enable to help Everyman despite their close family connection and avowals of tremendous familial respect. Although all of these are portrayed as being well-thought-of within the earthly realm and equally well capable of paying for any entertainment or joy they might wish, nevertheless none of these are shown in the action of the play to be the sort of individuals Everyman has seen them to be. Their permanence is belied by their actions just as Everyman’s permanence on earth is belied by his death. Goods, explaining why he should not accompany Everyman, says “Thou sholdest fare moche the worse for me / For bycause on me thou dyd set thy mynde, / Thy rekenynge I haue made blotted and blynde / That thyne accounte thou can not make truly -- / And that hast thou for the loue of me!” (417-21). His statement that Everyman has forsaken all the truly valuable things for the benefit of his worldly estate is further emphasized by the appearance of Good Deeds, who hasn’t the strength to stand on his own because of the neglect he’s been shown. Like the allegories of Death as a journey and the worthlessness of worldly goods, the allegory of the redeemable nature of mankind is present within the very beginning stanzas of the play and is carried throughout the rest of the play in both word and action. This concept is first introduced in God’s direction to Death that Everyman should be brought to him “And that he brynge with hym a sure rekenynge” (70), indicating that there is something that Everyman can bring that would help God determine whether to have mercy on him or to condemn him. This is further emphasized by Death’s warning to Everyman that his time has come. Although Death makes it abundantly clear that the tide waits for no man and when his time comes, there is nothing Everyman can do to forestall Death, Death still provides him with some small amount of time to gather together his book of reckoning so that he might be better prepared to meet his maker. As Everyman begins to despair regarding whether he will be able to find anyone to accompany him on his journey and help him provide an accounting of his life, the much neglected and very weak Good Deeds speaks up indicating “I wolde full fayne, but I can not stande, veryly” (498), and so can be of no help either, but only because Everyman did not see fit to nourish him well enough to walk with him. Yet it is Good Deeds who suggests Everyman turn to Knowledge to find a means of accounting for himself. Knowledge leads him to Confession and Confession deals him Penance, though which Good Deeds is strengthened and Mercy can be found. “Aske Gode mercy, and he wyll graunte truely, / Whan with the scourge of penaunce man doth hym bynde, / The oyle of forgyuenes than shall he fynde. (570-72). Through this action within the play, the allegory of how every man is redeemable by nature because every man is capable of discovering knowledge, coming to confession, suffering penance and building up good deeds in order to find mercy in their final reckoning. Although he is later abandoned by his later discovered five wits, beauty and strength, Everyman is still able to take Good Deeds. “All erthly thynges is but vanyte: / Beaute, Strength / and Dyscrecyon do man forsake, / Folysshe frendes and kynnesmen that fayre spake -- / All fleeth saue Good Dedes, and that am I” (870-73). References Cawley, A.C. (Ed.). Everyman. Old and Middle English Texts. Manchester, Eng.: Manchester University Press, 1961. Read More