Analysis of 'Everyman' Morality Play

This essay analyzes the morality play 'Everyman', focusing on its themes of death, spiritual judgment, and the moral choices individuals face. It discusses how the character of Everyman represents the struggle between material wealth and spiritual fulfillment, ultimately emphasizing the importance of good deeds and repentance in the journey towards eternal life.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English Essay
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ENGLISH ESSAY
Thesis Statement
‘Everyman’ brings out the concept of peoples’ struggle of choosing between the final
spiritual judgment and the other worldly beings, where death has been portrayed as a ultimate
destination.
Introduction
Late fifteenth century drama, The Summoning of Everyman, or mostly called as
‘Everyman’ is a play which displays the value of death and life. This has also been used as
man’s spiritual message to God. Everyman is mostly considered as a morality play.
According to Albert (2017) in the morality plays, the allegories tend to figure out the efforts
that have been made between the seven vices and seven virtues within a man’s heart.
Everyman is a play that portrays a picture of what a Christian should do or should not do and
how they are expected to lead their lives for saving the souls from the conviction of death.
The portrayal of death in the play ‘Everyman’ has been impacted by the choice living life of a
man. The play also shows a continuous conflict between the treasures, spiritual enrichment
and relationship, hell and heaven and the verdict of God. It has also been stated by Albert
(2017) that Everyman is a struggle between good and evil, between seven virtues as well as
seven vices”. In this play, the audience finds out how transitory life is, while the play
carefully documents the journey of Everyman from the life full of sins towards the life free
from any sin and ultimately a holy death. Therefore, this essay discuses the author’s
perception of death and the treatment of death in the play Everyman.
Discussion
In Everyman, the death has been viewed from different perspectives and from
different cultures and how it impacts an individual’s character within a culture. The play has

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shown that the journey towards death has always been linked to the morals, values and the
experiences of life. The author has also utilized the death as an allegory to indicate that
destiny is unavoidable regardless of the actions that one has taken in their life time. At the
initial stage of the play, the author has shown that God has been disappointed with Everyman
due to his focus on searching and gaining of the material wealth. Therefore, it has been seen
that God has sent Death for conveying the message to Everyman that his life is almost at the
end, “...Go thou to Everyman, And show him in my name, A pilgrimage he must on him
take…” In return to this message, Everyman had tried to bribe the representative of Death
with some of his material possessions; however, eventually Death refuses the offer. Through
this, the author has depicted that the death has no such greed for these material possessions
and has no value of those (Hayek, 2015). Death has also been considered as a negative
character as Everyman has tried to give bribe to Death for evading the obvious. However,
Death has informed that this destiny is inevitable, “……everyman I arrest and no man spare,
for it is God's commandment that all to me should be obedient.” He has also portrayed that he
cannot live twice on the Earth; rather he can only come back here for once. This also
represents that each man on this earth has only one chance for living life. Furthermore,
Everyman has seen to mustering his friends for accompanying in the journey, so that he does
not have to face the journey all alone.
Later, when Everyman meets confession, he has seen to be seeking forgiveness from
God for all his sins. This is another way of punishing himself with courage. After this, when
confession has proclaimed that Everyman has been forgiven for all his sins, Good Deeds
seems to be strong and comfortable in accompanying him to the grave. Lastly, the author
shows that the Good Deeds are the only one that accompanies him to the final destination.
This also portrays that the good deeds of a man are the only material being that goes with him
to his grave. Here, Death has been perceived in a negative way and it has portrayed the

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primary cause of alienation and loneliness and this is the main reason that no one on this
Earth wants to get connected with Death (Albert, 2017). Even if Everyman tries to convince
his family members and friends for going with him to the journey of Death, no one agrees to
it. This also illustrates the fact that all the man will eventually face the inevitable acceptance
of Death alone; no one will accompany them at that time. For instance, the author has shown
that, when Everyman approaches Fellowship, who is the representation of friends and
companions, he declines this request, even though previously he has promised to be with him
at every situation. In this play, Death has also been perceived as the representative of God
who carries out all the plans of God and convictions for the entire mankind (Hayek, 2015).
When God has watched Everyman to live his entire life on his own terms, God has shown his
purpose of life through Death.
Death has also been perceived as an undeniable factor in a man’s life in this play.
Everyman has treated Death as an expected fact in life. The author has used the character of
Death as the allegory of the actual physical death for visualizing the invisible. In most of the
cases the Death has been subjected as a fear and anxiety to people, however, here the author
has illustrated in a way that God has the ultimate power of causing death and he utilizes his
power for bringing back people to him. It is an ultimate condition that every human being has
to undergo. Therefore it has been depicted that Discretion, Five Wits, Beauty and Strength
accompany Everyman while he has faced Death (Albert, 2017). As a character, Death is
mostly seen to be submissive to the commands of God. He has been seen as a mere
messenger and carrier of the messages of God, “[h]ere beginneth a treatise how the High
Father of Heaven sendeth Death to summon every creature……” God has used Death for
ushering the human beings into eternity. Death has also been seen as an unexpected and
abrupt being. While Everyman was in distress, the Death has showed up. He was not ready
while Death appeared. Death has declined all the offers made by Everyman for letting him

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go, as he does not have the ultimate power to decide who will and who will not face death.
He could only allow Everyman to search someone for accompanying him while he faces
death. Therefore, the author has also projected that despite the sinful nature of Everyman, the
God acted to be merciful and he has been given a chance for repenting for his sins (Hayek,
2015). The author has tried to exemplify that every person will be judged by their actions on
the Earth. No worldly possessions will accompany him to the grave, but only the good
actions he has taken in the life time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that, the notion of death has been perceived, in this play,
from the point of view of Catholics. The tone of the drama was set in a way that the main
objective of the life is heaven. Death is considered to be a spiritual journey to heaven. This
play has brought out the Christian faith. Even though, death is always the inevitable one,
Christianity has offered that for acquiring the eternal life, one has to repent the sins, so that
they can walk through the heaven.

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Reference list
Albert, M. L. (2017). The Play about Common Trade and Play about Empty Purse: Cornelis
Everaert’s Prequels to Elckerlijc/Everyman?. Skenè. Journal of Theatre and Drama
Studies, 3(1).
Hayek, J. (2015). Moving Forward, Falling Back, or Staying Put: An Examination of Change
and Transformation in Early Modern Drama. Scientia et Humanitas, 5, 35-42.