Liberty University Online
English 102
i. Thesis/ Introduction ii. Summary of Characters and what they add to the play a. Messenger b. God c. Death d. Everyman e. Fellowship f. Kindred g. Cousin h. Goods i. Good Deeds j. Knowledge k. Confession l. Beauty m. Strength n. Discretion o. Five Wits (Senses) p. Angel q. Doctor iii. Perspective of Death r. Authors Perspective of Death s. Biblical Perspective of Death iv. Conclusion
“Everyman” was written by an unknown author during the Medieval time period of the late 1400’s. The plays deal with what a person needs to do in order to be saved. It touches on many different ways to be saved such as: how a person is to act, the good deeds they have done and the acts they must accomplish to be saved. Each Character plays its own role in the play that brings to life what it truly means for Everyman to be whom he is. Everyman deals with great temptation and good deeds, but he really does not deal well with all he needs to throughout the play. Everyman is more concerned about who he can get to accompany him more than making sure his life and heart is right with Christ. By the end of the play Everyman is pleading with Christ to save him. Death in this story plays the biggest role for Everyman. The author’s perspective of death goes beyond the grave, it becomes spiritual. Biblical perspective of death is similar in that death should be seen as a spiritual rite of passage.
In the play “Everyman”, the author makes use of allegory in the characters. When an allegory appears in a work, it usually has a one-to-one relationship to an abstract entity, recognizable to readers and audiences familiar with the cultural context of the work (Kennedy and Gioia 2010, 2007 and 2005). In “everyman” each character has its own role to play to assist or discourage Everyman in his journey.
Cited: Bradford, Wade. plays.about.com. n.d. English, The Cambridge Guide to Literature in. Everyman. Cambridge: University Press, 2000. Kennedy, X.J, and Danna Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Plublication Data, 2010, 2007 and 2005. Literature, Encyclopedia of Medieval. Everyman. Westport: Credo Reference, 2000. NIV Bible. . William, Robert. Everyman: Morality Play. GradeSaver LLC, 2010.