Everyman
Rachel Walters
02/25/13
1:00 PM
ENGL 102
The Positive Effects of Everyman and Other Morality Plays Some may wonder if a religious lesson can benefit everyone or just the specified religion. Morality plays have been written and acted out for hundreds of years, to benefit society. Morality plays can be defined as two similar but slightly different things. Some sources refer to morality plays as a “religious sermon” acted out. Other sources refer to them as a moral lesson for the good of every person. It seems that morality plays were made to show good vs. evil as well as to teach a spiritual lesson. Everyman seems to be solely a religious play including religious lessons and morals, and it even has the character of God. But it can also be a positive story for someone who believes in a different religion or no religion at all. Morality plays, such as Everyman, are thought solely to have a religious story, but studies show that they also teach positive morals which have had a positive role in society for everyone. Morality plays have been around for hundreds of years, yet Everyman is one of the most well-known ones not only in the past, but today as well. In England and France, morality plays were encouraged by the church and the civil authorities because they taught social and moral values through amusing dramatic actions. Everyman is a morality play that was written in the late 1400s. No one knows who the author of the play is. The complete title of Everyman is actually The Summoning of Everyman, but it has come to be commonly known as Everyman. The original language of the play is Middle English, but today’s copies are modern English editions. The tone of the play is considered dignified and somber. Morality plays, such as Everyman, used rhyming verses in the text (Jokinen).
First looking at the play Everyman, one may think it is only religious based and its value is all religion because of the characters involved. Everyman was thought to be written under
02/25/13
1:00 PM
ENGL 102
The Positive Effects of Everyman and Other Morality Plays Some may wonder if a religious lesson can benefit everyone or just the specified religion. Morality plays have been written and acted out for hundreds of years, to benefit society. Morality plays can be defined as two similar but slightly different things. Some sources refer to morality plays as a “religious sermon” acted out. Other sources refer to them as a moral lesson for the good of every person. It seems that morality plays were made to show good vs. evil as well as to teach a spiritual lesson. Everyman seems to be solely a religious play including religious lessons and morals, and it even has the character of God. But it can also be a positive story for someone who believes in a different religion or no religion at all. Morality plays, such as Everyman, are thought solely to have a religious story, but studies show that they also teach positive morals which have had a positive role in society for everyone. Morality plays have been around for hundreds of years, yet Everyman is one of the most well-known ones not only in the past, but today as well. In England and France, morality plays were encouraged by the church and the civil authorities because they taught social and moral values through amusing dramatic actions. Everyman is a morality play that was written in the late 1400s. No one knows who the author of the play is. The complete title of Everyman is actually The Summoning of Everyman, but it has come to be commonly known as Everyman. The original language of the play is Middle English, but today’s copies are modern English editions. The tone of the play is considered dignified and somber. Morality plays, such as Everyman, used rhyming verses in the text (Jokinen).
First looking at the play Everyman, one may think it is only religious based and its value is all religion because of the characters involved. Everyman was thought to be written under