2/16/2018
Everyman is a wealthy man with a lot of Goods and Riches and is a representation of every human being in this world. He is contented with the way he lives his life, and the luxury that he enjoys from is money and his wealth. However, Everyman has forgotten his primary purpose of creation and service to God. He has forgotten his Maker and lives his life displaying that. All that matters to him is his wealth. This is the way of life of every person during Everyman's time, and this grieves God a lot.
God summons His messenger Death, for He has a message that He needs to be delivered. He talks to Death about the disobedience of all of his creation especially human beings. God is very disappointed that His creation would forget Him. Out of His anger, God decides that He will do a reckoning for every man on earth.
God says to death, "How that all creatures are to me unkind
Lying without fear in worldly prosperity
In spiritual sight, the people are so blind
Drowned in sin, they know me not for their God
In worldly riches is all their mind."
This is an outright display of how the current generation lives their lives, with worldly possessions and prosperity their primary concerns. Human beings have forgotten to thank God or even recognize the purpose He served and the sacrifice made by the Son to die on the cross for their redemption and salvation. God feels that human beings are so carried away that HE has to do something about it. Decisively, He concludes that it is only fair and essential that He does justice to every man.
God sends Death to Everyman with His message; that Everyman must set out on a journey, and he should bring a reckoning without delay. He also warns that this is a journey that he cannot escape or postpone, he must take it right away. Death immediately goes to meet Everyman with the message.
At first, Everyman is reluctant to even to answer the questions that death asks him, let alone take the journey. He asks Death who he is, and when Death reveals his identity, Everyman is astounded. He realizes too late that his time is over and his book of account for both good and bad deeds is unready, for his good deeds are very few. He tries to bargain his way out with Death to the extent that he tries to bribe him. However, Death is not moved by this deed and tells him that neither silver nor gold nor any material possession would appeal to him. Otherwise, he would own the world. Death tells Everyman to be ready himself, for that was his last day.
Everyman requests for company and Death tell him that if he could find anyone who was willing to go on this pilgrimage with him, he could come with him. First of all, he approached Fellowship, with whom they've known each other and loved each other for a very long time. He has complete faith that Fellowship will accompany him on this journey and share in his sorrows. This is confirmed when Fellowship promises that whatever he is going through, he will be there with him, even if it would mean going to hell and back. Filled with hope and faith in his friend, Everyman tells Fellowship about Death's message.
Contrary to what he expected, Everyman is suddenly reluctant to go with his friend on this journey of Death. Everyone is saddened by the fact that Fellowship can break his promise of standing by him forever, and in fact, abandon him at his most significant time of need.
Everyman decides to request Kindred and Cousin to accompany him. They also promise to stand by him till death, but when he explains that he needs them to go with him on a pilgrimage of which there is no return and that he has to give an account of his needs, they both back out too.
Everyman resorts to talking to Goods, because he has loved Goods all his life. However, goods inform him that he cannot accompany him yonder to the other side. He tells Everyman that the saying of money rights all wrong only applies in this world, not beyond. Moreover, Good's work is to deceive the hearts of men to whom he's lent, that they may give to him that which they should give to the Almighty God.
In distress, Everyman turns to his Good deeds, that he may plead his case and convince Good Deeds to come with him and help him out of his situation. Good Deeds is the first willing partner on this voyage. However, she is too weak even to stand and lies on the cold floor looking ill. When Everyman questions about her condition, she is quick to point out that it is his fault that she suffers, for, by his evil deeds, he made her extremely weak. Considering that she is the only one who can help him out of his reckoning, Everyman is eager to persuade her to come with him, despite her condition.
Good Deeds tells him that she would not make it through the journey, but she offers to help him by introducing him to her sister, Knowledge. Knowledge agrees to accompany him and leads him to Confession. When he repents of his sins to Confession, Confession offers him a jewel known as penance. Penance is supposed to cleanse his body and ready him for the reckoning. This confession and subsequent cleansing strengthen his good deeds. Confession instructs Knowledge to keep up with Everyman and lead him into the journey before the Almighty. Gladly and contented, Everyman readily accepts to take on his finance. Although it is a tough one and sometimes is very painful, he is ready to pay for his evil deeds. Knowledge would go with him, that she may give him counsel at will.
Everyman is eager for his penance. Therefore, he prays to the Lady and God that he may have time and that his punishment may be received. Everyman begs to the Holy Trinity that his body may be taken and punished for the sins of the flesh, his flesh, for it was his body that let him sin by desires of this body. He is cleansed and is now confident to stand before his Maker and face his judgment.
Through his penance, his Good Deeds are made well and come to accompany him on his way. Good Deeds is glad and ready to go with Everyman and help him recount his deeds before his Maker, for he has set his path right already. Knowledge offers Everyman a gown he is to dress before he goes to meet the Almighty, the gown is contrition, which receives true forgiveness from God and is worn for healing. Everyman accepts the gown happily. Wasting no more time, he is ready to make his reckoning.
Even though Strength, Discretion, Beauty, and Five Senses accompany him on his journey, they abandon him when they realize that it is to his grave that he goes. And when he is weak, they do not help him but send their goodbyes and return to the world.
Everyman realizes that only his Good Deeds will accompany him to the end of his journey. The only thing that he takes out of this earth with him is his deeds. Not his riches or his kindred or his friends, because they all forsake him when Everyman needs them the most. Everyman says that what and who he loved best, they renounce him first.
He warns the other people to take heed and beware that they don't stand a chance with worldly treasures, but only their Good Deeds will accompany them for reckoning. The final lesson is that our deeds will determine where we land when Death comes knocking on our door. Therefore, man is advised to forsake pride, for pride deceives man and leads him to failure in the end. Instead, man is encouraged to focus on doing more good deeds, for the reward for it is great when the work is done.
References.
a modern short story on everyman.docx - A modern short story on the morality play Everyman is an allegorical drama that points out how. (2018). Coursehero.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018, from https://www.coursehero.com/file/26684770/a-modern-short-story-on-everymandocx/
Everyman: Morality Play Summary. (2018). Gradesaver.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018, from http://www.gradesaver.com/everyman-and-other-miracle-and-morality-plays/study-guide/summary