Running Head: EVERYMAN
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Research Paper
Everyman
Angela E. Fish
05/09/14
ENGL 102
EVERYMAN
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Discuss the author’s perception of death and the treatment of death in Everyman.
1. Introduction
a. Brief summary
b. Unknown author
c. Christian morality play
2. Characters
a. Allegories
b. Journey
c. Main characters
i. Knowledge, beauty, good deeds etc.
3. Perception of death
a. Seen as close with God
b. No one can escape death
c. Powerful
4. Treatment of death
a. Run from him
b. Not ready
c. Transitions
5. Conclusion
a. Who is the protagonist left with?
i. Only good deeds and God
Thesis Statement: Despite the public not knowing the author the play “Everyman” provides a
strong Christian moral message to readers with the use of allegories and general perception of
death that when we die we can take nothing with us so we should live our lives as if today were
the last. This does not mean do not study for your test tomorrow this means that you should
make your peace with the Lord every day so that we are ready when death comes.
Changed to:
Despite the public not knowing the author of the play, “Everyman” provides a strong Christian
moral message to readers with the use of allegories and general perception of death, that when
death comes no material goods will be useful in the afterlife. Each day should be lived to the
fullest and with readiness to meet and be judged by God.
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“Everyman” also called “The Summoning of Everyman” is a medieval play written in the
fifteenth century with an unknown author. It is still however one of the best known Christian
morality plays ever written and there is no one to give the glory to. It is a play that is easily
interpreted by all individuals regardless of intellect levels. “The script’s very simplicity results
in a relentless, inevitable power as Everyman takes his journey to the grave” (Lloyd, R. 1998).
“Everyman apparently survives on the strength of its central theme: that the recognition of one’s
mortality forces reconsideration of personal values and a search for salvation” (Homan, R. 1991).
The play is about a character named Everyman who is summoned to God by another key
character, Death.
DEATH. Almighty God, I am here at your will,
Your commandment to fulfil.
GOD. Go thou to Everyman,
And show him, in my name,
A pilgrimage he must on him take,
Which he in no wise may escape;
And that he bring with him a sure reckoning
Without delay or any tarrying. (Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt, p 267)
While this may sound dark it is in fact a beautiful tale of Everymans’ journey through life,
building up material possessions, trying to find someone to accompany him on his journey to
judgment only to realize that death will strip them all and God cares not for all the beauty,
friends, or goods that one has amassed in this life. Everyman comes to realize that God only
wants people to do good deeds; that this is what humans will be judged by. “Produce fruit in
keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8) “Like other morality plays this play is to communicate a
simple moral message to both educated and illiterate audiences” (Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt, p
265). Despite the public not knowing the author of the play, “Everyman” provides a strong
Christian moral message to readers with the use of allegories and general perception of death,
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that when death comes no material goods will be useful in the afterlife. Each day should be lived
to the fullest and with readiness to meet and be judged by God. Death is perceived and treated
differently by Everyman throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the play.
The authors’ use of allegories in “Everyman” is both obvious and effective. The first
being the aptly named protagonist, Everyman, whom portrays every man. Everyman is to be
seen as all individuals. Everyman is given Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin all of whom leave
in the end. These represent friends and family and while they do support you in life they cannot
help you in the afterlife. All of the knowledge that is learned throughout one’s life of course is
Knowledge. Goods is all the material things that Everyman has acquired during his time on
Earth. Fellowship is of course the friends that Everyman has met and Strength is in the play as
well. Confession is in line with the Catholic faith as to be in God’s grace one must confess.
Good Deeds starts off as a small character and becomes more vibrant as Everyman realizes the
truly important things in life.
GOOD DEEDS. Here I lie, cold in the ground;
Thy sins hath me sore bound,
That I cannot stir. (Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt p 277)
Beauty and Five Wits who is the five senses also leave when Death comes to call.
Although God is only present in the beginning of the play He is the biggest and most
important character in the play and is in distress that Everyman is so distant from Him. Besides
the two main protagonists, Everyman and God, the author gives us Death. Death is used by God
to bring Everyman to Him for his judgment. God is disappointed that His people are not
prepared for death. They continue to go through life happily sinning and forgetting about the
need for God until death is upon them. This is not what God intends, He wants His children to
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be happy and has provided all with the Ten Commandments that tell one how He wants all lives
to unfold. Christians are provided with the tools and instructions to live a pious life but it is
ultimately a personal choice what is done with Gods’ gifts.
Death is given a strong role in “Everyman”, he is basically the right hand man to God.
He brings all sinners, ready or not, to God. He prepares Everyman, tells him that he may bring
what he thinks will help him in his end days, what or who may stand with him and make a
difference in front of God.
DEATH. On thee though must take a long journey;
Therefore thy book of count with thee thou bring,
For turn again thou cannot by no way.
And look thou be sure of thy reckoning,
For before God thou shalt answer, and show
Thy many bad deeds, and good but a few;
How thou hast spent thy life, and in what wise,
Before the chief Lord of paradise. (Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt p 268)
Everyman fears Death and wants him to come again another day. He is surprised that Death is
upon him and offers to share his worldly goods with Death in exchange for more time. Death
will have none of this as he has no use for such things. Everyman wants to take things with him
to aide in is meeting with the Lord. Throughout the play the characters all promise to stay by
Everyman’s side. However, they all end up leaving him one by one as they are unwilling to
follow him into death. Cousin even claims a cramp in the toe as reasoning for being unable to
accompany Everyman to his judgment day.
Everyman’s treatment of Death transitions throughout the play. In the beginning he
astounded and surprised by Deaths appearance. He is afraid and ready to run from him as most
other characters are as well. This is not an uncommon feeling in the society of today, people fear
the unknown because the faith that God is waiting in the afterlife is not as present as it should be.
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Each character appears unafraid to follow Everyman and stay by his side until they learn that to
stay with him is to follow him to the grave. Good Deeds stays as he is unafraid of what Death
may bring. Everyman becomes used to the idea of death and professes that he is tired and will
go no further, appearing to embrace death in the end knowing that Death will lead him to
Heaven.
EVERYMAN. Alas, I am so faint I may not stand;
My limbs under me doth fold.
Friends, let us not turn again to this land,
Not for all the world’s gold;
For into this cave must I creep
And turn to earth, and there to sleep. (Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt p 284)
Death becomes the great messenger to every man, none can escape him. And while people fear
death it only serves to bring individuals home where all are supposed to be. Earthly possessions
are not needed, beauty and cousins are ultimately unnecessary, only God and faith are needed in
life. In this play Knowledge leads to Confession leading to Good Deeds which ended up being
the only thing that Everyman could take with him into death. Everyman is lead through the
necessary steps to come to the realization that these things that are coveted in life were the very
things that would hold him back from the afterlife. “So much of what makes for misery in the
world could be cured by a bit of repentance,” (Lampitt, S, 2004). This is still true in all lives and
Christians in today’s world must remember that money does not bring happiness. “Money is not
something that is morally neutral, a resource to be used in good or bad ways depending solely
upon our attitude toward it. Money is a power that seeks to dominate us” (Rodin, S., 2012).
While “Everyman” is a Christian morality play the overall message conflicts with the true
message of Christ. In “Everyman” the main character goes through life amassing great wealth
and beauty only to realize that good deeds in life and charity are what will bring him closer to
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God and into His good graces. “This misdirected desire must be supplanted by a different
attitude toward wealth, one that subordinates material value to spiritual value and even finds
ways of converting the former into the latter” (Harper, E., 2006). It is known that this is not truly
the case as the bible teaches that to be in His grace all one has to do is accept the fact that Jesus
Christ is the one and only savior as the son of God. That He came to this earth, lived for all, died
for all, and made all clean. If a person believes that than that person is saved regardless of good
deeds. This is not to say that nothing can be learned from “Everyman”. It is a very well written
play that does deliver the very sound moral theme that Beauty, Strength, Goods, etc… will not
follow one into death or make a person look any more desirable to God and that all of Gods
children should be kind and do good while here on earth.
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References:
Adu-Gyamfi Y. and Schmidt M.R. (2011). Literature and Spirituality. Everyman. Glenview, IL:
Pearson Education Inc.
Harper, E. and Mize, B, “Material Economy, Spiritual Economy, and Social Critique in
“Everyman”. 2006, retrieved from website:
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ehost/results?sid=6a016cd9-fb45-471c-8ae6-
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(christians)&bdata=JmRiPWE5aCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNp
dGU%3d
Homan, Richard L. (1991). The Everyman Move, Circa 1991 Journal of Popular Film &
Television, 01956051, Spring97, Vol. 25, Issue 1,
Retrieved from Liberty University Online Library at website:
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2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=9708045115
Lampitt, S. 2004 “Joy Amongst The Angels” Retrieved from Liberty University Online library at
website:
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ehost/detail?sid=6a016cd9-fb45-471c-8ae6-
fdabb40805cc
%40sessionmgr115&vid=40&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT
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Lloyd.R “Everyman: A Tale of Death that Aches With Life” The Washington Post 1998.
Retrieved from Liberty University Online Library from website:
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/pqcentral/docview/408390206/14106035082
4C9A84F1/11?accountid=12085
Rodin, S.R, “In the Service of One God only: Financial Integrity in Christian Leadership”. 2012.
Retrieved from Liberty University Online at website:
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ehost/detail?sid=5de9024d-e03a-4578-90e9-
a98f52ad7bd6%40sessionmgr115&vid=11&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2
ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=26251774
