“The medieval morality play Everyman, personifying such abstractions as Fellowship and Good Deeds, recounts the death journey of Everyman” (Allegory, 2010). The author uses symbolic names for characters to emphasize the moral of the play. “The characters in an allegory often have no individual personality, but are embodiments of moral qualities and other abstractions” (Allegory, 2010)The author sees death as important as life, especially when death comes to makes its claim. The message that the author conveys is that no one can escape death.
The author also sees that death does not care about who you are or what your status may be. The author sees death as man’s final destination, from which there is no return. No one knows when death will come, and no one is prepared when it does.The characters that the author use is a good representation of the characteristics many people have and lose throughout their lives. Good deeds, knowledge, discretion, strength, Everyman’s five wits and beauty.As the play begins, it is evident that God has control over death and death does not come on its own.
The purpose of death is to seek those who are not living by God’s law and to bring them to stand in judgment before God.The important question that the author asks is what happens to you when you die. Everyman looks at different areas of his life that he is unwilling to give up. Throughout the play, as Everyman takes his journey he begins to realize that the things he felt were most important to him are not.
The author makes it simple to make sure you have done good deeds before you die, because those are what you will account for when you stand before God.Death is used throughout the play to show Everyman the truth about what should be valued. As Everyman takes his journey to God, he sees the true value of the things he has cherished, and sees the true intentions of the people in his life.Everyman he tried to bribe death, asking for one more day but soon gives up and goes with him.
Along the way Everyman begins to realize that the things he was holding onto were not worth holding onto.Everyman realizes that he has an opportunity to make a change when Knowledge enters his life and leads him to Confession. He realizes that he must repent in order for his life to truly change. It is when Everyman repents that Good Deeds becomes stronger. “Good Deeds weakness demonstrates that Everyman's good works cannot merit salvation when he is guilty of unforgiving mortal sin: only the performance of penance will restore him to a state of grace, revive Good Deeds, and make Everyman ready to render an account of his life before God” (Paulson, 2007)The message that the author is trying to give is simple, you need faith as well as good deeds.
It is clear that good deeds alone will not get you into heaven. Jesus Christ must be accepted into your heart and your life as your savior. The author is saying that all mankind needs the saving grace of Jesus Christ.The play Everyman is quite simple, that every person needs to realize that it is not the treasures here on earth that are important. It is the treasures that we store in heaven that will make all the difference in the end.
The treasures such as a love for God, loving each other as Christ loves us, and doing what is right. It is the heart that God will look at on the day of judgment, so it is important to allow Christ to change our hearts for Him.
