Everyman

Everyman The Reflection of Death in Everyman In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the morality play evolved as the popular dramatic form which offered instruction to the audience on the Christian lifestyle and attitudes toward death. Most often, these plays gravitated toward the conflict between good and evil for the human soul, concluding with the soul’s redemption. (Miracle). The matter that morality plays dealt with was allegorical in nature and its intent was to apply Christian doctrine to conduct, in order to promote Christian character (Warren). One of the most celebrated morality plays dates back to approximately 1475 and is titled Everyman. The morality play Everyman serves as a reflection of Medieval and Renaissance views toward death and the concept of a soul’s final struggle for salvation. In order to gain an understanding of how Everyman is reflective of Medieval and Renaissance conceptions about death, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the play’s plot. Everyman opens with an introductory statement which aids this necessity: “Here beginneth a treatise how ye high Father of Heaven sendeth Death to summon every creature to come and death, everyman, book, deeds, account, good, thou, aries, temptation, renaissance, reflection, morality, medieval, last, final, dying, about, toward, thy, sins, plays, play, order, journey, grave, concept, christian, before, things, soul’s, popular, person, one’s, life, knowledge