Eng 102 - the Summoning of Everyman

The Summoning of Everyman

ENGL 102: Literature and Composition

Summer 2011

APA - Psychology - Christian Counseling

THESIS: The prevailing theme is death and how Everyman confronts death.

OUTLINE:

A. Introduction

a. History

b. Morality Play

c. Allegory

B. Summary

a. Vices

b. Virtues

C. Theology

a. Death

D. Conclusion

The Summoning of Everyman

The Summoning of Everyman (commonly known as Everyman Adu-Gyamfi & Schmidt, 2011 pp265-287) is a morality play written during the 1400s. The prevailing theme is death and how Everyman confronts death. The author is unknown; however, historians have noted that monks and priests often wrote these types of plays. Fletcher notes Everyman is possibly a translation from a Dutch play Elckerlijc (Fletcher, 1918 pp, 112). The development of the Morality Play was in part from the desire to teach principles of Christian living in such a way that common, uneducated people could understand. A Morality Play is a dramatized moral allegory. The majority of actors in a Morality Play personify abstract qualities or concepts, such as virtues, vices, or death. The hero is usually a representative of all humanity. Presented to the hero are two definitely opposing groups of virtues and vices. The most common type of Morality Play presents a brief glimpse at the entire story of the hero's life, the life of every man. The Morality Play usually begins with the hero living a foolish, sinful life and shows how God's mercy prevails and the hero receives assurance of salvation. An allegory is a narrative in verse or prose in which the persons, places and things consistently point to a parallel sequence of symbolic ideas. An allegory has two levels of meaning: a literal level that tells a surface story - a man is going on a journey, and a symbolic level in which the abstract ideas, historical events, religious systems or political issues unfold. Everyman's life is a journey from birth to death, and every man must make this journey. The names of allegorical characters often hint at their symbolic roles. An allegory must make sense at both levels; the literal pieces must fit together to tell a story and the symbolic pieces must fit together to teach a moral. (Kennedy & Gioia, 2009 pp. 616). T.S. Eliot said, "Everyman is the most famous medieval drama in English and the best example of the morality play" as quoted by Daniel S. Burt in The Drama 100: A Ranking of The Greatest Plays of All Time (2008, pp238).

Everyman seeks to answer the important religious question: "What must a man do to be saved?" The play shows not only how every man should meet death but also how every man should live. God sends Death to summon Everyman, who represents all mankind. The play is the story of Everyman's journey to his final judgment. Each character personifies an abstract idea dramatizing the conflict between good and through the interactions between characters.

God looks down on Everyman and sees that by seeking for riches and pleasure Everyman has forgotten God. This displeases God and He summons His messenger, Death to take a message to everyman that he must go on a long journey; that he must prepare to make his accounting before God. Everyman is unwilling to take this journey. He beseeches Death stating he is not ready to go and offers Death a thousand pounds if he will reprieve him. Death rejects the offer stating all the money in the world might be his if he were to entertain such payoffs. Everyman then inquires if he may return after giving his account. Death assures him there is no returning from this journey. Death does allow Everyman to seek someone join him on the journey.

Everyman encounters Fellowship first. Fellowship asks why Everyman is so sad. Fellowship proclaims he will do anything for Everyman, even at the risk of his own life. When, Everyman invites him to join in the journey of Death,

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