Meredith Julia Muirhead

Drama 009

Chris Dippel

01 September 2020

The anonymously written play ​Everyman​ from the Middle Ages is an allegorical story of

how it is up to every individual person and their own choices to determine whether or not they

can join God in Heaven after they die. God sends Death to Everyman, saying that it is time to

face judgment and die. Everyman pleads with Death for more time, which Death refuses, but he

does allow Everyman to find a companion for his journey. Everyman first asks his best friend

Fellowship, who refuses to accompany him, and then Kindred and Cousin, who also refuse

because they have their own journeys to write as well. Everyman subsequently turns to his friend

Good Deeds, who is very weak, but she calls on her sister Knowledge to accompany them to the

sacrament of Confession. Everyman repents for his sins in the presence of Confession, and this

strengthens Good Deeds enough to allow her to continue on Everyman’s journey. Good Deeds

summons Five Wits, Beauty, Strength, and Discretion to join her and Everyman in sacrament.

Eventually, these four leave Everyman, leaving him only with Good Deeds as he enters his

grave. The Doctor explains to the audience that Good Deeds will be the only one to accompany

Everyman beyond the grave and to the time of judgment in the end.

Throughout this play, the most prominent element of drama (as determined by

Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama) is thought, or the intention behind the play. Allegorical

stories are often used when the writer intends to send a message to their audience. In this case, it
is the message that all human beings should maintain a life of good deeds, as this was believed to

earn humans their afterlife in Heaven with God. Additionally, the playwright is demonstrating

how in the time of death, the amount of good deeds one has done in their lifetime will determine

whether or not they will be granted entry to Heaven. As Knowledge, Beauty, and Five Wits all

leave Everyman before the conclusion of his journey, the playwright is explaining that a person’s

beauty, knowledge, or personality will not mean anything to God on the day of judgment.

Furthermore, as Kindred, Fellowship, and Cousin refused to accompany Everyman on his

journey, the playwright is telling the audience that a person’s friends, family, or loved ones will

also not be a part of determining whether or not they get into Heaven, since they too are people

and have their own journeys. The Catholic sacrament of Penance is also represented when

Everyman begs for forgiveness of his wrongdoings in front of Confession, which strengthens

Good Deeds. In the Roman Catholic religion, the sacrament of Penance is known to cleanse

someone of their sins and repair their relationship with God, therefore increasing their chance to

get into Heaven.

During this particular time period, most people were highly religious (specifically

Roman Catholic) and very concerned with their fate. This common thought of religion, constant

influence of the Roman Catholic ideology, and final judgment heavily influenced works of art in

this time period, one of which is ​Everyman​. ​Everyman​ uses allegory and personification to issue

a warning to the audience- that a life of doing good (as opposed to a life focused on riches and

material wealth) will earn someone their place in Heaven, so people should be very cautious of

their actions and decisions when going through life. Overall, ​Everyman​’s message is very clear,

and it is very clearly driven by the Roman Catholic ideas of that time period.