Category: Everyman

Almost every work of literature has a protagonist and antagonist. The antagonist is normally presented as an evil character whose actions or ideas interrupt the peaceful existence of society. On the other hand, the protagonist is the hero who saves every other character from the dangers posed by the antagonist. From the characteristics observed in the literature, heroes can be categorized into classical heroes, Everyman hero, the anti-hero, and the tragic hero. The traits of the protagonists assist the reader to understand them, follow their actions, connect with them, and understand why they act the way they do.

The classical hero is usually perfect, in most cases, impossibly so. Classical heroes are common in literature. Their personality is normally outgoing, courageous, and are eager to do what is right. This type of hero possesses strong principles and a code of ethics that is the basis for his virtuous traits (Ray, n.d). In most cases, classical descent from a strategically powerful heritage or supernatural powers. Ancient Greek literature presents the most common examples of classical heroes. It is difficult for the reader to relate with the classical heroes due to their presumed perfection. On the contrary, readers view classical heroes with admiration.

Everyman refers to a regular individual that readers can easily relate with. The Everyman hero does not possess any special powers as compared to the classical hero. It takes a set of circumstances that force an ordinary man to act with heroic qualities (Morin, n.d). In most cases, the everyman hero is forced to take up the responsibilities of a more qualified individual who failed to show up. The reader can easily relate to the everyman hero because they similar fears and worries (Morin, n.d). Everyman heroes also portray selflessness when faced with adversity and also uphold high standards of morals.

The antihero lacks the traditional character traits of the traditional hero such as courage and morality. Although antiheroes act with the best interests of society, their decisions are not always for the right reasons. For instance, the antihero may be against the task or display a lack of selflessness by demanding payment for his work. However, he is always willing to try and get the work done. The antihero prompts the reader to evaluate the actual meaning of a hero. The antihero may not be evil but lacks the attributes that have been traditionally associated with heroes.

The tragic hero was described by Aristotle as evoking feelings of fear and pity from the audience due to his poor judgment. The tragic hero is an individual whose misfortune is brought about by error or fate (Ray, n.d). Aristotle’s principles of the tragic hero include hubris (extreme pride), hamartia (a flaw that causes the downfall), peripeteia (reversal of the fate), anagnorisis (a moment when the hero makes important discovery) nemesis (a fate that cannot be avoided) and catharsis (pity expressed by the audience after the downfall of the tragic hero) (Klapp). Literature is flooded by tragic heroes.

In conclusion, the characteristics of protagonists assist the audience to determine their actions and why they act in their specific ways. The most common types of heroes based on traits include classic heroes, everyman hero, antihero, and the tragic hero. These heroes elicit different reactions from the readers and thus inspire differently.

In some ways, the Renaissance turned the world, and man’s place in the world, upside down. During the Middle Ages – the years between the fall of Rome and the mid-14th century – the Catholic Church dominated Europe. The world was viewed as God’s creation and mankind was a sin-filled hitchhiker going along for the ride. Around 1350, a rebirth of art and ideas, which we call the Renaissance, made its first appearance in Italy. Over time, these ideas spread to other parts of Europe. The question is, how did this ‘rebirth’ change man’s view of himself and the world. The Renaissance led to a more optimistic view, in which man was entitled to worldly pleasures, valued for his individuality, and capable of rational thinking.

During the Renaissance, individuality began to be celebrated. Man no longer saw himself as just a cog in the wheel. Unlike the heavy religious themes and portrayals in Middle Ages art, Renaissance art – such as Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa – was able to capture and reflect the inner life of real people and their place in the natural environment (Doc A). Leonardo shows a woman as she really looked. He uses shading, natural folds in the clothing, and a mysterious, human expression. This is very different from the medieval Madonna, with a face that has few features and child that looks like a small man (Doc A). It is easy to believe that all Buoninsegna’s women looked the same. Medieval artists were not so interested in the individual, Leonardo was.

Life is about change. This was just one of the novel ideas coming out of the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, people concerned themselves more with the afterlife than the here and now (Doc B). This notion was reflected in the play, Everyman, which cautions, ‘For ye shall hear, how our Heaven-King Calleth Everyman to a general reckoning’ (Doc B). But during the Renaissance, people began to embrace the beauty and joy of this life (Doc B). Whereas medieval Everyman seems powerless as he marches grimly to his clay grave and his Day of Judgment, Shakespeare’s Renaissance man, practically somersaults through life, displaying the action of angels and the understanding of a god. This new outlook allowed man to turn his attention to worldly endeavors such as the arts and sciences.

A strong belief in man’s capacity to use reason was probably the most important shift to take place during the Renaissance. Scientists like Copernicus turned to observation and mathematics. Applying these skills, Copernicus theorized a whole new model for the universe wherein the sun, not the earth, was at the center (Doc C). While this theory made a lot more sense than Ptolemy’s geocentric model, it was dangerous and revolutionary because it went against the teachings of the Catholic Church. In anatomy too, we see rational thinking triumphing. By dissecting human corpses, Andreas Vesalius was able to better explain the human body. These discoveries were shared not only with his students, but also with a larger audience through his book On the Makeup of the Human Body (Doc D). Over time, because of the contributions of men like Copernicus and Vesalius, man-kind began to see himself as rational and capable of understanding the world in which he lived. This optimistic outlook was echoed in Shakespeare’s Hamlet ‘What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason!’ (Doc B).

The Renaissance, with its emphasis on this world and human potential, marked the beginning of the modern era. And while religion remained important for centuries to come, the Catholic Church’s monopoly on knowledge was seriously challenged for the first time. The doors to the Protestant Reformation and Scientific Revolution had been opened.

This is an extract from the moral play called ‘Everyman’ by Anonymous. Eventually before this extract, the messenger begins by revealing two themes such as sin and death which depict the cause of death to human beings. In the given extract, God wails over people who do not obey His rules and instead choose material things, friends, and money which drive them astray from the righteous path. However, the whole play consists of different themes such as sin, the material world, salvation, religion, fear of death, and judgment after death.

In line 23, God grieves deeply about people who are ‘unkind’ to Him and ‘living’ without fear in His kingdom by giving in sin and material wealth and forgetting Him and what He gave up, for them to be saved from sins. Nevertheless, in line 36, people are involved in ‘seven deadly sins’, and every year they become worse and God decides that people must be accountable for their sins to stop them from deteriorating over and above. God sees that most people are ‘cumbered’ with ungodly wealth and do not ‘thank’ Him for giving them life as He expected them to, instead, they are too fond of the material world and forget who is their Creator. Hence, He then requisite Death, the ‘mighty’ messenger to do justice to those living without fear and have a ‘reckoning’ of every man for judgment day.

We see an example of the themes of sin and the material world when Everyman is full of sins at the beginning of the play which is seen to be pictured by his friends who encourage his immoral actions. For instance, Fellowship depicts that he would not die for his friend but he can help when it comes to having fun, the ‘lusty’ group, and can indeed ‘kill’ for him. Additionally, the character Good represents material things and is there to blacken Everyman’s conscience and dissociate him from the King of Kings. In this play, sin is not only about killing or lying but it is also linked with worldly affluence and goods such as eating, drinking, money, and sex.

However, such pragmatism emerges when Goods shows that people lose their souls and get lost in God’s sight. Moreover, sin can be attractive as Beauty, Strength, and Discretion but they disappear when one grows older or dies because it is unendurable. Consequently, Everyman’s friends cannot back him during his ‘reckoning’, the only thing that will support him on his judgment day is his good deeds which will also save him from going to Hell.

Furtherly, God in the play is portrayed as the salvation of a sinner but salvation can be only obtained through religion. Shortly, religion helps people to conquer any struggle they come across in life including the afterlife. Knowledge helps Everyman to reckon that he has sinned before God, he also realizes that he adored his friends more than his ‘good deeds’ which will make his ‘pilgrimage’ easier. Then when weakness and loneliness strike, he sees the need for ‘repentance’ before God as death is nearing and he is ‘commanded’ to take his journey alone.

However, death is the basic theme that is part of everyone’s life because no one will live forever in the world. God uses ‘Death’ as an arm to punish those who live ‘beastly’ on earth and forget who died for them to live out of sin. In a Christian perception, death is an eternal life and happiness to those who live by Holy Spirit regulations but to a sinner, death is scary and means Hell. Death fulfils God’s wishes and does not have mercy on wrongdoers.

Moreover, Everyman fears death to the point that he even has to go to church to seek forgiveness by admitting his wrongs to the Holy Mighty and forgiveness is given to those who sincerely feel remorse. Thus, Everyman is granted forgiveness at the end of the play and he is then ready to meet God whereas Beauty, Discretion, and Strength leave him to die alone. Consequently, death is the only way to meet God and the Christian religion recommends that people must not fear death because there is an endless, better survival afterlife.

Summing up, in Everyman’s play and Christian worldview, people are bound to act godly for them to be granted space in Heaven and to be always ready for death. According to the play, man is expected to do wrong and ask for forgiveness and if one means it, God gives mercy in return as an award. Loving the world’s beauty is a sin and it is there to distract people in their righteousness whereas religion is there to guide people in the right direction where God wants them to go so that when death comes, they will be all ready and happy. However, friends and family reject you when it is time for death, thus, every single person must maintain good deeds to be accepted in Heaven.

Everyman is referred to a dynamic character throughout the play. This is portrayed through certain events and themes that occur in a play such as theme of death, salvation and worldly things.

Death educates Everyman that he needs to construct an excursion from which he can never recuperate from it. The theme portrayed in this occasion is death itself, that it can come so unexpectedly with no notice and can’t be paid off. For this situation, Death sees Everyman lone bobbing all over happily in a state of his shameless haziness. Then again, he attempts to delay his demise and to argue for more years ‘The time passeth; Lord, help that all wrought; For though I mourn it availeth nought’ (Anon, 1530). Subsequently, everyman is by all accounts more clueless of the basic spikes of otherworldly life, In a self evident actuality, that all his reality and wealth are acquired by the Omnipotent to him rather than things that he held.

Secondly, Everyman argue for his friends( Kindred, Cousin and Goods) to go with him through his excursion yet they decline. In this way worldly things subject is depicted it might be said that Everyman’s natural things that the entirety of his life he put the entirety of his time in, they all has a terrible impacts on him, they are he’s alleged genuine companions they surrender him at the most essential time. Henceforth, his cousin and fellow are quitter since they deceived Everyman, they concoct faltering reasons despite the fact that they are fit for accompanying him to his excursion ‘it is said, in prosperity men friend’s may find,which in adversity be full unkind'(Anon, 1530). On the other hand, Goods tells that ‘a season thou hast me in prosperity; my condition is a man’s soul to kill'( Anon, 1530), which uncovers that he is consistently an ethical hazard. Thusly, a play make it clear it isn’t possessing wealth that has been Everyman’s concern except storing.

Thirdly, Good deeds says she would go with Everyman except she can’t because of shortcoming and being overloaded with sins, she alludes him to knowledge and he takes him to confession . This addresses the subject of significance of chapel and salvation. Subsequently, Good deeds address a more material communication with the world than for example knowledge and discretion. However she’s an extension to more digest goodness. Anyway knowledge is a comprehend of good and underhanded, that is the reason he decide to be Everyman’s direction all through the play. Then again confession realizes Everyman’s difficulty and he’s so resolved to give him a retribution. In this way Confession in play is portrayed as far as streaming water as both waterway where individuals who submit sins are submerse and apologize ‘To confession, that cleansing river’ ( Anon, 1530) For example, Everyman goes to chapel and argue confession to wash him spotless as he apologize his transgression.

Moreover, Discretion, strength, Five- Wits and strength leaves and Everyman receives the sacrament of anointing and communion , becoming ready to die. While everyman is busy receiving his communion Knowledge and Five wits talk of a generally about the role of clergy. Hence, ( discretion, strength, and five wits) represents the virtues of a good life. To add, there’s none of them can accompany him into death and their departures mirror the decline of aging and sickness, therefore they all leave a dying man to incapacity, dementia and infinity. ‘None excuse may there for Everyman….for after death amends no man sake'(Anon, 1530)

To finish up , Everyman is in reality a powerful character throughout the play since he’s character and attitude changes in some critical manner after he got a visit from God’s messenger.

1. An allegorical drama that includes the art qualities that are personified during the forth lesson about noble living is called Morality play. These kinds of plays were well known during the late 1500 and early 1600 as electronical exhibitions just to engage the groups of onlookers while advancing the need of guidelines or devout life. Regularly perform man’s battle to keep away from bad habits and look for ideals Everyman is one of the cases of the profound morality play.
2. Allegory could be a story deciphered as one consisting of some concerning the meaning and ethical lesson. A literary device that is utilized to communicate enormous complex thoughts in an agreeable way likewise it is utilized to uncover a secret significance or a message. It may be a story whereby, characters stand for other things and it too permits the authors to form a few separate between themselves and the issues they are examining particularly those when those issues are solid evaluates of cultural real factors.
3. Caesar considers that Cassius is perilous, this stresses him because Cassius considers as well much and he is not a straightforward man Caesar says individuals who are like Cassius are never upbeat in the event that they see somebody superior than themselves. The discussion uncovers that Caesar is one-sided deaf his left ear isn’t working therefore, he urges Mark Antony to come to his right side so that he can be able to tell his thoughts about Cassius
4. Brutus’ discourse is significant in the play overall since it is whereby he admits that his better half passed on due to gulping hot coal because of him who went to the intrigue without her authorization. And again, his discourse uncovers that the two of them ( Brutus and Cassius) slaughtered Caesar in vain, and Cassius started to take payoffs from the poor of Rome. Once more, Brutus’ discourse it is the one that prompted his and Cassius’ take-offs.
5. Reckoning is important in the play ‘Everyman’ because it depicts the Almighty’s punishment of Everyman’s essence and activities which are what God will pass judgment on. In this case, the ground of the play is that Everyman has to set out on a trip following death and show his figure to God who will choose whether he goes to hellfire or paradise. And again, it tells us that Everyman must atone for his wrongdoings through compensation and confession and. Everyman tries to pay off death with cash so that he can be able to escape his reckoning with, indeed reckoning is significant because it shows us that our past decisions are closer than we might suspect. On the other hand, reckoning implies cherishing earnestly and forgetting all the evil and wrong things we’ve done.
6. Calpurnia and Portia’s place within the play is that they are both adoring the other half’s of Caesar and Brutus, they are the most dominant components within the growth of Caesar and Brutus via their encouragement and affection. And again, Portia and Calpurnia plead to their spouse’s on an adaptable manner to put a stop to leaving and take a risk and also they are the solution in intimating the torture of Calpurnia’s husband (Caesar). After Caesar’s departure, we never perceive of them again. They act as counselors of their husbands while they both offer assistance to get it the debilitates of their spouse’s They do not tune into the astute counsel which comes about their passing. Moreover, they illustrate the devotion to their spouse which is now and then offer assistance to relax and rest, Caesar’s wife( Calpurnia) persuades him to stay at home and not leave the house while Brutus’s wife (Portia) depicts an interest when her husband says he is feeling unwell and wishes to flash out. Therefore, Calpurnia in the play serves as a specific common woman of desirable Elizabethan appreciation of the female person.

Everyman is referred to a powerful character throughout all the play. This is portrayed through certain events and themes that occur in a play such as the theme of death, salvation, and worldly things.

Death educates Everyman that he needs to construct an excursion from which he can never recuperate from it. The theme portrayed in this occasion is death itself, that it can come so unexpectedly with no notice and can’t be paid off. For this situation, Death sees Everyman lone bobbing all over happily in a state of his shameless haziness. Then again, he attempts to delay his demise and to argue for more years ‘The time passeth; Lord, help that all wrought; For though I mourn it availeth naught’ (Anon, 1530). Subsequently, everyman is by all accounts more clueless of the basic spikes of otherworldly life, In a self-evident actuality, that all his reality and wealth are acquired by the Omnipotent to him rather than things that he held.

Secondly, Everyman argues for his friends(Kindred, Cousin, and Goods) to go with him through his excursion, yet they decline. In this way worldly things subject is depicted it might be said that Everyman’s natural things that the entirety of his life he put the entirety of his time in, they all have a terrible impact on him, they are he’s alleged genuine companions they surrender him at the most essential time. Henceforth, his cousin and fellow are quitter since they deceived Everyman, they concoct faltering reasons despite the fact that they are fit for accompanying him to his excursion ‘it is said, in prosperity men friend’s may find, which in adversity be full unkind’ (Anon, 1530). On the other hand, Goods tells that ‘a season thou hast me in prosperity; my condition is a man’s soul to kill'(Anon, 1530), which uncovers that he is consistently an ethical hazard. Thusly, a play make it clear it isn’t possessing wealth that has been Everyman’s concern except storing.

Thirdly, Good deeds say she would go with Everyman except she can’t because of shortcomings and being overloaded with sins, she alludes him to knowledge, and he takes him to confession. These address the subject of the significance of chapel and salvation. Subsequently, Good deeds address a more material communication with the world than for example knowledge and discretion. However, she’s an extension to more digest goodness. Anyway, knowledge is a comprehension of good and underhanded, that is the reason he decides to be Everyman’s direction all through the play. Then again confession realizes Everyman’s difficulty, and he’s so resolved to give him retribution. In this way Confession in play is portrayed as far as streaming water as both waterway where individuals who submit sins are submersed and apologize ‘To confession, that cleansing river” (Anon, 1530) For example, Everyman goes to chapel and argue confession to wash him spotless as he apologizes his transgression.

Moreover, Discretion, strength, Five- Wits and strength leaves and Everyman receives the sacrament of anointing and communion, becoming ready to die. While everyman is busy receiving his communion Knowledge and Five wits talk of a generally about the role of clergy. Hence, (discretion, strength, and five wits) represents the virtues of a good life. To add, there’s none of them can accompany him into death and their departures mirror the decline of aging and sickness, therefore they all leave a dying man to incapacity, dementia and infinity. ‘None excuse may there for Everyman….for after death amends no man sake’ (Anon, 1530)

To finish up, Everyman is in reality a powerful character within the play since he’s character and attitude changes in some critical manner after he got a visit from God’s messenger

An allegory is a novel, poem, photo or play which can be elucidated to unveil the latent or symbolic meaning. To add, allegories are used to teach or justify principle, morals, thoughts and so forth. There are three allegories such as biblical, classical and modern.

The morality play is a kind of allegory where the primary character meets personifications with distinct moral traits who try to persuade them to take delivery of suitable existence over the evil life.

Personification is when a human trait is given to a non-human thing, thoughts or animals. For instance, ‘If something be amiss, I pray thee, me say, That I can also help to remedy’, Fellowship is portrayed as friendship who helps Everyman with wrong deeds, Goods is depicted as possessions which make Everyman a pervert in God’s eyes. Additionally, Knowledge represents data about the church which is the answer to Everyman’s salvation as she says ‘Everyman, I will go with thee, and be thy guide, In thy most want to go through thy side’. In short, Everyman takes sins as something that can be constant via church.

According to me, God is the Creator of each man and dying whereas the man is anticipated to obey Him at all times in order for a man to get into heaven after demise however if no longer then he will go to hell the place evil people go. Death is the only way of returning to God after you have completed your appropriate deeds on earth. Then according to the text Everyman, man is the photo of God, therefore, he is predicted to obey His rules or else he will be in the ‘reckoning’ that consist of these who do no longer obey Him. However, Death is proven as the closest man or woman to God, who gather these who do not do properly on earth and he does no longer have mercy to those who disobey God. Summing up, God takes those who disobey His regulations via dying earlier than they proceed with awful habits.

Everyman has the honest tone although sorrowful in portraying Everyman’s existence events, daydreaming about demise and feelings. However, everyman wishes to be accompanied by means of his household and friends however nobody is inclined to do that, then he realizes that when you are still alive you have to do true in order for you not to be scared when dying period pops up and to be ordinary by way of God after death.

Personally, God does exist but we have different gods as people since the play is biblical of which the bible consists of solely white human beings which makes it a fairytale story due to the fact I have in no way come across an African identify nor a black man or woman written in the holy bible. For me, the text is just a moral textual content which is reminding human beings that if you do now not act according to God’s will while you are still alive demise will intervene. Moreover, death happens even if you are sinless, for instance, some infants die in their arrival so demise is now not meant for sinners or saints but each person will die regardless of their right or awful deeds.