Morality plays were dramatic allegories that saw the main character forced to choose a good, or Godly, life

over an evil
one. Along the way, the main character met various virtues and vices, like wisdom and gluttony, personified. Morality
plays are significant because they show the culture moving away from religion and getting more secular.. One of the most
popular morality plays was Everyman, which has a protagonist who dies and has to substantiate all of his good and evil
deeds because God's been keeping track of each and every one in a divine ledger.
Everyman is one of the most famous and best known examples of a medieval morality play (see ‘The Morality
Play’). It is, in the words of Arnold Williams, “the morality play best known and most widely performed in modern
times”. Modern scholars are fairly sure that the play we know in English is in fact a translation of the Dutch play
Elckerlijc, which was published in 1495. A scholar called Dr. Logeman has argued that the writer of Elckerlijc is
Petrus Dorlandus, and that has been accepted by some scholars. We know nothing about the person who translated
the play into the English version we study today.
In many ways, it is a play startlingly different from our own ideas of drama – perhaps even more remote from us in
terms of construction, tone and genre than Shakespeare or (strangely) the Ancient Greek dramatists Aeschylus,
Sophocles and Euripides. Setting aside Everyman himself – and that itself is debatable – the characters are one-
dimensional allegorical figures rather than representations of real people, the plot is made clear in the opening
speech, and there are no twists or unexpected turns! Yet the Everyman has been a hugely influential text in terms of
English drama; Christopher Marlowe, for example, is clearly influenced by the medieval morality play in his Dr.
Faustus, which contains parades of personified sins and a dialogue between Faustus’ good and evil angels. The
moral of Marlowe’s play – the futility of worldly goods and riches, and the value of faithful Christian observance –
also has much in common with morality plays such as Everyman.
We have no record at all of Everyman being performed in the medieval period. This has led to speculation by some
scholars about whether it was ever meant to be performed at all. David Miller, in particular, notes that the original
Dutch play might have been “intended for private reading, not for theatrical performance. Some support may be
given to this view by the description of it as a “treatyse … in maner of a morall playe” in the heading to Skot's
edition.” “Treatise” is a word more usually used of a written document which thinks about and discusses a particular,
and usually religious, issue.
Yet it is a fact that Everyman addresses the audience and speaks of its ideas being heard rather than read. Noting
the popularity in this period of the Miracle cycles, and a little later, of the morality-influenced Dr. Faustus, it seems a
little far fetched that the Everyman would not have been performed at all – particularly considering how popular it
seems to have been in terms of printing.
There are four early sixteenth-century editions of Everyman that have survived to the modern day: two complete
printings by John Skot (likely a medieval spelling of Scott) which bear the title Here begynneth a treatyse how the
hye fader of heuen sendeth dethe to somon euery creature to come and gyue a counte of theyr lyues in this Worlde,
and is in maner of a morall playe (The sumonyg of eueryman) and two texts which contain only fragments of the
original work.
These four texts all date from the same period, somewhere between 1509 and 1531. Clearly, then, there was
demand for Everyman from readers of the period; though whether this means that it was performed (and people
wanted to buy a copy of the script) or whether it was just an incredibly popular text to read is, like so much else
written about Everyman, intelligent guesswork rather than serious, evidenced proposal.
Historically, Everyman was thought of only as an interesting historical document, rather than a play with relevance
and interest solely of itself. It seems to have largely disappeared during the Jacobethan period, and only emerges
when reprinted in Thomas Hawkins's The Origin of the English Drama in 1773. Even then, it is important to note that
it is anthologized only because of its historical, rather than its dramatic, interest.
It was not until 1901 that the revolutionary theatre director and scholar William Poel produced what may have been
one of the first ever performances of Everyman in Canterbury. Poel, the forefather of simple text-focused stagings of
classical plays, restored the play’s reputation, and following where he had led, another production followed in 1902,
which was reviewed by the Manchester Guardian, which praised the production’s ‘‘amazing ingenuity, judgment and
care''. Many critics were surprised to notice that the play had real gravitas and solemnity – and was not merely a
piece with some historical interest: it could touch an audience in the modern day. A production in New York followed
in 1903. Notably, in all three of these productions, a woman played the part of Everyman.
Everyman is now often performed and widely studied in the disciplines of English Literature and drama.
Summary
A prologue, read by the Messenger asks the audience to give their attention and announces the purpose of the play,
which will show us our lives as well as our deaths (“our ending”) and how we humans are always (“all day”)
transitory: changing from one state into another.
God speaks next, and immediately launches into a criticism of the way that “all creatures” are not serving Him
properly. People are living without “dread” (fear) in the world without any thought of heaven or hell, or the judgment
that will eventually come to them. “In worldly riches is all their mind”, God says. Everyone is living purely for their
own pleasure, but yet they are not at all secure in their lives. God sees everything decaying, and getting worse “fro
year to year” (from year to year) and so has decided to have a “reckoning of every man’s person”. Are they guilty or
are they godly – should they be going to heaven or hell?
God calls in Death, his “mighty messenger”. People who love wealth and worldly goods will be struck by Death’s dart
and will be sent to dwell in hell eternally – unless, that is, “Alms be his good friend”. “Alms” means “good deeds”, and
it is an important clue even at this stage that good deeds can save a sinner from eternal damnation.
God exits, and Death sees Everyman walking along, “finely dressed”. Death approaches Everyman, and asks him
where he is going, and whether he has forgotten his “maker” (the one who made him). He then tells Everyman that
he must take a long journey upon him, and bring with him his “book of count” (his account book as per God’s
“reckoning”, above) which contains his good and bad deeds.
Everyman says that he is unready to make such a reckoning, and is horrified to realize who Death is. Everyman
asks Death whether he will have any company to go on the journey from life into death. Death tells him he could
have company, if anyone was brave enough to go along with him.
Fellowship enters, sees that Everyman is looking sad, and immediately offers to help. When Everyman tells him that
he is in “great jeopardy”, Fellowship pledges not to “forsake [Everyman] to my life’s end / in... good company”.
Everyman describes the journey he is to go on, and Fellowship tells Everyman that nothing would make him go on
such a journey. Fellowship departs from Everyman “as fast as” he can. Kindred and Cousin enter, Everyman
appeals to them for company, and they similarly desert him.
Everyman next turns to his “Goods and richesse” to help him, but Goods only tells him that love of Goods is opposite
to love of God. Goods too forsakes Everyman and exits. Everyman next turns to his Good Deeds, but she is too
weak to accompany him. Good Deeds’ sister Knowledge accompanies Everyman to Confession, who instructs him
to show penance. Everyman scourges himself to atone for his sin. This allows Good Deeds to walk.
More friends – Discretion, Strength, Beauty and Five Wits – initially claim that they too will accompany Everyman on
his journey. Knowledge tells Everyman to go to Priesthood to receive the holy sacrament and extreme unction.
Knowledge then makes a speech about priesthood, while Everyman exits to go and receive the sacrament. He asks
each of his companions to set their hands on the cross, and go before. One by one, Strength, Discretion, and
Knowledge promise never to part from Everyman’s side. Together, they all journey to Everyman’s grave.
As Everyman begins to die, Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Five Wits all forsake him one after another. Good
Deeds speaks up and says that she will not forsake him. Everyman realizes that it is time for him to be gone to make
his reckoning and pay his spiritual debts. Yet, he says, there is a lesson to be learned, and speaks the lesson of the
play:
Take example, all ye that this do hear or see
How they that I loved best do forsake me,
Except my Good Deeds that bideth truly.
Commending his soul into the Lord’s hands, Everyman disappears into the grave with Good Deeds. An Angel
appears with Everyman’s Book of Reckoning to receive the soul as it rises from the grave. A doctor appears to give
the epilogue, in which he tells the hearers to forsake Pride, Beauty, Five Wits, Strength and Discretion – all of them
forsake “every man” in the end.
Why does God send death to summon Everyman?
God sends Death because Everyman only cares for money and worldly possessions. Death makes Everyman
consider life, his choices, his triumphs, his losses and his rights, and wrongs. God summons everyman so he can
come before His judgment to give...
How did Everyman take penance in the play Everyman?
Good Deeds’ sister Knowledge accompanies Everyman to Confession, who instructs him to show penance.
Everyman scourges himself to atone for his sin. This allows Good Deeds to walk.Everyman: Morality Play

Character List
Messenger
The first character to appear. The Messenger has no role within the story of the play itself, but simply speaks the
prologue outlining what the play will be like.
God
Appears only at the very beginning of the play. Angry with the way humans are behaving on Earth, God summons
Death to visit Everyman and call him to account.
Death
God's "mighty messenger", who visits Everyman at the very start of the play to inform him that he is going to die and
be judged by God.
Everyman
The representative of "every man" - of mankind in general. He dresses in fine clothes, and seems to have had led a
wild and sinful life. Throughout the course of the play, he is told that he is going to die (and therefore be judged) and
undergoes a pilgrimage in which he absolves himself of sin, is deserted by all of his friends apart from good deeds,
and dies.
Fellowship
Represents friendship. Everyman's friend and the very first one to forsake him. Fellowship suggests going drinking
or consorting with women rather than going on a pilgrimage to death.
Kindred
A friend of Everyman's, who deserts him along with Cousin. 'Kindred' means 'of the same family', so when Kindred
forsakes Everyman, it represents family members deserting him.
Cousin
A friend of Everyman's, who deserts him along with Kindred. 'Cousin' means 'related', so when Kindred forsakes
Everyman, it represents family members - and perhaps close friends - deserting him.
Goods
Goods represents objects - goods, stuff, belongings - and when Everyman's goods forsake him, the play is
hammering home the fact that you can't take belongings with you to the grave.
Good Deeds
Good Deeds is the only character who does not forsake Everyman - and at the end of the play, accompanies him to
his grave. Good Deeds represents Everyman's good actions - nice things that he does for other people.
Knowledge
Guides Everyman from around the middle of the play, and leads him to Confession. 'Knowledge' is perhaps best
defined as 'acknowledgement of sin'.
Confession
Allows Everyman to confess and repent for his sins. There is some confusion in the text about whether Confession
is male or female.
Beauty
One of the second group of characters who deserts Everyman in the second half of the play.
Strength
One of the second group of characters who deserts Everyman in the second half of the play.
Discretion
One of the second group of characters who deserts Everyman in the second half of the play.
Five Wits
Represents the Five Senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. One of the second group of characters who deserts
Everyman in the second half of the play.
Angel
Appears at the very end of the play with Everyman's Book of Reckoning to receive Everyman's soul.
Doctor
A generic character who only appears to speak the epilogue at the very end of the play. His equivalent in the Dutch
play Elckerlijc is simply called 'Epilogue'.