EVERYMAN
PLOT SUMMARY
The Messenger calls for the audience's attention, gives a brief account of the play's narrative and introduces God, who complains that humanity is too mindful of material well-being and too little of the afterlife. He calls for his messenger, Death, and sends him to summon Everyman to a pilgrimage which he cannot escape. Death accosts Everyman, who begs for respite, but is told he must die that very day. Everyman immediately sets about seeking company for his journey. He goes first to Fellowship who, though he is happy to join Everyman in mirth and entertainment, declines to go with him now. Everyman next seeks out Kindred and Cousin, who respond similarly, Cousin complaining of a cramp in the toe and admitting that he too has an unclean reckoning. Everyman then looks for help from his worldly wealth in the form of Goods, who is trussed up in a corner, but Goods points out that it is actually Everyman's love of him that compromises his chances of eternal life. Lamenting his past life, Everyman resolves at length to go to his Good Deeds. She, however, lies cold and bound up in the ground - the effect of his sins - and cannot stand up, but she sends him to her sister, Knowledge. Knowledge does agree to guide Everyman and takes him to a holy man, Confession, whom she describes as a 'cleansing river'. He prescribes penance and, after a long prayer, Everyman beats himself with a scourge. At this, Good Deeds arises from the ground and Knowledge gives Everyman a new garment, the garment of sorrow. Good Deeds reminds him of further friends, Discretion, Strength and Beauty, while Knowledge recommends his Five Wits as counsellors. Strength, Five Wits and Discretion offer to help Everyman while he is on earth, but declare that they cannot accompany him beyond the grave. Knowledge and Five Wits advise him to seek the final sacrament from the priesthood and he goes off. On his return he carries a cross, having received the sacrament, and is then brought to his grave. Beauty, Strength and Discretion now successively take their leave, followed by Five Wits. Knowledge, however, remains a while and Good Deeds continues to stand by him. When Everyman goes to his grave, accompanied by Good Deeds, Knowledge hears the singing of angels and an Angel comes to lead Everyman's soul to heaven. A Doctor concludes the play with a warning against pride and a reliance on earthly things.
Reading: D. Daiches, A Critical History of English Literature, vol 1, p. 31-38, 49-72, 81-127, 139-143, 208-245); Oxford Anthology of English Literature (relevant introductions)
1. The development of medieval English drama (tropes, liturgical drama, miracle play, morality play, interlude).
2. Everyman as an allegorical morality play.
a) setting: universal place and time;
b) characters: allegorical types (Everyman), personified abstractions (Death, Knowledge, Good Deeds);
c) plot: the story of Everyman who is unexpectedly summoned by Death and finds out that of all figures who used to befriend him only his Good Deeds want to accompany him; themes and motifs: Dance Macabre, psychomachia, ubi sunt motif, Death as God’s messenger;
d) functions of the play: entertaining, moralising (the moral: Memento Mori, only good deeds count in the end).
1. What is the nature of Everyman’s transgression? How is the opposition between God’s heavenly perfection and man’s sin presented? (note the vocabulary used and the symbolic significance of theatrical space: “up” vs. “down”/ “heavenly” vs. “worldly”). Is the audience in any way incorporated in Everyman’s theatrical universe?
God: I perceive here in my majesty,
How that all the creatures be to me unkind,
Living without dread in worldly prosperity:
Of ghostly sight the people be so blind,
Drowned in sin, they know me not for their God;
In worldly riches is all their mind,
They fear not my rightwiseness,* the sharp rod; *righteousness
My law that I shewed, when I for them died,
They forget clean, and shedding of my blood red;
I hanged between two, it cannot be denied;
To get them life I suffered to be dead;
I healed their feet;[1] with thorns hurt was my head:
I could do no more than I did truly,
And now I see the people do clean forsake me.
They use the seven deadly sins damnable;
As pride, covetise,* wrath, and lechery, *covetousness, avarice
Now in the world be made commendable;
And thus they leave of angels the heavenly company;
Everyman liveth so after his own pleasure,
And yet of their life they be nothing sure:
I see the more that I them forbear
The worse they be from year to year;
All that liveth appaireth* fast, *is impaired
Therefore I will in all the haste
Have a reckoning of Everyman’s person
For and I leave the people thus alone
In their life and wicked tempests,
Verily they will become much worse than beasts;
For now one would by envy another up eat;
Charity they all do clean forget.
I hope well that Everyman
In my glory should make his mansion,
And thereto I had them all elect;
But now I see, like traitors deject,
They thank me not for the pleasure that I to them meant,
Nor yet for their being that I them have lent;
I proffered the people great multitude of mercy,
And few there be that asketh it heartily;
They be so cumbered with worldly riches,
That needs on them I must do justice,
On Everyman living without fear.
Where art thou, Death, thou mighty messenger?
2. Discuss the representation of death in Everyman. What is ironic in his encounter with Everyman? Identify the double addressee (Everyman the character and everyman) in the following dialogue. Point out the motif of dance macabre.
God: Go thou to Everyman,
And show him in my name
A pilgrimage he must on him take,
Which he in no wise may escape;
And that he bring with him a sure reckoning
Without delay or any tarrying.
Death: Lord, I will in the world go run over all,
And cruelly* outsearch both great and small; *pitilessly
Every man will I beset* that liveth beastly *set about, attack
Out of God’s laws, and dreadeth not folly;
He that loveth riches I will strike with my dart,
His sight to blind, and from heaven to depart,
Except that alms be his good friend,
In hell for to dwell, world without end.
Lo, yonder I see Everyman walking;
Full little he thinketh on my coming;
His mind is on fleshly lust and his treasure,
And great pain it shall cause him to endure
Before the Lord Heaven King.
Everyman, stand still; whither art thou going
Thus gaily? Hast thou thy Maker forget?
Everyman: Why askst thou?
Wouldest thou wete*? *know
Death: Yea, sir, I will show you;
In great haste I am sent to thee
From God out of his great majesty.
Everyman: What, sent to me?
Death: Yea, certainly.
Though thou have forget him here,
He thinketh on thee in the heavenly sphere,
As, or we depart, thou shalt know.
Everyman: What desireth God of me?
Death: That shall I show thee;
A reckoning he will needs have
Without any longer respite.
Everyman: To give a reckoning longer leisure I crave; *I need more time
This blind matter troubleth my wit.
Death: On thee thou must take a long journey:
Therefore thy book of count* with thee thou bring; *book of account, list of good and bad deeds
For turn again thou can not by no way,
And look thou be sure of thy reckoning:
For before God thou shalt answer, and show
Thy many bad deeds and good but few;
How thou hast spent thy life, and in what wise,
Before the chief lord of paradise.
Have ado that we were in that way,
For, wete thou well, thou shalt make none attournay*. *mediator
Everyman: Full unready I am such reckoning to give
I know thee not: what messenger art thou?
Death: I am Death, that no man dreadeth.* *that fears no one
For every man I rest* and no man spareth; *arrest
For it is God’s commandment
That all to me should be obedient.
Everyman: O Death, thou comest when I had thee least in mind;
In thy power it lieth me to save,
Yet of my good will I give thee, if ye will be kind,
Yea, a thousand pound shalt thou have,
And defer this matter till another day.
Death: Everyman, it may not be by no way;
I set not* by gold, silver nor, riches, *I am not influenced
Ne by pope, emperor, king, duke, ne princes.
For and I would receive gifts great,
All the world I might get;
But my custom is clean contrary.
I give thee no respite: come hence, and not tarry.
Everyman: Alas, shall I have no longer respite?
I may say Death giveth no warning:
To think on thee, it maketh my heart sick,
For all unready is my book of reckoning.
But twelve year and I might have abiding,
My counting book I would make so clear,
That my reckoning I should not need to fear.
Wherefore, Death, I pray thee, for God’s mercy,
Spare me till I provided of remedy.
Death: Thee availeth not to cry, weep, and pray:
But haste thee lightly* that you were gone the journey, *quickly
And prove thy friends if thou can.
For, wete thou well, the tide abideth no man,
And in the world each living creature
For Adam’s sin must die of nature.
Everyman: Death, if I should this pilgrimage take,
...
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