Everyman Research
Players in Life In the 15th Century Morality Play “Everyman” the unknown author has shined a spiritual light on Everyman. The author uses a cast of characters Everyman will encounter during a life span of whom to seek salvation and the solution to that is God. The Holy Bible states “for the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (King James Version Bible, Romans 6.23). One day every man will have to give an account for their own actions. During the opening of the play, God called upon the Messenger and Death to alert Everyman that the time of reckoning had come. The author wants readers to pay close attention. God complains about how every man have become immersed in material things in life than follow him. He feels taken advantage of; because he receives no gratitude for all that he has given them. God chose to use death to call upon the character Death to do anything associated with the kingdom. The author seems to portray that God is good and Death is bad. God and Death are teamed up to show the struggle between the two. God uses Everyman to express what he wants and when he wants it. Like any good coach God summons Death up and lay out the game plan for his upcoming mission. The author showed the importance of God explaining his actions to Death so death would not claim victory over no man’s life. God expressed to Death that He alone was the only giver and taker of life. In other words, God was tired of Everyman’s disobedience. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3.16). Everyman did not show God enough respect. Everyman demonstrated lust after things of the world, placed stuff before the love of his fellow man, let his pride take him down, held on to grudges, not willing to forgive, envious of his brother, and just plain mean for no reason at all. God is feed up with the way
Cited: Adu-Gyamfi, Yaw and Mark Ray Schmidt. Literature and Spirituality. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2011. The Bible. King James Version. The Official King James Bible Online. Web. 30 April 2012. http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/