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Allegorical Representation In Everyman Mortality And Morality

This essay examines the allegorical framework of the morality play Everyman. It dissects how characters like Fellowship, Kindred, Goods, and Good Deeds personify abstract concepts, guiding the protagonist through a dramatic confrontation with death. The analysis focuses on the play's didactic purpose, its exploration of salvation, and the enduring relevance of its moral lessons. By understanding the allegorical function of each character, we can better appreciate Everyman's powerful message about life, death, and the accountability of one's actions.

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Key considerations

Everyman utilizes a comprehensive allegorical structure where characters embody abstract concepts like mortality, sin, virtue, and worldly possessions.

The play critiques the reliance on superficial human relationships (Fellowship, Kindred) and material wealth (Goods) as inadequate preparations for death.

Good Deeds, supported by Knowledge and Confession, emerges as the most vital allegorical figure, representing the essential role of virtuous actions and repentance for salvation.

The allegorical journey of Everyman serves a strong didactic purpose, aiming to impress upon the audience the urgency of spiritual preparation and the consequences of a life lived without moral consideration.

Assignment brief

Write an essay analyzing the use of allegory in the morality play Everyman. Discuss how specific characters and plot elements function allegorically to convey the play's central themes of mortality, sin, and salvation. Evaluate the effectiveness of this allegorical approach in delivering its moral message to the audience.

Reference example

The fifteenth-century morality play Everyman stands as a seminal work, not only for its dramatic innovation but for its profound and sustained use of allegory. At its core, the play is a dramatized sermon, a stark and unflinching exploration of the human soul's reckoning with divine judgment. This allegorical journey is facilitated through personified abstract concepts and human relationships, each character serving as a vehicle to convey the play's central message: the ultimate emptiness of worldly attachments when faced with the inevitability of death and the necessity of virtuous living for salvation.

The play opens with the somber pronouncement of Death, who is commanded by God to summon Everyman for an accounting of his life. This initial confrontation immediately establishes the allegorical framework. Death is not merely a biological cessation but a divine messenger, an agent of God's justice. Everyman's desperate attempts to evade this summons, first by pleading, then by seeking companionship, reveal the futility of human resistance to divine will. His initial pleas to Fellowship, Kindred, and Goods highlight the superficiality of earthly bonds and material wealth. Fellowship, representing convivial companions, abandons Everyman at the first sign of trouble, illustrating that such relationships offer no solace in the face of ultimate judgment. Kindred and Cousin, embodying familial ties, also prove unreliable, demonstrating that blood relations cannot absolve one of personal responsibility.

Perhaps the most potent allegorical figure is Goods, representing material possessions and worldly riches. Everyman clings to Goods, believing his wealth can buy him passage or influence. However, Goods explicitly states its inability to accompany Everyman into the afterlife, becoming a heavy burden rather than a savior. This personification powerfully critiques avarice and the illusion that material wealth can secure spiritual peace. The play suggests that such possessions, accumulated without regard for morality, become impediments to salvation, weighing down the soul rather than elevating it.

In stark contrast to these failing companions stands Good Deeds. Initially weak and infirm due to Everyman's neglect and sin, Good Deeds gains strength as Everyman begins to repent and understand the true value of virtuous action. This personification is crucial; it signifies that only righteous actions, performed during life, can provide genuine support and intercession in the afterlife. Good Deeds becomes Everyman's most loyal and effective companion, guiding him towards the ultimate reckoning. Accompanying Good Deeds is Knowledge, who explains the path to repentance and confession, further emphasizing the play's didactic intent. Knowledge illuminates the way, but it is Good Deeds that provides the substance of a life well-lived.

The allegorical structure extends to the final stages of Everyman's journey. Beauty, Strength, and Discretion, representing the transient glories of youth and physical prowess, also desert him as he approaches death. These personifications underscore the ephemeral nature of worldly attributes, which fade with age and illness, leaving the soul vulnerable. Only the abstract virtues – Knowledge, Confession, Good Deeds, and finally, the Five Wits (representing the senses and faculties of the mind) – remain to offer support. The Five Wits, though initially wavering, ultimately affirm their faith and offer their prayers, signifying the importance of spiritual understanding and mental fortitude.

The climax of the play involves Everyman's descent into the grave, accompanied only by Good Deeds and an Angel. His final words, a prayer of submission and acceptance, mark the culmination of his allegorical transformation. The Angel's reception of Everyman's soul signifies his successful passage, achieved not through worldly status or companionship, but through the merit of his Good Deeds and the grace of God, mediated by his repentance and understanding. The play concludes with a Doctor (or Pardoner) delivering a moralizing epilogue, directly addressing the audience and reinforcing the allegorical lessons learned through Everyman's plight. This direct address ensures that the play's didactic purpose is not lost, urging the audience to reflect on their own lives and prepare for their own inevitable reckoning.

Through its masterful deployment of allegory, Everyman transcends its historical context to offer timeless insights into the human condition. The personification of abstract concepts and relationships transforms a theological argument into a compelling dramatic narrative. The play's enduring power lies in its ability to make the invisible realities of sin, virtue, death, and divine judgment palpable and immediate, urging each viewer to consider the ultimate value of their earthly existence.

Analysis of Allegorical Representation in Everyman

The morality play Everyman is a profound exploration of the human journey towards salvation, rendered compelling through its extensive use of allegory. The entire narrative functions as an extended metaphor for the soul's confrontation with death and divine judgment. Everyman himself is an everyman, a universal figure representing all humanity. His summons by Death is not a literal event but a symbolic representation of mortality's inescapable reach. The characters he encounters are not individuals but personifications of abstract qualities, relationships, and worldly possessions, each serving to illustrate the play's central theological and moral arguments.

Thesis and Claim

The central claim of this essay is that Everyman employs a sophisticated and consistent allegorical structure, where personified characters and plot developments function to critique the vanity of worldly pursuits and emphasize the paramount importance of virtuous actions and sincere repentance for achieving salvation. The play's effectiveness hinges on its ability to translate abstract theological concepts into tangible dramatic encounters, thereby delivering a potent moral lesson to its audience.

Character Allegory: Companionship and Abandonment

The initial allegorical figures Everyman encounters – Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin – represent the superficial bonds of human society. Fellowship embodies convivial camaraderie, the kind of superficial friendship that thrives on shared pleasure but falters under duress. His immediate desertion when Death is mentioned highlights the hollowness of such relationships when faced with life's gravest challenges. Similarly, Kindred and Cousin, representing familial ties, offer no genuine assistance. Their allegorical function is to demonstrate that even the closest human relationships cannot absolve an individual of their personal spiritual accountability. They are bound by earthly concerns and cannot accompany the soul into the afterlife.

The Allegory of Worldly Wealth

Goods, the personification of material wealth and possessions, serves as a particularly biting allegorical critique. Everyman's desperate reliance on his riches underscores the human tendency to equate worldly success with spiritual security. However, Goods explicitly rejects this notion, becoming a 'fardel' (burden) rather than a savior. This personification powerfully illustrates the play's assertion that material wealth, hoarded and pursued for its own sake, becomes an impediment to salvation. It cannot bribe Death, nor can it offer comfort in the face of divine judgment. The allegorical weight of Goods highlights the transience of earthly riches and the ultimate emptiness of a life devoted to their accumulation.

The Ascendancy of Virtue: Good Deeds and Knowledge

In stark contrast to the failing worldly companions, Good Deeds emerges as the most crucial allegorical figure. Initially weak and frail, reflecting Everyman's neglect of virtuous living, Good Deeds gains strength as Everyman embraces repentance. This personification symbolizes the power and necessity of righteous actions in securing salvation. Good Deeds becomes Everyman's true companion, the only entity capable of interceding on his behalf. Knowledge accompanies Good Deeds, acting as the allegorical representation of understanding and spiritual enlightenment. Knowledge illuminates the path to repentance and confession, guiding Everyman towards the means of salvation, but it is the substance of Good Deeds that ultimately provides the foundation for his acceptance.

The Ephemeral Nature of the Physical: Beauty, Strength, and the Five Wits

As Everyman progresses towards his final reckoning, he is abandoned by Beauty, Strength, and Discretion. These allegorical figures represent the transient glories of youth, physical vitality, and worldly accomplishments. Their departure underscores the vulnerability of the physical self in the face of mortality and illness. They are attributes of the living body, which must eventually decay. The Five Wits, representing the faculties of the mind and senses, also initially falter but ultimately rally to offer their prayers. Their allegorical role is to show that while worldly faculties may be tested, spiritual understanding and faith are essential for the soul's journey. Their prayers signify the importance of mental and spiritual engagement in the process of seeking divine mercy.

Organizational Structure and Didactic Purpose

The play's organization is linear and episodic, mirroring Everyman's increasingly desperate search for aid. Each encounter serves as a distinct lesson, systematically dismantling Everyman's reliance on worldly supports. The progression from superficial companionship to material wealth, and finally to the abstract virtues, creates a clear narrative arc of disillusionment and spiritual awakening. The epilogue, delivered by the Doctor, explicitly reinforces the allegorical meaning, transforming the dramatic performance into a direct moral exhortation. This clear, didactic structure ensures that the allegorical message is not only presented but also explicitly explained, leaving the audience with a profound understanding of the play's theological and ethical imperatives.

Tone and Audience Engagement

The tone of Everyman is predominantly serious, somber, and didactic. It aims to provoke introspection and fear of divine judgment, motivating the audience towards repentance and virtuous living. The allegorical method allows the playwright to present potentially abstract and frightening concepts – death, sin, judgment – in a concrete, dramatic form. By personifying these elements, the play makes them relatable and immediate. The audience is invited to identify with Everyman's plight, recognizing their own potential failings and the universal nature of the confrontation with mortality. This engagement is crucial for the play's success as a moral instrument.

Revision Opportunities and Strengths

A key strength of Everyman is the consistency and clarity of its allegorical framework. Each character's function is well-defined, contributing to a cohesive and powerful message. The allegorical representation is not overly obscure; the meaning of each personification is readily apparent within the context of the play's religious and moral themes. Potential areas for revision, if one were to adapt the play, might involve modernizing the language or exploring the psychological nuances of Everyman's fear and repentance more deeply. However, for its original purpose, the directness and clarity of its allegory are paramount strengths. The play effectively uses its allegorical structure to achieve its didactic goals, making complex theological ideas accessible and emotionally resonant.

Everyman: Represents all humanity.
Death: Personification of mortality and divine messenger.
Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin: Represent superficial human bonds.
Goods: Symbolizes material wealth and its inadequacy.
Beauty, Strength, Discretion: Represent transient physical attributes.
Good Deeds: Embodies virtuous actions, essential for salvation.
Knowledge: Represents spiritual understanding and the path to repentance.
Confession: Symbolizes the sacrament of absolution.
Five Wits: Represent the faculties of the mind and senses.
Angel: Represents divine acceptance.
Doctor/Pardoner: Acts as the moralizing narrator.

Example of Allegorical Dialogue

EVERYMAN: O, Death, thou comest full grimly. Thy face full pale and terrible to see. When thou, Death, playest thy pageants, All the world taketh the warning, And thinketh on thee. DEATH: I am Death, that no man can escape, When I call him. Yet I come not by rude assault, Nor by vengeance enforcéd, But by sufferance of God, that all things hath in governance. Analysis: Here, Death is not merely a biological event but a divinely appointed messenger. His 'pale and terrible' face is an allegorical representation of the fear and finality associated with mortality. Death's explanation that he acts 'by sufferance of God' establishes his role within a divine plan, reinforcing the play's theological underpinnings. Everyman's reaction underscores the universal human dread of this allegorical figure.

FAQs

What is allegory and how is it used in Everyman?

Allegory is a literary device where characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or principles. In Everyman, the entire play is an allegory for the human soul's journey towards death and divine judgment. Everyman represents all humanity, Death is a divine messenger, and characters like Fellowship, Goods, and Good Deeds personify human relationships, material wealth, and virtuous actions, respectively. This allows the play to convey complex theological and moral messages in a tangible, dramatic form.

Why do characters like Fellowship and Goods abandon Everyman?

Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin abandon Everyman because they represent superficial human bonds and earthly ties that cannot withstand the ultimate test of death. Goods abandons him because material wealth, however abundant, is ultimately useless in the afterlife and cannot secure salvation. These abandonments serve to highlight the inadequacy of worldly attachments and the necessity of spiritual preparation.

What is the significance of Good Deeds in the play?

Good Deeds is arguably the most important allegorical figure in Everyman. Initially weak due to Everyman's sinful life, Good Deeds gains strength through repentance and becomes Everyman's most reliable companion and advocate before God. It symbolizes the power of virtuous actions performed during life as the true means of securing salvation. Without Good Deeds, Everyman cannot hope for acceptance into heaven.

How does the play's allegorical structure contribute to its moral message?

The allegorical structure makes the abstract concepts of sin, virtue, death, and judgment concrete and dramatic. By personifying these elements, the play engages the audience emotionally and intellectually. Everyman's journey becomes a relatable model for the audience's own lives, prompting introspection about their actions, their attachments, and their readiness for death. The clear progression and explicit moralizing (especially in the epilogue) ensure the message is understood and impactful.

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