A Crtical Analysis of the English Morality Play EVERYMAN

The Christian morality play Everyman opens with a Messenger from Heaven explaining the “gracious” intention of the theatrical endeavour aimed at the spiritual refinement of Everyman in preparation for the summoning he receives at the end of his worldly life. According to the Messenger, the play reveals “how transitory” our lives are, and the truth conveyed in the play is “wondrous” and “precious.” The character of Everyman is a universal representation of the human race. Accordingly, Everyman, carried away by his physical and mental potentials that support a flamboyant existence during youth, does not consider that there is an end to his life. To him, sin is sweet although it causes regret at the moment of death. But, in his death bed, he does not have the assistance of the Fellowship, Jollity, Strength, Pleasure, and Beauty that surround him during his youth. They “will fade from thee as flowers in May.” Thus the play provides an experience of how one faces death all by oneself as a true follower of the Christian morality.