Seven Deadly Sins and Play Everyman free essay sample

In the play Everyman, death is personified and treated as an agent of God that goes to visit the plays protagonist, Everyman. Everyman, like other morality plays, seeks to present a religious lesson through allegorical figures representing abstract characteristics. The play centers on the life of Everyman, a wealthy man in his prime who is suddenly called by Death to appear before God for judgment. On his journey to meet God, he seeks assistance from lifelong companions Fellowship (friends), Kindred and Cousin (family), and Goods (material wealth), but all abandon him because he has neglected them in life, Good-Deeds is too weak to accompany Everyman on his journey. She advises him to call on Knowledge (awareness of sin). Knowledge escorts Everyman to Confession, who directs him to do penance. In the process of Everymans penance, Good-Deeds is strengthened and is finally able to accompany Everyman to his final reckoning. Everyman, now wearing the garment of Contrition, continues his journey—until now a quest for spiritual health, but increasingly showing the qualities of a pilgrimage—to salvation. We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Deadly Sins and Play Everyman or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Everyman, Knowledge, and Good-Deeds are joined on the journey by Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five Wits (the senses). After donating his wealth to charity, Everyman follows the advice of Knowledge and Five Wits and receives the sacraments of Communion and Extreme Unction. Meanwhile, Knowledge and Five Wits converse on the subject of corrupt priests in the church. Approaching his grave, Everyman is again deserted by all his companions except Knowledge and Good-Deeds. As the story closes, Knowledge remains behind as Everyman and Good-Deeds together descend into the grave. The themes in Everyman are strongly reflected in the allegorical characters which populate the work. The work teaches ethical and religious lessons about how to please God and how to treat humanity. The work has been seen by some critics as a dramatic treatment of the medieval Catholic church doctrine of â€Å"Holy Dying,† whereby a person forsakes earthly attachments and prepares his or her soul for salvation, but episodes such as the discussion between Knowledge and Five Wits on corrupt priests suggest the influence of the Protestant reform movement as well. The testing of Everymans companions, all of whom fail except for Good-Deeds, reflects the medieval belief that friends must prove themselves before they can be accepted as true. Good-Deedss loyalty additionally points to the Christian notion of friendship as a gift from God. Thus, this figure represents not only Everymans own positive and good actions but Gods blessing as well. Everyman is a very interesting play, that shows how every single person has the responsibility to do good things during his life, and then at his death, God will judge him for all his sins he make during his live. The purpose of this essay is to show that God has a purpose for all of us and we can choose whether accept his purpose or no. The story begins when God was thinking that everyman had made a lot of sins so He sent Death to take to Everyman the message that he must go on a long journey; that he must prepare to make his accounting before God. But everyman denied to leave earth, he says that he is not ready and asks for more time also, offers to the Death one thousand pounds if he forgive him but Death refuses saying that all riches in the world would be his if he did that type of illegal business. Moreover, Everyman next request was if he will be allowed to return after he has give his account to God but he guarantee him that the place he is going to there is no way to return but at least he can find someone to join him on the journey that is very difficult. First, he found fellowship; he says that he will do anything for Everyman even to paid a wrong done by him at the risk of his own life, but when Everyman invites Fellowship to join him in the journey of Death, Fellowship quickly declines and rapidly go away. Then Everyman decides that blood unions might make stronger companions, so he approaches Kindred. At the beginning seems that Kindred will accompany Everyman. But when Kindred knows of the destination. He declines. Everyman is feeling lonely. Moreover, Everyman looks for Goods but he cannot help him too, no one of his â€Å"friends† help him so he thought that he choose wrong his friends. At last he recalls his Good Deeds and Good Deeds suggests that Knowledge can be of help, then Knowledge takes Everyman to visit Confession, because if Everyman learned that knowledge of his sins, he can find salvation. More after Everyman add new companions to go with him. Discretion, Beauty, Strength, and the Five Wits. At the end, Everyman receives last rites from a priest and prepares to meet Death. The audience reminded that the priest is God’s representative. As the journey continues, all his companions had leaved him. Beauty is the first, because beauty fades quickly as man get close to death. The next to leave is Strength. Next Discretion leaves, and then Five Wits abandons Everyman and at last only Knowledge and Good Deeds remain by his side. Good Deeds accompanies him to the Heaven to plead his cause before his Maker, and Knowledge, remaining behind, hears the joyful songs of the angels. In conclusion, this morality play shows that no one escapes from God`s will. We must be the kind of person that changes all bad things in our world. And always be thanked to God and in simple words do good things in life. Everyman is a very interesting play, that shows how every single person has the responsibility to do good things during his live, and then at his death, God will judge him for all his sins he make during his live. The purpose of this essay is to show that God has a purpose for all of us and we can choose whether accept his purpose or no. At the end, Everyman receives last rites from a priest and prepares to meet Death. The audience reminded that the priest is God’s representative. As the journey continues, all his companions had leaved him. Beauty is the first, because beauty fades quickly as man get close to death. The next to leaved is Strength. Next Discretion leaves, and then Five Wits abandons Everyman and at last only Knowledge and Good Deeds remain by his side. Good Deeds accompanies him to the Heaven to plead his cause before his Maker, and Knowledge, remaining behind, hears the joyful songs of the angels. In conclusion, this morality play shows that no one escapes from God`s will. We must be the kind of person that changes all bad things in our world. And always be thanked to God and in simple words do good things in life. Other things to note are: 1. that God dominates the first half of the play 2. that the Wheel of Fortune assists in the descent-ascent pattern 3. that Everyman initially relies on his earthly supports to assist him on his journey; at this point he is damned 4. that the motifs of prayer, preoccupation with time, and personal suffering appear in both halves of the play. 5. that the Seven Deadly Sins, although not overtly present in the play, are central to Everymans dilemma, especially Avarice and Pride. 6. that the play has a number of thematic references to Christs Passion 7. that the play finally teaches mans redemption is only through Christ. In addition, various structural patterns for the play have been advanced. On the one hand, some have argued for a four part structural scheme: 1) the fruitless conflict with death, 2) the failure to find a companion, 3) the change from despair to joy through the arrival of worthy companions, and 4) the new complication arising from the desertion by the worthy companions. On the other hand, others argue for a three part scheme focusing on various climaxes as Everyman is abandoned by various groups of companions. However, the negative prologue of the Messenger and the positive epilogue of the Doctor clearly distinguish a two part structure. One movement, a falling action, occupies approximately the first half of the play; it traces Everymans decline in fortune from Deaths entrance, which shatters the apparent serenity of his life, to the depth of his despair, where he can foresee only eternal damnation. The second movement, a rising action, carries him from this nadir to his final salvation, symbolized by the words of the welcoming Angel. Detailed analysis reveals this two part, descent-ascent structural pattern as the basic principle of the plays organization