Everyman

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Everyman
Everyman is a play which is dated back old days during which illiteracy was a norm and moral and religious stability was highly emphasized. Due to the high illiteracy levels, the symbolism was applied in teaching common people on Christian ways and as well as the moral system expected of them. Everyman is a play revolving around morality (Cawley and Arthur, 381). It is full of symbolism which was applied to make it easy for the masses of the time to comprehend. This essay looks into the intention of the author, that of the director, and to answer the question as to whether or not the production is relevant for 2017 with the aid of the interaction among the various characters in the play: God, Good Deeds, Death, and Everyman.
Intention of the Author
According to Gilman and Donald (126), Everyman story tries to address essential moral aspects of a society. For example, the story brings out a conflict between evil and good through the interaction between several characters. It tries to illustrate not just the way every man is supposed to meet death, but also the way every man is supposed to live. The story shows that whichever way a man goes about his life, be it evil or good, a day comes when he will be judged on the basis of his deeds. It suggests that material things cannot grant one salvation. The accounting belief of the culture of the society involved is that it is only a person and a person’s good deeds that can offer salvation. Therefore once more, Good Deeds is the only person that can go with Everyman beyond the grave.

In the face of the judgment of God, it’s shown that the riches of a man, his friends’ reputation, and his family significance cannot help anything in terms of his worth. The story seeks to show one that only a man’s good deeds while alive can speak on his behalf in the eyes of God. It suggests that good deeds mean a lot more than faith in God when it comes to salvation.
In the design of the film, the director was influenced by the need to appreciate the context in which the play was written. The Doctor is dressed in a suit jacket, a tie, and with spectacles on. However, the play thus displays the Doctor as an outstanding character noticeably different from Everyman, devine figures, as well as allegorical figures. The play thus displays the Doctor as a figure isolated from the play world. There is more alignment between him and the audience in comparison with other characters in the play. He does not interact directly with any other character. The Director therefore wanted to use him to present a trustworthy and erudite figure which would guide viewers through the play (Cawley and Arthur, 381)).
I strongly feel that Everyman is a play which is still relevant and can be read and seen today with similar values and ideas which were in existence in the course of Middle Ages. If you share with people today, you find that their morals and values are all founded on the way they interact and live with one another. When it comes to the subject of death almost every other person speaks as if he or she has a whole lifetime to wait before death strikes. Most people think that death will find them in old age. The message thus brought out in the Everyman play is much needed also in the today’s society.
Works Cited
Cawley, Arthur C., ed. Everyman: And Medieval Miracle Plays. Vol. 381. Dent, 1960.
Gilman, Donald. Everyman & company: essays on the theme and structure of the European moral play. Vol. 15. Ams Pr Inc, 1989.