Van Laan also states in his analysis of Everyman that in between all the episodes of asking his figures for help and company, that he is alone on stage. Van Laan refers to this act as, “a visual representation of increasing loneliness. ” This can be seen as a direct example of performance theory. Everyman was alone and in solitary in between having conversations with the allegorical figures, especially Fellowship, Cousin and Kindred, Goods and Good Deeds. In the play, Everyman is alone to show that he is slowly accepting the fact that he may have to face this journey alone.
None of the figures wish to accompany him on this terrifying pilgrimage. Everyman’s holds his reactions to each denial of company in complete soliloquy. One may interpret this as an act of pity from the viewers. Everyman not only states he is alone and demonstrates his loneliness in his word choices, he chooses to act it out as well. He believes that standing on stage with no company will help to articulate his state of low confidence and complete isolation. Persuasion in Everyman Persuasion that appears in Everyman is in a conversation between Everyman and Death.
Death was sent to inform Everyman that he needed to pay for his sins and that his day has arrived. According to Three Late Medieval Morality Plays, Death was sent to teach Everyman facts about life and death with no emotions involved. Death had to keep all feelings aside because that was part of his job. This can make Death appear as a very cold hearted allegorical figure. Death is the one who delivers all the bad news to people about their final judgment and he must keep all emotions aside. Everyman tried to persuade Death for more time once he received the news.
He attempted to do this with money in order to convince Death to prolong his fate. “Yea, a thousand pounds shalt thou have – and defer this matter till another day” (123-124). When Death first approaches Everyman, he is not taken seriously due to the fact that he cannot believe it and he thinks that he can literally buy more time. Death immediately shuts down Everyman’s persuasive offer, “I give thee no respite. Come hence, and not tarry” (129). There was no getting out of it or taking the easy way because his fate stood before him.
According to Julie Paulson, in Everyman, Death is immediately “met with tter misrecognition and incomprehension. ” When Death informs Everyman about his journey and its purpose, Everyman’s incomprehension is found to be humorous by readers due to the fact that he immediately responded to Death by saying he wasn’t ready for such a journey and he needed more time. Death was instantly not taken seriously by Everyman. It can also be seen as humorous because Everyman tries to offer Death some sort of pay to have him leave Everyman alone so he can live his life. Death declined and informed Everyman that no type of bribe could delay the inevitable.
He does not recognize that this will be to face his sins and be met by God to face his final destination. Misrecognition played a role because Everyman was unaware how much of an impact this journey would have on his life and how eye opening it would be to all the allegorical figures in his life. Everyman does not realize at first that he is taking a journey to face death and pay for all the sins he has committed throughout his life. This journey is very serious and would impact Everyman’s afterlife experience dramatically. Ritual in Everyman:
Furthermore, ritual is demonstrated in the morality play, Everyman. The first example of this occurs when Everyman is having a conversation with Knowledge. Everyman is told by Knowledge that he should relieve his sins by scourging himself. This is seen as a ritual that people can do to show their willingness to be forgiven of their sins. “To remember thy Savior was scourged for thee” (562). Everyman chose to do the same to himself, “For now I will my penance begin; this hath rejoiced and lighten my heart, though the knots be painful and hard within” (574-576).
There are a few ways to relieve yourself of sins and to show God that you were willing to do so. Everyman was told by Knowledge to flagellate himself, so that is what he did. Self-torture was one performance God required to show him you are willing to inflict pain upon yourself in order to be relieved from the sins you have committed. A lot of courage is required do this type of torture to yourself, but Everyman was searching for any way to put off his final judgment in the face of God. Flagellation was a common practice in the fifteenth century. Flagellation became a form of penance in the Catholic Church.
Those who were going to inflict pain upon themselves could do so in a public place as a demonstration of piety (Catholic Encyclopedia). This was to be seen as a sacrifice to God and a plea to relieve their sins they have committed. One form of flagellation was to whip yourself repeatedly. Everyman demonstrates this with Knowledge as an act to relieve himself of the sins he has committed through his life in order to make his Judgment Day a little easier. Everyman states, “In the name of the Holy Trinity, my body sore punished shall be: Take his, body, for the sin of the flesh! ” (611-613).
Confession offers Everyman a “jewel” called penance if he regrets his sins to God and endures the pain to make amends: “I will you comfort as well as I can, And a precious jewel I will give thee, Called penance, wise voider of adversity; Therewith shall your body chastised be… ” (557-559). Then Everyman performs the scourging in front of Confession and Knowledge. After Everyman has completed his self-pain, Confession decides that Good Deeds has found the strength to go with Everyman on his journey. Also, the next example of ritual demonstrated in Everyman is when Five Wits and Knowledge enter.
Five Wits and Knowledge instruct Everyman to seek out a priest. Five Wits instructs him, “The blessed sacraments seven there be: Baptism, confirmation, with priesthood good…And the sacrament of God’s Precious flesh and blood …Marriage, the holy extreme unction, and penance” (722-725). Everyman must show God he is committed to a life of change. God has sacrificed a significant amount for Everyman, such as, “when I for them died/ shedding of my blood red/ I hanged between two/ with thorns hurt was my head” (29-33). God is very disappointed by the life that Everyman has lived.
He has sinned, lied, cheated, and more. God wants Everyman to pay for the life he has lived and the damage he has done and finally take responsibility for the wrongs he has done. Knowledge states, “Everyman, harken what I say: Go to priesthood, I advise you…” (706-707). Everyman has completed his repentance and scourging in order to enter Heaven. These are both requirements by God in order to gain acceptance in the afterlife. The next step Everyman must take is the process of the seven blessed sacraments and holy rituals.
Everyman must commit to these inward and outward changes in order to move forward and gain forgiveness for his life. Baptism is something that represents a rebirth into Everyman’s new, changed life. This is a symbol to his honest step forward into a new life. Communion follows and this includes the taking of body and blood. Everyman has proved to himself and God that he is relieved of his sins and is very serious about turning his life around for the better and taking responsibility for his wrong actions in the past.
This could be seen as an example of how morality plays have a struggle with good and evil. Thus far, Everyman has lived a life of some evil and bad choices that have lead him to the situation and place he is now. When Death approaches Everyman, he realizes how much wrong and evil he has done in his life and where that will lead him when he faces God. Everyman has to struggle and seek the help of the allegorical figures in his life for guidance on how to turn his life around for the better. He is unable to do it on his own and this leads to a very deep struggle Everyman faces.
He did not have to complete the sacred rituals, including flagellating himself, but he did it to be relived and have a clean slate when he faced God or his final judgment. At the end of all Everyman’s sacrifices, Five Wits states, “Peace, for yonder I see Everyman come, which hath made true satisfaction” (769-770). All of the sacrifices and changes for the better Everyman has made once he found out that Death was forcing him to go on a pilgrimage to face God on Judgment Day, could be seen a persuasion.
Everyman did not have to do these things in order to complete his pilgrimage or to face his final judgment in the face of God. Everyman accomplished these tasks in the hope that he would not be dammed for the rest of his life. One perspective of Everyman’s actions could be seen as he has lived an evil and selfish life and finally wanted to relieve his sins and take responsibility for his actions in the last few hours he had before facing his fate. On the other hand, a perspective could be that Everyman completed those actions in a performance to persuade God.
He could have acted as if he was really trying to relieve his sins during his flagellation, but it could have been an act to persuade Knowledge and Five Wits he was a changed man and they should accompany him on his dreadful pilgrimage. Everyman was performing these actions in order to persuade the allegorical figures and deceive God into thinking he actually struggled with good and evil and became a better person because of it. At the judgment Everyman states to God, “ Into thy hands, Lord, my soul I commend; receive it/save me from the fiend’s boast/be saved at the day of doom” (880-885).
