Everyman is a 16th century English morality play, with origins in a late 15th century Dutch morality play called Elckerlijc. For other uses, see Netherlands (disambiguation). ... Linguistically speaking, Middle Dutch is no more than a collective name for closely related languages or dialects which were spoken and written between about 1150 and 1500 in the present-day Dutch-speaking region. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Morality plays are a type of theatrical allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a godly life over one of evil. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Morality plays are a type of theatrical allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a godly life over one of evil. ... Elckerlijc also known as Elckerlyc, is a morality play was written about 1470 in Dutch, and originally printed in 1495. ...

Synopsis

The play opens with God giving a monologue about his troubles. He complains about how humans have become too absorbed in material wealth and riches to follow Him. He feels taken for granted, because he receives no appreciation for all that he has given them. God summons Death, his messenger, and tells him to go to Everyman and summon him to heaven to make his reckoning. It is then that he will be judged. Upon hearing this, Everyman is distressed as he does not have a proper account of his life prepared. Everyman tries to bribe Death and asks for more time. Death denies this request but tells Everyman he may find a companion for his journey, someone to speak for his good virtues. Fellowship, representing a person's friends, happens along and promises to go anywhere with Everyman. However, when Fellowship hears of the true nature of Everyman's journey, he immediately refuses to go. Fellowship says that he would stay with Everyman were they having fun, but will not accompany him on such a journey. It is here established that Fellowship is a personification of the "fair weather friend". Everyman then sees Kindred and Cousin, who represent family, and asks them to go with him. Kindred flat out refuses, saying he'd rather go to parties and Cousin says, "No, I have a cramp in my toe," so he can't go either. Cousin also presents a fundamental reason why no one will accompany Everyman: they have their own accounts to write as well. Everyman realizes he has put much love towards Goods and so Goods will surely come with him on his journey with Death. Goods will not come with Everyman; he says it is to Everyman's damnation that he put so much effort of his life to Goods and therefore Goods would make Everyman's case even worse. Everyman then turns to Good Deeds. Good Deeds says she would go with him, but she is too weak as Everyman has not loved her. She sends her sister Knowledge with Everyman, and together they go to see Confession. There, Everyman repents for all his sins, and punishes himself with a scourge. Confession gives Everyman a jewel called Penance. Everyman is now absolved of all sins, and Good Deeds becomes strong enough to accompany Everyman on his journey. Knowledge gifts Everyman with a garment made from his own tears, called Contrition. Good Deeds summons Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Everyman's Five Wits to join them. They all agree to go with him, after he goes to a priest to take sacrament. Again, when Everyman tells them where his journey ends, all but Good Deeds forsake him. This is because they cannot accompany him beyond the point where he leaves his physical body. Everyman gets into his grave. Everyman and Good Deeds ascend into heaven, where they are welcomed by an Angel. A Doctor, representing a scholar, then explains the moral of the story: that in the end, a person will only have his Good Deeds to accompany him beyond the grave. A scourge (from the Italian scoriada, ultimately from the Latin excoriare = to flay and corium = skin) is a whip or lash, especially a multi-tong type used in order to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ...

Another well-known version of the play is Jedermann by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which has been performed annually at the Salzburg Festival since 1920. Everyman (German: Jedermann) is a 1911 play by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, based on the sixteenth-century English morality play, Everyman. ... Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo von Hofmannsthal (February 1, 1874 – July 15, 1929), was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. ... The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Complete Text of Everyman
• E. R. Tigg. "Is Elckerlyc prior to Everyman?", Journal of English and Germanic Philosophy, 38, 1939, pp. 568-96.
• A. C. Cawley (1989). "Everyman", Dictionary of the Middle Ages. ISBN 0-684-17024-8
• A. C. Cawley (1961). Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays, Everyman's Library. ISBN 046087280X (one of many reprints)
• Reinder Meijer Literature of the Low Countries: A Short History of Dutch Literature in the Netherlands and Belgium. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1971, pp. 55-57, 62.
• Genji Takahashi (1953). A Study of "Everyman" with Special Reference to the Source of its Plot. pp. 33-39

Dictionary of the Middle Ages: Supplement 1 (2003) The Dictionary of the Middle Ages is a 13-volume encyclopedia of the Middle Ages published by the American Council of Learned Societies between 1982 and 1989, with a supplemental volume added in 2003. ... Everymans Library is a series of reprinted classic literature currently published by Alfred A. Knopf (a division of Random House) in the United States, and Weidenfeld and Nicolson in the United Kingdom. ...

Synopsis

The play opens with God giving a monologue about his troubles. He complains about how humans have become too absorbed in material wealth and riches to follow Him. He feels taken for granted, because he receives no appreciation for all that he has given them. God summons Death, his messenger, and tells him to go to Everyman and summon him to heaven to make his reckoning. It is then that he will be judged. Upon hearing this, Everyman is distressed as he does not have a proper account of his life prepared. Everyman tries to bribe Death and asks for more time. Death denies this request but tells Everyman he may find a companion for his journey, someone to speak for his good virtues. Fellowship, representing a person's friends, happens along and promises to go anywhere with Everyman. However, when Fellowship hears of the true nature of Everyman's journey, he immediately refuses to go. Fellowship says that he would stay with Everyman were they having fun, but will not accompany him on such a journey. It is here established that Fellowship is a personification of the "fair weather friend". Everyman then sees Kindred and Cousin, who represent family, and asks them to go with him. Kindred flat out refuses, saying he'd rather go to parties and Cousin says, "No, I have a cramp in my toe," so he can't go either. Cousin also presents a fundamental reason why no one will accompany Everyman: they have their own accounts to write as well. Everyman realizes he has put much love towards Goods and so Goods will surely come with him on his journey with Death. Goods will not come with Everyman; he says it is to Everyman's damnation that he put so much effort of his life to Goods and therefore Goods would make Everyman's case even worse. Everyman then turns to Good Deeds. Good Deeds says she would go with him, but she is too weak as Everyman has not loved her. She sends her sister Knowledge with Everyman, and together they go to see Confession. There, Everyman repents for all his sins, and punishes himself with a scourge. Confession gives Everyman a jewel called Penance. Everyman is now absolved of all sins, and Good Deeds becomes strong enough to accompany Everyman on his journey. Knowledge gifts Everyman with a garment made from his own tears, called Contrition. Good Deeds summons Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Everyman's Five Wits to join them. They all agree to go with him, after he goes to a priest to take sacrament. Again, when Everyman tells them where his journey ends, all but Good Deeds forsake him. This is because they cannot accompany him beyond the point where he leaves his physical body. Everyman gets into his grave. Everyman and Good Deeds ascend into heaven, where they are welcomed by an Angel. A Doctor, representing a scholar, then explains the moral of the story: that in the end, a person will only have his Good Deeds to accompany him beyond the grave. A scourge (from the Italian scoriada, ultimately from the Latin excoriare = to flay and corium = skin) is a whip or lash, especially a multi-tong type used in order to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ...

Another well-known version of the play is Jedermann by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which has been performed annually at the Salzburg Festival since 1920. Everyman (German: Jedermann) is a 1911 play by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, based on the sixteenth-century English morality play, Everyman. ... Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo von Hofmannsthal (February 1, 1874 – July 15, 1929), was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. ... The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ...