gh we feel for him, we can only do so at a distance. He is not one of us, he is all of us. Obviously, the play is a product of the Christian religion. Most important among the ideas and recurring themes presented in this passage is God's statement: "Charity do they clean forget(266)." Too concerned for their own worldly possessions, human beings have forgotten their duties to the less fortunate. This prompts God's call for a "reckoning," which Death readily carries out. God also states that "Every man liveth so after his own pleasure(266)." In fact, later in the play, Everyman confronts Goods, the personification of all that he has owned during his life. He learns that though he has derived pleasure from his goods, he is no better off for it. In such a stark landscape of right and wrong, there is little room for shades of grey. The message is not shown by the constraints of a traditional narrative. The allegories and the religious overtones of the story serve to enhance the moral message of the play. The use of Death as a character is very effective, and as we discussed in class, it would have made a profound effect on medieval audiences. One wonders if this effect is more pronounced in the world of today. After all, most Americans have the luxury of being able to ignore or hide from death, fearing it only in their innermost thoughts In medeival times, congregations were taught to fear God. The clergy were very powerful, and most dramas of this period dealt with religious themes. In class, someone mentioned that these plays might have been a way for landowners to keep their serfs in line. By scaring them into civil behaviour, the upper classes would not have to worry about peasant uprisings and/or disobedience, civil or otherwise. Everyman is a play with a message, and it gets that message across. By using allegory and personification, the opening passage featuring God and Death is extraordinarily effective. ...
