Symbolism in the Play Everyman Essay - 456 Words

Symbolism in the Play Everyman The play Everyman dates back to medieval times and has affected many people throughout the centuries. Many life lessons are looked at throughout the play through symbolism, which helps the reader understand life’s lessons easier. Everyman, an allegory, had symbolism scattered throughout the entire story, which helped to better show lessons learned through life. In Everyman, symbolism is present in many characters, including Good-Deeds, Confession, and Death. In the play Everyman, Good-Deeds is symbolic through his character name, costume, and actions. Good-Deeds shows symbolism through his many charitable acts. Good-Deeds wishes to go along with Everyman on his†¦show more content†¦Confession is also another very symbolic character in the play Everyman especially through his name, costume, and actions. Confession gives penance and perhaps the Act of Contrition to Everyman to say to redeem himself from his sins. Confessions’ costume was probably along the lines of white, meaning innocence and purity. During the play, Confession acts by helping Everyman confess his sins and gives him penance for his sins. This is symbolic to how the Roman Catholic Church performs reconciliation, where followers can redeem themselves for sins they have made. During the play, Death lets Everyman search for somebody to go with him on his pilgrimage to his grave. Death is another symbolic character to the play Everyman. Death is symbolic to death and the dying process. The dying process’ steps are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Death most likely wore the color black, resembling sorrow, sadness and the sign of mourning. Death’s actions are to tell Everyman that he is going to come face to face with death no matter what, even if he can bring somebody with. This symbolizes how many people today think that death can be delayed, but it’s ultimately the end for everyone. In conclusion, Everyman uses symbolism to portray the lessons of life. Symbolism has been representedShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Othello, And Othello Essay1589 Words   |  7 PagesAnalyzing a play can be quite difficult, especially older texts that can be convoluted. In my high school year, it wasn’t until senior year until I fully understood what all was in Shakespeare’s plays. This also goes for many texts that had religious undertones, which was a pain because I grew up in a Christian home. I could never find those small details that others could. Now, in college, I am more capable to finding these symbolic words, objects, or actions. Throughout the assignments in my theatreRead MoreEveryman: The play1213 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play Everyman, death is embodied as a representative of God that visits the plays central character, Everyman. Death takes hold of the readers’ interests because it is such a profound word. It is a burdened, aggressive, penetrating word that replicates an actuality that every human wil l have to come to accept. Death is an adversary in the play that signifies physical death. The author recognizes the consequences of death and uses that knowledge to bring in the reader. In Everyman, the authorRead More A Comparison of Everyman and Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus1145 Words   |  5 PagesComparison of Everyman and Christopher Marlowes Doctor Faustus Everyman and Doctor Faustus are both Morality Plays, these are specifically plays that existed within the Medieval period. They were popular during this period as they were intended to instruct the audience in the Christian way and attitudes to life. The morality play is essentially an allegory written in dramatic form. In the fourteenth Century, morality plays were mainly based on the seven deadly sins as in everyman with eachRead MoreSymbolism Of An Article On The Reader From A Piece Of Literature2057 Words   |  9 Pagesmissing pieces of a line in a play that signifies a pause in speech, or when there are ellipses in dialogue that signify an upset reaction to something that was said previously. Plays that are shorter than regular plays, such as Everyman and Trifles by Susan Glaspell, are purposefully so. Everyman and Trifles are both one-act plays, while the traditional play included multiple acts and multiple scenes within those acts. The playwright’s decision to make these plays shorter was intentional and couldRead MoreAllegory in Everyman and The Pilgrims Progress2357 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿3. Discuss how and why allegory is use d in ‘Everyman’ and ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ to communicate their different religious meanings. Published roughly two centuries apart, ‘Everyman’ and ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ are two very different, yet highly similar pieces of religious literature. Laying a great deal of emphasis on â€Å"salvation through good works and sacraments† (Lecture), the late medieval play ‘Everyman’ is a profound piece of Catholic work with strong religious purpose. Everyman’s searchRead MoreLife and Death Themes in the Sandbox and Everyman2715 Words   |  11 PagesLife and Death Themes in The Sandbox and Everyman COURSE # ENGL-102_D22_200940 COURSE TITLE: English 102 SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: D Fall 2009 NAME Glen MacDonald Glen MacDonald Professor Smith English 102 December 5, 2009 Research Paper – Life and Death Themes in The Sandbox and Everyman This paper explores the perception and treatment of death at points in history some 500 years apart by using two dramatic plays as a portal into their respective time periodsRead MoreHistory, Symbolism, and Characters in Homer’s The Odyssey 1118 Words   |  5 PagesTrojan War. On his journey home, he runs into many obstacles and creatures that he must overcome. He encounters the sirens, the Cyclops, and others. Each event in this epic poem has a symbolic meaning behind it. Homer writes about the history, symbolism, and the characters in The Odyssey. The Odyssey is about the Greek gods and heroes and their adventures (Makman). Odysseus is the main character, and he is going on a quest that takes him several years to complete. Homer’s story, the Odyssey, arisesRead More Strength of the Human Spirit Revealed by Ivan Denisovich Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pagesgang (4).    In a struggle for survival, nearly all human beings will gladly pawn their pain and hardships off onto other, struggling human beings. Therefore, Ivan and his gang act only as any other humans would act in such a situation. The symbolism is apparent when it is understood that humans, even those who are not in such extreme positions of survival as a Russian work camp, act in this manner. Ivan and his gang, in their time of desperate struggle, reflect the actions of average human beingsRead MoreAnalysis Of Zadie Smiths Swing Time1292 Words   |  6 Pagesstigma against black people. In a way, Smith creates her own time spectrum, and thus her own myth, in which she can accurately portray the struggles of a British black woman from the 1980s into the present . Smith’s myth is not one that discounts the everyman black woman motif she has painstakingly created, but rather it is one that enforces the truth of that motif by altering the lens through which readers are able to watch Sw ing Time unfold. Smith begins her novel with a prologue set in present-dayRead More Symbolism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay examples2488 Words   |  10 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is rich in symbolism, as this essay will amply illustrate. Hugo McPherson in â€Å"Hawthorne’s Use of Mythology† explains how the author’s â€Å"inner drama† may be expressed in his symbolism: The imaginative foundation of a writer’s work may well be an inner drama or ‘hidden life’ in which his deepest interests and conflicts are transformed into images or characters; and through the symbolic play of these creations, he comes to ‘know’ the meaning of his