Everyman , a world-famous Medieval Morality play has a set of allegorical characters who
represent Christian virtues and vices. All the characters are not multidimensional flesh and
blood persons, but embodiments of abstract ideas. Five-Wits represents the five senses of
sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
Five-wits makes a speech to Everyman about the superiority of priests. He says that priests
have greater authority than any political ruler because they are commissioned by
God. He then lists out the seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist,
marriage, unction, and penance. Five-wits declares that priesthood “exceedeth all other
thing” because priests teach people scripture and purge them of sin. They are “above angels in degree” because they have the power to transform bread and wine into the very flesh and blood of God. They have exclusive access to “the key and…the cure / For man’s redemption.” Five-wits counters Knowledge’s anti-priest thoughts and suggests to honor priesthood. Everyman regards Five-Wits his best friend until he leaves, following Beauty, Strength and Discretion.
Five-Wits is an allegorical character who represents Everyman’s ability to perceive and comprehend and so, he must leave after the death of the body. He serves as a foil to Knowledge, who helps Everyman understand his spiritual shortcomings. The hidden message is that the purpose of human life is to connect material and physical sense with the spiritual sensibility.
Character of Good Deeds in Everyman :
Everyman , a world-famous Medieval Morality play has a set of allegorical characters who represent Christian virtues and vices. All the characters are not multidimensional flesh and blood persons, but embodiments of abstract ideas. Good Deeds represents Everyman’s good actions – the charity and benevolence done for others.
After the departure of Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin, and Goods, Everyman decides to seek out Good-Deeds. She wants to help Everyman to “make that dreadful reckoning,” but is too weak to do so. She directs him to her sister, Knowledge, who provides Everyman with the guidance to achieve salvation. Everyman’s miserly and wicked nature makes her too small and weak to move, and the weight of his sin crushes her down. If he had ” perfectly cheered” her, his ” book of account” would have been “full ready”. As Everyman pursues penance and righteousness, she becomes strong enough to stand as his advocate. Good-Deeds is shown to be the most essential of Everyman’s companions because only she stays with him when he meets God. Metaphorically, this instructs the audience that doing good deeds is the only behavior that can get a person into heaven. Without a proper religious life and the intervention of the Church, she would have been unable to help him. Good Deeds gives Everyman the cardinal truth of life : “All earthly things is but vanity”.
Character of Goods in Everyman :
Everyman , a world-famous Medieval Morality play has a set of allegorical characters who represent Christian virtues and vices. All the characters are not multidimensional flesh and blood persons, but embodiments of abstract ideas.
After the loss of Fellowship, Kindred, and Cousin, Everyman summons his friend Goods – the symbol of material wealth – for advice. Goods appears and swears that he can solve Everyman’s troubles. He tells Goods his troubles and asks him to accompany himself and to help “purify” his reckoning, as he believes that “money maketh all right that is wrong.” Goods warns him that his accompaniment will trouble him more but still he insists. When Goods says that he is ” too brittle” to go on this journey, Everyman speaks of his lifelong love for Goods and accuses him of faithlessness. Goods then explains that if Everyman had better loved him in moderation and done some charity. Contrary to his belief, Goods was only lent to him, not possessed by him. Before leaving Everyman, Goods reveals that he deceives people to steal their souls : ” for my love is contrary to the love everlasting.”
This character teaches us to distinguish between the superficial worldly wealth and the essential spiritual wealth. The famous sale of indulgence by church authority – selling of salvation in exchange for money – is thereby indirectly mocked.
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