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This is an extract from the moral play called 'Everyman' by Anonymous. Eventually before this extract, the messenger begins by revealing two themes such as sin and death which depict the cause of death to human beings. In the given extract, God wails over people who do not obey His rules and instead choose material things, friends, and money which drive them astray from the righteous path. However, the whole play consists of different themes such as sin, the material world, salvation, religion, fear of death, and judgment after death.
In line 23, God grieves deeply about people who are 'unkind' to Him and 'living' without fear in His kingdom by giving in sin and material wealth and forgetting Him and what He gave up, for them to be saved from sins. Nevertheless, in line 36, people are involved in 'seven deadly sins', and every year they become worse and God decides that people must be accountable for their sins to stop them from deteriorating over and above. God sees that most people are 'cumbered' with ungodly wealth and do not 'thank' Him for giving them life as He expected them to, instead, they are too fond of the material world and forget who is their Creator. Hence, He then requisite Death, the 'mighty' messenger to do justice to those living without fear and have a 'reckoning' of every man for judgment day.
We see an example of the themes of sin and the material world when Everyman is full of sins at the beginning of the play which is seen to be pictured by his friends who encourage his immoral actions. For instance, Fellowship depicts that he would not die for his friend but he can help when it comes to having fun, the 'lusty' group, and can indeed 'kill' for him. Additionally, the character Good represents material things and is there to blacken Everyman's conscience and dissociate him from the King of Kings. In this play, sin is not only about killing or lying but it is also linked with worldly affluence and goods such as eating, drinking, money, and sex.
However, such pragmatism emerges when Goods shows that people lose their souls and get lost in God's sight. Moreover, sin can be attractive as Beauty, Strength, and Discretion but they disappear when one grows older or dies because it is unendurable. Consequently, Everyman's friends cannot back him during his 'reckoning', the only thing that will support him on his judgment day is his good deeds which will also save him from going to Hell.
Furtherly, God in the play is portrayed as the salvation of a sinner but salvation can be only obtained through religion. Shortly, religion helps people to conquer any struggle they come across in life including the afterlife. Knowledge helps Everyman to reckon that he has sinned before God, he also realizes that he adored his friends more than his 'good deeds' which will make his 'pilgrimage' easier. Then when weakness and loneliness strike, he sees the need for 'repentance' before God as death is nearing and he is 'commanded' to take his journey alone.
However, death is the basic theme that is part of everyone's life because no one will live forever in the world. God uses 'Death' as an arm to punish those who live 'beastly' on earth and forget who died for them to live out of sin. In a Christian perception, death is an eternal life and happiness to those who live by Holy Spirit regulations but to a sinner, death is scary and means Hell. Death fulfils God's wishes and does not have mercy on wrongdoers.
Moreover, Everyman fears death to the point that he even has to go to church to seek forgiveness by admitting his wrongs to the Holy Mighty and forgiveness is given to those who sincerely feel remorse. Thus, Everyman is granted forgiveness at the end of the play and he is then ready to meet God whereas Beauty, Discretion, and Strength leave him to die alone. Consequently, death is the only way to meet God and the Christian religion recommends that people must not fear death because there is an endless, better survival afterlife.
Summing up, in Everyman's play and Christian worldview, people are bound to act godly for them to be granted space in Heaven and to be always ready for death. According to the play, man is expected to do wrong and ask for forgiveness and if one means it, God gives mercy in return as an award. Loving the world's beauty is a sin and it is there to distract people in their righteousness whereas religion is there to guide people in the right direction where God wants them to go so that when death comes, they will be all ready and happy. However, friends and family reject you when it is time for death, thus, every single person must maintain good deeds to be accepted in Heaven.
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