"Everyman" Assignment 1C

While reading this play, I enjoyed the way in which it was written like a rhyming poem. This play get to the core of our immortality in the deciding factor of where we're going to spend eternity. I question whether the playwright's background was in the church having written a play from a theological standpoint. When Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Five Wits enters the play at the recommendation of Knowledge and Good Deeds, I question why it was so important for these characters to help Everyman with his pilgrimage into death.

The playwright A.C. Cawley really brought the characters to life in "Everyman." When the character God speaks, it's almost as if he speaks with a jealous tone.  Although this is written in 1495, if I were in the audience I felt it to be actually, timeless. Cawley spoke  today's mind frame of greed in our society. Sin does continue to go on without the feelings of repercussion. It is also interesting to note that in the beginning you hear God speaking but then you hear Jesus come alive and say that he died for us and the mention of the shedding of his blood after hanging between the two thieves.  I also found it quite intriguing that Everyman would try to bribe death with a thousand pounds. I can definitely agree with a commentary that the writer Cawley may have been a man of the cloth or had great influence from his church to create such a theological theme. I believe that the character friends to Everyman shed light on the fact that these are attributes that are not standards worthy of giving credit to get into Heaven. This character shows so much empathy for Everyman's impending doom. But as I move through the play, I see that every character decides that they won't travel with him on his journey to his grave and I wonder why does the playwright keep leading us to believe that each character he comes in contact with will go with him?  What came to mind in this play was that if every one of these characters were to go with him they would also have to account for their own life before God of all the characters, I think the main important ones was knowledge and Good Deeds because Good Deeds is going to account for what he's done here on Earth and knowledge is the force that allows him to do good deeds. This play shows us that only you can come before God and give an account of your life here on Earth. And in the end, all you can take with is your good deeds that you've done on this Earth. For Jesus to be mentioned so much in this play, I think that the underlying theme of the play is introduced in the beginning of  the play when, ( I will paraphrase) God/Jesus is speaking saying, "Every man lives after his own pleasure and everyone is going to have to give an account of their Own actions on Earth." It seems throughout the play, there is a lot of reference to greed and riches which connects to the seven deadly sins of pride and envy. No one can take that Journey for you just like no one could take that Journey that Jesus died for Everyman. God / Jesus leaves us alone to determine whether we will be with them in eternity.