Everyman is a one act play that begins with a Messenger announcing the play’s purpose: every man will be called before God, and thus every man should look to the end of his life even as he begins it. The sin that initially looks sweet will eventually cause the soul to weep. Then God appears and tells the audience that man has forgotten the sacrifice that God made for them at the crucifixion. God is angry and disappointed with man, who has embraced the seven deadly sins. Since man has turned to sin, God is demanding a reckoning. He calls for Death and instructs him to seek out every man who has lived outside God’s law. Death is to bring forth these men for a final reckoning. Death promises to do so and seeing Everyman, Death asks him if he has forgotten his God. Everyman is unprepared for Death and is afraid of the journey that Death proposes. After warning Everyman of his judgment at hand, Everyman asks for time to find someone to join him in his pilgrimage.
Everyman first sees his friend, Fellowship, with whom he has spent a great amount of with. Initially, Fellowship says he will join his friend wherever he is going, but when he hears of the destination, Fellowship changes his mind. He offers women and good times, but he won’t go on a journey to face God’s judgment. Everyman is disappointed in Fellowship’s response but decides that family would make stronger companions. With that thought, he approached Kindred. It initially seems that Kindred will join Everyman, but when Kindred learns of the destination, he also changes his mind and does not go, which makes Everyman feel increasingly isolated.
Next, Everyman turns to Goods, for whom he committed so many of the sins that weigh heavily on him. But Goods cannot leave earth’s bounds because his role is to tempt man to sin, and so Goods will go on to the next victim, since Everyman has no further use of Goods. The betrayal of Fellowship, Kindred, and Goods makes Everyman aware that he has trusted in the...