Everyman-literary themes of Death

The literary treatment of the character Death is most significant in the play. The lines in Everyman whether spoken by Death, or one of the other characters, are often in rhyme scheme. Everyman uses alliteration when speaking to Death, ''To give a reckoning longer leisure I crave,'' (101).  Death frequently uses ending rhyme when speaking (64-65), (72-73) and (90-92). Good Deeds uses ending rhyme when speaking to his friend Everyman about those that have forsaken the holy pilgrimage (871-872). The Doctor, closes the play while also using frequent ending rhyme in the last stanza (904-901). The use of such poetic devices in Everyman give the play a natural smooth reading to the interpreter looking for literary themes therein. 

Poetic devices aside, Everyman is a play about the hard road to eternal life. A great theme in the play is about the role of Everyman as he heeds Death's warning about coming judgement (146-149) and so prepares for his salvation (184-186). Ultimately, Everyman demonstrates that when one passes from this life, so do all the beauties of the person with it (904-906). The soul is all each human is left with after death (918-919). The body, whatever earthly gifts it beholds, is temporary (904-906). Where each person will be eternally is based on one's works (914-917). Like the Bible, which teaches that one's unrepentant deeds can keep one out of Heaven, (1 John 3: 8-10, Revelation 2: 5, Hebrews 10: 26) the play shows that despite Everyman's own unworthiness, he is willing to change after Death's proclamation of judgement. Goods and Fellowship, on the other hand, take the message delivered to Everyman by Death too lightly (280-282) and (414-419). At this point in the play, Everyman could have easily turned back from his pilgrimage after seeing his friends, Goods and Fellowship forsaking him. Instead, his conviction to follow God is more important to him than man's opinion of him. The fact that Everyman is one of the few among humanity in the play to take God's judgement seriously, is a reminder that Christians must follow God's commands despite what is popular. Everyman is a constant reminder that there is good and evil in life (albeit more evil). Everyman speaks for the few within humanity that are out to follow God's commands, and the same could be said, for the faithful, that hold fasts to Christ's commands (Luke 13: 23-24).