Everyman is a medieval morality play that explores themes of Christian salvation, repentance, and the inevitability of death.
Reading and Writing Workshop: Exploring Everyman and Morality Plays
Workshop Overview
This workshop will explore the classic morality play Everyman alongside other key morality plays and allegorical works from the medieval and early Renaissance periods. Participants will examine common motifs such as personification, the journey of the soul, death as a messenger, repentance, and divine judgment. Each session includes a reading, discussion, and writing activity.
Session 1: Introduction to Morality Plays & Allegory
Focus: The function of morality plays and the use of allegory.
Readings:
Write a short scene where an abstract concept (e.g., Wisdom, Fear, Greed) is personified in modern times. How would this character act today?
Session 2: The Journey of the Soul and Death as a Messenger
Focus: The inevitability of death and the soul's preparation for judgment.
Readings:
Compose a monologue for a modern-day "Death" figure who comes to collect someone unprepared. How does your character persuade or warn them?
Session 3: The Role of Good Deeds and Moral Reckoning
Focus: The concept of salvation and the insufficiency of earthly goods.
Readings:
Write a reflective essay on what "Good Deeds" might mean today. Could modern values change how we define them?
Session 4: Repentance and Confession
Focus: The power of confession and repentance in achieving salvation.
Readings:
Craft a dialogue between a modern "Confession" figure (e.g., a therapist, counselor, or spiritual guide) and someone seeking redemption.
Session 5: The Final Reckoning and Divine Judgment
Focus: The portrayal of God’s final judgment and the afterlife.
Readings:
Imagine a modern retelling of Everyman set in today’s society. Outline the setting, characters (modern allegories), and ending.
Session 6: Common Motifs Across Morality Plays
Focus: Unifying themes and contemporary relevance.
Readings:
Write a short creative piece (scene, poem, or short story) using at least two motifs from morality plays but reimagined in a modern or futuristic setting.
Workshop Overview
This workshop will explore the classic morality play Everyman alongside other key morality plays and allegorical works from the medieval and early Renaissance periods. Participants will examine common motifs such as personification, the journey of the soul, death as a messenger, repentance, and divine judgment. Each session includes a reading, discussion, and writing activity.
Session 1: Introduction to Morality Plays & Allegory
Focus: The function of morality plays and the use of allegory.
Readings:
- Everyman (full text)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481 - Excerpt from The Castle of Perseverance (c. 1425)
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/davidson-castle-of-perseverance
- What are morality plays? What role does allegory play in medieval drama?
- Compare the allegorical characters in Everyman and The Castle of Perseverance.
Write a short scene where an abstract concept (e.g., Wisdom, Fear, Greed) is personified in modern times. How would this character act today?
Session 2: The Journey of the Soul and Death as a Messenger
Focus: The inevitability of death and the soul's preparation for judgment.
Readings:
- Everyman (Death’s summoning and the soul’s preparation)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481 - Excerpt from Mankind (c. 1470)
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/renaissance-drama-mankind
- How is Death portrayed as a character and catalyst in both plays?
- How do characters prepare (or fail to prepare) for spiritual reckoning?
Compose a monologue for a modern-day "Death" figure who comes to collect someone unprepared. How does your character persuade or warn them?
Session 3: The Role of Good Deeds and Moral Reckoning
Focus: The concept of salvation and the insufficiency of earthly goods.
Readings:
- Everyman (Good Deeds' role in Everyman’s redemption)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481 - Excerpt from The Pride of Life (before 1350)
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/seaton-pride-of-life
- Compare how Everyman and The Pride of Life present themes of materialism and spiritual neglect.
- What role does Good Deeds play in Everyman’s salvation? How does Pride obstruct salvation in The Pride of Life?
Write a reflective essay on what "Good Deeds" might mean today. Could modern values change how we define them?
Session 4: Repentance and Confession
Focus: The power of confession and repentance in achieving salvation.
Readings:
- Everyman (Confession scene)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481 - Excerpt from Wisdom (c. 1460)
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/renaissance-drama-wisdom
- What is the emotional and spiritual impact of confession in both plays?
- How does repentance alter the fate of the protagonist in morality plays?
Craft a dialogue between a modern "Confession" figure (e.g., a therapist, counselor, or spiritual guide) and someone seeking redemption.
Session 5: The Final Reckoning and Divine Judgment
Focus: The portrayal of God’s final judgment and the afterlife.
Readings:
- Everyman (final reckoning and Everyman’s death)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481 - Excerpt from The Summoning of Everyman (alternative version of Everyman)
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A68002.0001.001/1:2?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
- How does Everyman conclude? What does the final reckoning reveal about medieval Christian views on salvation?
- How do different morality plays emphasize divine justice and mercy?
Imagine a modern retelling of Everyman set in today’s society. Outline the setting, characters (modern allegories), and ending.
Session 6: Common Motifs Across Morality Plays
Focus: Unifying themes and contemporary relevance.
Readings:
- Selections from Everyman, Mankind, and The Castle of Perseverance
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19481
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/renaissance-drama-mankind
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/davidson-castle-of-perseverance
- What are the recurring motifs across these plays? (e.g., personification, sin and virtue, pilgrimage/journey, final judgment)
- How might these motifs still resonate with modern audiences?
Write a short creative piece (scene, poem, or short story) using at least two motifs from morality plays but reimagined in a modern or futuristic setting.