"Everyman" is a medieval allegory and also classified as a morality play that is
majorly devoted to the demonstration of how temporary everything in life is as
death approaches, except good deeds. We witness the struggle of salvation that
takes place throughout the play by the main character, Everyman. This character
is literally the embodiment of everyman in the world. Everyman represents
everything that mankind is and does.
Everyman begins with God dissatisfied because all creatures on the earth
choose riches over righteousness and generally live a life of sin. The play seems
to follow a pattern where Everyman pleads with a character, who is the physical
embodiment of some worldly attribute, to go with him on a journey to his day of
ending life, which is followed by promises of allegiance from the other characters
Their is a noticeable halt from this pattern, led by two of the earthly
characters, Knowledge and the Five-wits. On line 706, Knowledge begins a
discussion on the usefulness and power of the Priesthood. "Everyman, hearken
what I say: Go to Priesthood, I you advice, And receive of him, in any wise..." in
which "any wise" means at all costs. Five-wits goes on to explain the importance
of the sacraments as keys to salvation, and how only the priest holds those
keys. The Five-wits burst into a final glorification of the priesthood that includes
suggesting that through the priesthood has more power than the angels, and has
power to hold God's flesh, and the power to damn people to hell or save them
forever, and finally just explaining that all of God's blessings come through the
"Everyman, that is the best that ye can do: God will you to
salvation bring. For priesthood exceedeth all other thing: To us
Holy Scripture they do teach, And converteth man from sin,
...