Everyman, with Other Interludes

About this book

God, angered that people have forgotten him, sends Death to summon Everyman to give an account of his life. Terrified, Everyman begs his companions to come with him on the journey, but Fellowship, Kindred, Cousin and Goods all refuse; only Good Deeds, too weak at first even to stand, will go with him to the grave, helped by Knowledge and Confession. This volume collects that famous play with other early English interludes and eight medieval miracle plays on stories from the Bible.

Context and significance

Everyman, a morality play of the late fifteenth century in which every character is an abstract quality, is still performed today. These plays, once acted by craft guilds in the streets of English towns, are the roots of English drama. The volume was edited by Ernest Rhys for Everyman's Library, the famous series that took its name and motto from the play. Compare Doctor Faustus.

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