Written Assignment: "Everyman"
While theatre (almost) came to a stand still during Medieval Times, religious vernacular drama, about biblical figures or events, survived - partly because much of this religious drama was being produced theatrically within the confines of the church. Out of this drama, came morality plays. This type of drama, often considered "less" religious and "more" humanistic (from a socially and cultural point of view, because it taught moral lessons to society), has had a significant and lasting impact on theatre and culture in the western world.
Everyman remains the most popular example of a morality play. After reading the play and doing some additional research on its themes, storyline and characters, your skills of creative writing will now be employed. This assignment requires you to:
• Rewrite and compose a contemporary version of the Everyman story/morality play in one of the following forms - a children's story book, a fairy tale, or a modern short story
This new interpretation could include (but not be limited by) contemporary images and/or moral concerns; personification and interaction of vices and/or virtues; and themes or lessons for a modern day "Everyperson".
Should you choose to make it a written essay, this assignment should be typed and proofread (4-5 pages in length). The final choice of how this assignment will be presented (i.e. a fairy tale, short story) is strictly up to you. Think originality and creativity -images, graphics, video links, etc. are always encouraged to help tell your story. Some additional research may be needed (remember to document your sources in a bibliography). Early submissions are always accepted. Please be aware of spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, etc. This assignment will be graded according to the Written Assignment #1 Rubric.
The Everyman link provided (sometimes) does not open on all computers. If that is the case for you, use this alternative translation.