What is "everyman"

name of the leading character in a popular 15c. morality play; from every + man (n.).

n. In fiction, drama, or allegory, the archetypical ordinary individual, frequently the protagonist in a parable of some sort.

n. the ordinary person

The Somonyng of Everyman (The Summoning of Everyman), usually referred to simply as Everyman, is a late 15th-century morality play. Like John Bunyan's 1678 Christian novel The Pilgrim's Progress, Everyman uses allegorical characters to examine the question of Christian salvation and what Man must do to attain it. The premise is that the good and evil deeds of one's life will be tallied by God after death, as in a ledger book. The play is the allegorical accounting of the life of Everyman, who represents all mankind. In the course of the action, Everyman tries to convince other characters to accompany him in the hope of improving his account. All the characters are also allegorical, each personifying an abstract idea such as Fellowship, (material) Goods, and Knowledge. The conflict between good and evil is dramatised by the interactions between characters. Everyman is being singled out because it is difficult for him to find characters to accompany him on his pilgrimage. Everyman eventually realizes through this pilgrimage that he is essentially alone, despite all the personified characters that were supposed necessities and friends to him. Everyman learns that when you are brought to death and placed before God all you are left with is your own good deeds.

Everyman, in literature drama, is an ordinary individual, with whom the audience is able to easily identify.

Everyman may also refer to:

In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances.

Everyman is a novel by Philip Roth, published by Houghton Mifflin in May 2006. It won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2007. It is Roth's third novel to receive the prize.

Everyman (Larry Ekler) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Everyman, in comics, may refer to:

• Everyman (DC Comics), a DC Comics character
• Everyman (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics character

Everyman (Hannibal Bates) is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He debuted in 52 #17 (August 30, 2006), and was created by Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen and Joe Bennett. His name is a combination of Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates.

Everyman is a British television documentary series that aired on BBC One in a late-night slot on Sunday evenings between 1977 and 2005. Its subject matter tended to be focused on moral and religious issues, often in the form of a film in which individuals would discuss their thoughts. One edition from 1990, A Game of Soldiers concerned a group of soldiers exploring their feelings about being trained to kill. Throughout much of its time on air, series of Everyman aired alternately with Heart of the Matter, a debate series which featured somewhat similar topics. Both series were cancelled in the 2000s after the BBC revamped the output of its religious programming.

Everyman is a modern play produced by Charles Frohman and directed by Ben Greet that is based on the medieval morality play of the same name. The modern play was first performed in 1901 in Britain, and opened in the United States in 1902 on the Broadway stage. The play had a Broadway run of 75 performances, with tours over the next several years that included four Broadway revivals.

Everyman was an English magazine from 1929-1932 edited by C. B. Purdom.