The everyman

Definition

The everyman is a literary character that represents the common person, embodying universal traits and experiences that resonate with a wide audience. This character often faces moral dilemmas and personal challenges, making them relatable and accessible to readers, which is crucial in bourgeois tragedy where social issues and individual struggles are highlighted.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The everyman often symbolizes the average person's struggles against societal norms and expectations, making the character's journey particularly poignant in bourgeois tragedy.
2. In George Lillo's 'The London Merchant', the everyman character faces moral challenges that reflect the tensions between personal desires and societal pressures.
3. The appeal of the everyman lies in their relatability; audiences can see their own struggles and choices mirrored in the character's experiences.
4. The everyman's downfall typically results from a combination of personal failings and external circumstances, highlighting the complexities of human life.
5. This character type marked a shift from traditional tragic heroes of nobility to more grounded individuals, making tragedy accessible to a broader audience.

Review Questions

• How does the concept of the everyman enhance the themes present in bourgeois tragedy?
  • The concept of the everyman enhances themes in bourgeois tragedy by allowing audiences to connect with characters on a personal level. Unlike traditional tragedies focused on nobility, the everyman embodies relatable struggles that reflect real societal issues. This connection encourages viewers to engage with moral dilemmas and question societal norms, deepening the emotional impact of the narrative.
• Discuss the role of moral dilemmas faced by the everyman in 'The London Merchant' and their significance to the plot.
  • In 'The London Merchant', the everyman character encounters significant moral dilemmas that drive the plot forward. These dilemmas often involve choices between personal gain and ethical conduct, illustrating the tension between individual desires and societal expectations. The resolution of these dilemmas not only affects the character's fate but also serves as a critique of contemporary social values, highlighting how such choices resonate with everyday life.
• Evaluate how the portrayal of the everyman in bourgeois tragedy reflects changing social dynamics during the early eighteenth century.
  • The portrayal of the everyman in bourgeois tragedy reflects shifting social dynamics by emphasizing the rise of the middle class and their experiences. As society moved away from aristocratic values towards more egalitarian views, characters like the everyman became central to exploring themes of morality, responsibility, and personal agency. This shift marked an important cultural transition, showcasing how ordinary individuals could face monumental challenges, thus redefining what it meant to be heroic in literature during this period.

Related terms

Bourgeois Tragedy: A genre of drama that focuses on the lives of middle-class characters, emphasizing their personal struggles and moral conflicts rather than the nobility or royalty.

Moral Dilemma: A situation in which a character must choose between two or more conflicting moral principles, often leading to significant personal consequences.

Tragic Flaw: A characteristic or trait in a character that leads to their downfall, commonly found in tragic heroes and applicable to everyman characters in their struggles.