Compare and Contrast Everyman and the Song of Roland

¶ … Everyman," and "The Song of Roland," both written by anonymous authors. Specifically, it will compare and contrast the two texts, illustrating their commonalities and distinct differences. COMPARE AND CONTRAST Both of these medieval manuscripts, written by people long gone and forgotten, are extremely important historically.

They give the reader a deeper understanding of medieval times, from the chivalry and bravery in "The Song of Roland," to the moral condition of the time in "Everyman." They both use different forms of writing to get their significant messages across to readers, and they both have messages they hope the reader will learn from and act on in their own lives.

Everyman" is known as a "morality play." This genre of 15th century writing urged readers to examine their own morals and beliefs, and make sure they were aligned with those the church and state deemed were correct. As such, morality plays were often highly touted by church and state, but were still widely read by the population. These works certainly used heroic characters, but they also taught upright moral lessons, so the reader would come away with a better sense of some ethical dilemma that might be facing them.

In the case of "Everyman," the lead character, Everyman, is a man facing death, which was so common in the 15th century from any number of sources, it is clear why the theme was used in this piece. How Everyman deals with mortality is the central theme of the work, and the message to readers was clear - death could come at any time, and they should live their lives accordingly.

The Song of Roland" is not a morality play, it is an "epic poem," but it also carries a message for its readers. While epics were not necessarily sanctioned by the church or state, they still advocated lofty and heroic ideals, and gave moral lessons to the readers. In Roland's case, the poem is a tragic rendition of the elimination of Charlemagne's forces by a group of Moslems in Spain.

The poem glorifies the knights who went off to fight in the Crusades against Islam, along with Christianity, and hopes to teach the reader both the glories of chivalry and the glories of fighting for your religious beliefs. Both works rely strongly on religion as a basis for their themes and the lessons they hope to teach, and both rely on the simple "good vs. evil" plot to get their messages across. In "The Song of Roland," it is the Christians vs.

The Moslems, and in "Everyman" it is Death vs. God. The moral is simple, live a good life, or evil will befall you and yours. Everyman" is just that, the lead character in the play represents everyman of the time. He is called by Death to visit his lord's court, and tell what he has done with his life. As he prepares for his dangerous journey, he looks for friends and experts to come with him along the way to the court.

What he discovers are his true friends, as opposed to those who give him lip service. Along the way, when he needs them the most, his friends desert him, along with his wealth. He discovers however that he cannot take them to the grave with him anyway; he can only take the good deeds he has done along with him when he dies. However, when Death comes, Good Deeds is sick and weakly, she cannot stand up because of the weight of his sins.

"Here I lie, cold in the ground./Thy sins hath me sore bound,/That I cannot stir" (Child 85). The lesson is, of course, that his earthly possessions, such as Goods and Fellowship are far less important than the good he does if he is looking for salvation. The Song of Roland" centers on Roland, a brave and mighty knight who fights with his king, Charlemagne. He is the perfect knight, brave in battle and death, and extremely loyal to his liege and his religion.

He even dies perfectly, and is rescued by angels and carried to heaven. However, his uncle continues to mourn for him, and vows to avenge his death. "There on the ground he sees his nephew lie. / Most sweetly then begins he to repine: / Rollant, my friend, may God to thee be kind! / Never beheld any man such a knight / So to engage and so to end a fight. / Now my honour is turned into decline!" / Charle swoons again, he cannot stand upright" (Scott-Moncrieff 93).

While these two works seem very similar in moral and message, they are also extremely dissimilar in a variety of ways. First, "The Song of Roland" is deadly serious in its delivery. There is no sense of humor or playfulness in the morals it is promoting, and all the characters are as serious as the tone of the poem.

Christianity is serious business, and there is no frivolity in "Song." However, "Everyman" is quite amusing at times, and the message, while equally important, is handled with more humor and sarcasm, which makes.