Conflicting Value Systems in Everyman, Dr Faustus and Hamlet

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Conflicting Value Systems in Everyman, Dr Faustus and Hamlet

Conflicting value systems are always around, especially where death is involved. So in the tragedies of Everyman, Doctor Faustus and Hamlet there are many conflicts to face. These include personal moral conflicts with individual characters of the plays and also opposing values between the different characters in the play. Conflicting value systems may even stretch to how the audience interprets the play and the beliefs and culture at the time.

In Everyman, we can see that the character 'Everyman' faces a moral dilemma as God summons Everyman by offering Death to take him as his own. This creates to conflicting value systems. One is whether Everyman should go with Death.

O wretched caitiff, whither shall I flee

that I might escape this endless sorrow? (l.171-2)

Here Everyman is questioning whether or not he should go with Death. He is finding it very difficult to come to a decision in his mind. The play, Everyman is about whether he will make the right decisions.

The other question is with Everymans' friends. Should they go with Everyman?

That is matter indeed. Promise is duty;

But and I should take such a voyage on me,

I know it well, it should be to my pain;

Also it maketh me afeared certain. (l.248-9)

Here Fellowship declines from taking part in Everymans' journey, though he feels ashamed and weak to do so. Kindred, Goods, Knowledge, Confession, Beauty, Strength, Discretion and Five-wits also decline to go with Everyman, after facing a personal moral conflict.

The whole of Everyman consists of dramatic conflict and abstract argument as Everyman struggles for his soul. This is called Psycho Machia. This means that b...

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...ow what to do for the best, this is when society often causes conflict by taking different sides of the argument.

The tragedy , however, does not mean that evil always wins out. Sometimes good does win over evil.

Bibliography

Anonymous Everyman in ed. Worthen, WB (1996) The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn, Texas: Harcourt Brace

Gillie, C (1977) Longman Companion to English Literature, London: Longman

Jump, J (1962) Introduction to Marlowe, Christopher Doctor Faustus, Kent: Methuen

Marlowe, Christopher Doctor Faustus in ed. Worthen, WB (1996) The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn, Texas: Harcourt Brace

Shakespeare, William Hamlet in ed. Worthen, WB (1996) The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn, Texas: Harcourt Brace

Wynne-Davis, Marion (1989) The Bloomsbury Guide to English Literature, London: Bloomsbury

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