Previous
Style
Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of the play is grave and somber, reflecting the serious moral and spiritual lessons that it seeks to impart upon the audience. In this way, the tone is influenced by the play's exploration of heavy themes such as mortality, the transience of life, and the moral responsibility of the individual. Everyman must turn his back on his friends and family as he attempts to purify his soul prior to his death. At the play’s conclusion, a Doctor issues a grave warning to the audience:
Ye hearers, take it of worth, old and young,
And forsake pride, for he deceiveth you in the end,
And remember Beauty, Five-wits, Strength, and Discretion,
They all at the last do Everyman forsake,
Save his Good-Deeds, there doth he take.
But beware, and they be small
Before God, he hath no help at all.
None excuse may be there for Everyman:
Alas, how shall he do then?
For after death amends may no man make,
For then mercy and pity do him forsake.
The Doctor urges the members of the audience to imagine the event of their own deaths, reminding them to “forsake pride” and to remember that such qualities as strength and beauty will fade with time. “After Death,” he argues, it will be too late to make “amends” for sins committed during one’s life, and a sinner might expect no “mercy” or “pity” from God.
Related Themes:
