Fraser’s costume design
for the character of Death in Everyman: A Morality Play
reflects the stark, unrelenting nature of the figure it represents.
The illustration features a skeletal figure draped in a tattered red
cloak, with bold black-and-white stripes accentuating the emaciated
form. The hollow-eyed face, partially obscured by a yellow cap, adds
to the eerie, otherworldly presence of the character. A drum slung
across the figure’s torso, decorated with green and gold, suggests
the relentless march of fate, reinforcing Death’s inevitable summons
in the play. Everyman, a late 15th-century allegorical drama,
explores themes of life, death, and salvation, following the
character of Everyman, who represents all of humanity, as he is
suddenly called by Death to face divine judgment. Desperate to find
companions for his final journey, he turns to personified figures
such as Fellowship, Kindred, and Wealth, but they all abandon him.
Only Good Deeds remains loyal, guiding Everyman towards redemption.
Fraser’s design, with its striking contrast and theatrical
stylisation, encapsulates the solemnity and finality of Death’s role
in this medieval meditation on mortality and the Christian belief in
the importance of virtue and repentance in securing a place in the
afterlife.
