Elckerlijc

Elckerlijc (also known as Elckerlyc) is a morality play from the Low Countries. It was written in Dutch around the year 1470.  It was first printed in 1495. The play did very well and may have been the source for the English play Everyman. Peter van Diest is usually considered the author of the play. 

The play won the first prize in a theater contest in Brabant.  It stresses the didactic message. It uses allegory of the hero as an "everyman" (a normal person) and is written in Rederijker style.

Dutch and English historians talked for decades about whether the English play Everyman was based on Elckerlijc, or whether Elckerlijc was based on Everyman. The most common view is that the Dutch-language version was the original.Geert Warnar, Elckerlijc, Toneel, tekst en beeld van ca. 1500 tot nu  

References

Category:15th-century plays
Category:Dutch literature