1

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

nwo sih fo esnes enitnamada na htiw nam a em rof emaceb eroM samohT

IN SHORT . . . . Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons pres ents a "hero of the s elf" whos e unwavering integrity collides with King Henry VIII's egoistic drive to wrench personal s alvation and political permanence for the Tudor line from an unwilling, becau s e politically cornered, Pope. The Pope refuses to condone an annulment for Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon (of Spain) having already dispens ed with biblical law to permit him to marry her in the first place. Sir Thomas More ignores Henry's pleading demands, throws off the Duke of Norfolk's friendly advice, and places his family in jeopardy, becau s e he cannot in good conscience submit his immortal soul to the commands of a mortal king. Neither doe s the political powder-keg that Henry's en emies may se e More's obstinacy as a signal for revolt convince him to submit. This crucible of moral standards takes place in the early sixteenth century, but Bolt contemporizes the drama by inserting an audience go-between, the Common Man, whos e asides remind the viewer of More's relevance to twentieth-century heroism. The Common Man makes all too clear that the likes of a Sir Thomas More are as rare today as they were in Henry VIII's kingdom. Acces s some of the interesting websites for background on Henry VIII (and listen to an example of Renaiss ance music, reputedly compos ed by the man hims elf!).

.devol eh esoht fo stnemhcaorcne eht ot tahw dna ,seimene sih fo stnemhcaorcne eht morf eriter ot elba saw eh ,reywal taerg a dna nam revelc a saw eh ecniS .revol ysub yletulosba na yb nekatrevo saw ,latem ekil tes nosrep detacitsihpos dna gnimussanu ot eetnaraug on ,timmoc ot fles on sah nam a hcus taht leef ew ;rerujrep a rof gurhs eh esuaceb htaed nwo sih tuoba sgnirb ohw nam a oreh ym sa ekat I od yhW eht ot yllanoitpecxe etiuq flesmih timmoc ot stnaw eh nehw ylno htao na sekat nam a saw dna raef fo esnes reporp a dah eh rof sesac htob ni aera laitnatsbus a saw tI morf taerter ot deksa saw eh htgnel ta tub ,redro doog yllufrednow ni saera esoht a :nosaer siht roF ?eil yranidro na llet dna koob kcalb dlo na no dnah sih tup tnac nwo sih dna ti fo hturt eht neewteb ytitnedi na ekam ot stnaw eh nehw ,tnemetats fo dnik laiceps a si erehT .skrow ti dnA .eetnaraug a sa flesmih sreffo eh ;eutriv ,suoromuh ,elppus siht ereht dnA .fles sih detacol eh erehw aera lanif taht .ffilc a naht degdub eb erom on dluoc dna ,ruogir evitimirp .reffo
Robert Bolt - preface to A Man for All Seasons 1960. London: Heinemann. pp x and xi

ot dleiy dluoc eh flesmih fo saera tahw ,ffo tfel dna nageb eh erehw wenk eH .fles

http://www.tudorhistory.org http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tudor.htm

CHARACTER AND LEGACY OF HENRY XVIII Henry was a supreme egotist. He advanced personal desires under the guis e of public policy or moral right, forced his ministers to pay extreme pen alties for his own mistakes, and summarily executed many with little excus e. In his later years he becam e grossly fat, paranoid, and unpredictable. Nonetheles s he pos s e s s ed considerable political insight, and he provided England with a visible and active national leader. Henry seemed to dominate his Parliaments, the importance of that Although institution increas ed significantly during his reign. Other advances made during his reign were the institution of an effective navy and the beginnings of social and religious reform. The navy was organized for the first time as a permanent force. Wales was officially incorporated into England in 1536 with a great improvement in government administration been given the title Defender of the Faith by the pope for In 1521, Henry had there. a treatise against Martin Luther, and he remained orthodox in his personal doctrinal views throughout his reign. However, the Six Articles were only fitfully enforced, the us e of the English Bible was cautiously increas ed, seizure of church property continued, and the destruction of relics and shrines was begun. The way had be en opened for Protestantism, and Henry presided over the dis solution of Irish monasteries and as sumed (1541) the titles of king of Ireland and he ad of the Church of Ireland. At Henry's death, the council that he had appointed for the minority of Edward VI leaned toward the new doctrines. LITERARY/HISTORICAL INFORMATION This play is laid out in a very interesting, exciting time, the reign of the s econd Tudor king, King Henry VIII. Henrys brother, Arthur, was expected to be king, but he died before taking the throne. Henry, besides taking his brothers place as king, was also expected to take his place as husb and to Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish king. Marriage was, in this cas e as in others, an important way to bind two countries together. But, it was not considered proper for a man to marry his brothers widow, so a special disp ens ation was obtained from the Pope in Rome. At first the couple was happy enough. The King was, in this period, a strong Catholic. He even wrote A Defence of the S even Sacraments against Martin Luther. For this he was declared Defender of the Faith by the Pope. However, as the years pas s ed, Henry becam e concerned that Queen Catherine was not likely to give him a son. At the s am e timefelt that God was punishing him for marrying his brothers wife. He wanted a He he was becoming enamoured of Anne Boleyn. divorce from Catherine. During earlier medieval times, the Catholic Church stood alone and above the rulers of countries. But as the Reformation took hold, people began to think differently. Martin Luther put into writing and the spoken word what others were thinking. People began to take sides. Were they for the Catholic Church or against it? When the Pope refused to dissolve his marriage, Henry was able to take advantage of the new thinking and find another way to get the divorce that he wanted. And, while he was at it, he also broke England away from Rome.

SETTING

3 A Man for All Seasons is s et in Britain during the Reformation Period of Britain (part of the Renaiss ance, from 1529 to 1535). King Henry VIII, the second Tudor King of England reigned from 1509 to 1547. The Sixteenth Century (the 1500s) was a volatile time in Europe with new idea s and new worlds being discovered. Pan-European exchanges included visits from philosophers such as the Dutch Desiderius Erasmus, and inventions such as Gutenbergs printing pres s in 1450. Christopher Columbus discovery of America in 1492 opened the New World to the old Europe. Renaiss ance artists such as Michelangelo was still working in Rome with Leonardo Da Vinci recently dece a s ed. Sir Thomas More's residence, where some of the action takes place, was in Chelsea, a district of London. Hampton Court, where other action takes place was the kings residence. It too is in the area of London, on a bend of the Tham e s River. CHARACTER LIST Sir Thomas More Sir Thomas More is the protagonist whos e refus al to affirm the Act of Supremacy making King Henry VIII the suprem e head of the Church of England is the main subject of the play. The play focuses on Sir Thomas inability to sacrifice his moral conscience to save his life. His conscience is more important to him than life itself. But, More, in the play, is more existential than he is religious. More is definitely not eager to be a martyr. He tries not to become one by refusing to speak out against the Act of Supremacy. He also does not write anything against the Act. More loves the world of the law. He knows that laws are what keep everyone s afe. Without agreed upon laws men would have no protection. To More, only God is ranked higher than societys laws. The Common Man The Common Man is a us eful invention for this playwright. His characters can be looked upon as either universal or bas e. His characters do whatever is expedient. They go along to get along. They let others be concerned with right and wrong. They are concerned with what works, with getting by. When he is not in a sep arate character, the Common Man helps set the scen e for the audience. He talks to the audience directly. Characters played by the Common Man Matthew, the Steward Matthew is the Common Man character that makes the most appearances. He understands his position well. He knows what he should do, what he can do, what he should not do and what he is not required to do. What he should do is the work that is required by his position in the More hous ehold. What he can do is pas s on unimportant information about his employer, Sir Thomas. What he should not do is pas s on secret information about Sir Thomas. What he is not required to do is alert his employer that people are making enquiries about him. He also knows that he is not very important in the eyes of his employer, who has a tendency not to see him. Boatman The boatman is mainly concerned with making a living. More tends to not see him; similar to the way that he does not se e Matthew, the steward. Publican The publican, who runs a tavern or pub called The Loyal Subject, is willing to overlook suspicious activity with the expectation that he will be making some money by serving those involved. He is not a spy, a s some people who actually are spies believe he is, but rather he is just trying to make a living.

4 Jailer The jailer is us ed as a witnes s to trap Sir Thomas. Then, an attempt is made to us e him as a paid spy in an attempt to get information on Sir Thomas. The offer of money frightens the jailer, whos e main concern now is keeping out of trouble and staying alive.Foreman Jury The jury foreman is reluctant to take part in the trial of Sir Thomas. No good will come of it. But, he doesnt have a choice. And, when the time comes to give the verdict, he does what is neces s ary to insure his safety; he s ays that Sir Thomas is guilty. Headsman The headsman has only one line. By the time he does his job, we can easily gues s why he behe ads Sir Thomas. It is the way that he can s ave his own self. Richard Rich The character of Richard Rich is the opposite of the character of Sir Thomas More. Rich is mostly interested in gaining riches and stature. He has no interest in listening to his conscience. He has no interest in Mores suggestion that he be a teacher. There is not enough to be gained by being a teacher, at least not enough of what he desires. He read Machiavellis writings and se em ed to us e them as a guide to how to act. He is the type of person likely to prosper during the reign of King Henry VIII. In fact, he doe s prosper. His fortunes ris e at the same time that More loses favor with the king and the kings men. His name, Rich, seem s like a nam e given to the character by an author trying to label him. But, in fact, this character is bas ed on a real person, as are the other characters in the play.

CONFLICT
Protagonist Sir Thomas More is the leading role. Antagonists Sir Thomass main antagonist is Thomas Cromwell, who is determined to bring More down. He has character traits that are the opposites of Mores. Richard Rich and The Duke of Norfolk are minor antagonists who help Cromwell achieve his goal. Alice is another minor antagonist. She is strongly oppos ed to Sir Thomas decision. She wants him to do what the King wants him to do so that they can just live their life as in the past. Climax The climax begins when Alice, Margaret and Will Roper visit More in jail and Alice begins to accept Mores behaviour. At the trial, once he is condemned, More change s from being silent to eloquently expres sing how he thinks. Outcome The outcome is the death by beheading of Sir Thomas More.

SHORT PLOT/SCENE SUMMARY (Synopsis) Sir Thomas More tries to show Richard Rich that becoming a teacher would be better than striving to become rich. He does not succeed. Sir Thomas gives Rich a cup that he received from a woman whose ca s e he had reviewed. It was a bribe, but More did not realize that until after she gave it to him. So, after that he did not want to keep it. Thomas visits Cardinal Wolsey who is Lord Chancellor of England, as well Sir Archbishop of Canterbury. The Cardinal has a letter to show him. The letter is to be Rome, to the Pope. It is requesting the Popes approval for dissolution of the marriage Henry VIII and Queen Catherine. More s ays that the Pope may be reluctant to grant

5 exemption. The Pope had allowed Henry to marry Catherine even though she was his widow. Wolsey wants More to be realistic. The King wants the marriage ended. More meets Thomas Cromwell, the cardinals secretary, a man who seem s to be an admirer of Machiavelli, who flatters him. Then he s e e s Chapuys, the Spanish ambas s ador to England, who is a friend of Queen Catherine. Catherine wants to stay married to the King. Catherine is the aunt of the Spanish king which is another reason for Chapuys to take the Queens side in the matter of dissolving the marriage. Chapuys gets the impre s sion that More is also against the idea of a royal divorce. He tells More that an insult to Catherine would be an insult to the King of Spain. He asks More what his response to Wolsey was. Mores respons e to Chapuys leads Chapuys to think that More isreturns to hisdivorce.in Chelsea it is late. His daughter, Margaret, is When More against the home still awake. Her suitor, Will Roper, is there. He tells Sir Thomas that he wants to marry Margaret. Roper is a Lutheran so More is against the marriage. Cardinal Wolsey, after failing to get the Popes agreem ent on the issue of the royal marriage, dies in disgrace, leaving the position of Archbishop of Canterbury open. More is the new Archbishop of Canterbury. This means that he will now be under even more pres sure from the King and his Court to change his position regarding a pub, Cromwell ha s a meeting with Richard Rich, the man to whom More At the royal marriage. e arlier gave the cup. Rich is in a frame of mind to be bribed. He wants to move up in the world and is willing to do whatever is asked of him by someone willing to help him rise. Cromwell brags that he does whatever the King wants to be done. He tells him that he knows that the King will be visiting More soon to discus s the marriage with him. Matthew, Mores steward arrives on the scen e. All three men, one at a time, try to get information from Matthew. He gives them information, but nothing really secret. The King arrives at Sir Thomas home. The hous ehold is not suppos ed to know that the King is coming, but everyone does. The hous ehold pretends to be surprised. Throughout the visit, both the King and Mores family continue the pretens e. The King notices how well-educated Margaret is. The King switches from friendly to demanding and back again throughout his visit. He must have his divorce. If More has not changed his mind on the matter, then he should give the matter more thought. More reminds the King that he promised not to push him on this subject when he becam e chancellor. The King s ays that he is breaking his word, and then he says that he is joking. Both quote from the bible to back up their side. The King s ays that he ne ed s Mores backing in this matter becaus e everyone resp ects his word. The King says that English subjects who oppos e him are guilty of treason. This implies that, if More oppos e s him, he too is guilty of treason. Sir Thomas is not to write anything against the King. the King departs, Mores wife, Alice, que stions More about his reasons for After not agreeing to do as the King wants him to do. Life would be so much easier if he would just go along with the King. More explains that he must follow his conscience. Rich arrives and s ays that Cromwell is asking questions. He s ays that Matthew is one of his sources. More is not surprised. Rich says that Chapuys is also asking questions. More explains that is part of Chapuys job. Rich asks More for a job, but he refuses to After Rich leaves, Alice wants to know why people are asking que stions about her give him one. husband. More tells her that it is becaus e he is well known. He does not want her to know any more about the situation than absolutely neces s ary for her own protection. Thomas Cromwell meets Rich at a pub and offers him a job as Collector of Revenues for York Dioces e. Rich knows that he will have to do something in return. Cromwell questions Rich in detail about the cup that More gave him, the cup that was originally a bribe. Cromwell thinks that knowing that something improper is known about himself is enough to make a person do what is need ed. Rich thinks that More will be At this frighten. hard to point several years have pas s ed. It is now May of 1532. An Act of has created the Church of England. Anyone who did not agree met an unpleas ant

6 King has obtained his divorce and banned Catherine from the Court. Also, during the past Roper has become a Catholic and married Margaret. Chapuys is visiting More, trying to make him feel guilty for not speaking out against the King. Roper and the Duke of Norfolk arrive. Norfolk tells More that the bishops have submitted to the will of the King. More takes of his chain of office. He no longer wishes to be chancellor. Norfolk does not understand his friend, Mores action. Then he says that Henry will continue to be his good lord anyway. More tells Norfolk what he heard from Chapuys, that there may be trouble to the north in the spring. The Duke of Norfolk and Cromwell discus s Sir Thomas. Cromwell says that he has information about Sir Thomas taking a bribe once. That is an offens e that could s end him to the Tower. They meet Rich and the woman who bribed More. Norfolk does not think they have a good cas e becau s e More got rid of the cup after he realized that it was a bribe. Cromwell can s e e the friendship between Norfolk and More. He believes that will be helpful in showing that More is not being pers ecuted. Later that day Chapuys brings More a letter from the King of Spain in which he speaks appreciatively about Mores stand. More does not want the letter. It should be shown to the King. News of Mores loyalty to the King has not been spread as widely as gos sip about his views. . . . AT THIS STAGE YOU SHOULD RUSH OUT AND FIND VIDEOS OF THE TWO BRILLIANT PRODUCTIONS Of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS THE ONE STARRING CHARLTON HESTON AS SIR THOMAS AND THE OTHER WITH PAUL SCOFIELD. ENJOY!! THEMES ...to thine own self be true, and it shall follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. ~Shakesp eare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene III Integrity is the major them e of A Man for All Seasons. Sir Thomas More stays true to his conscience even under threat of de ath. Some minor themes are: No man can s erve two masters. Every man has his price. Heroism? Look to your own conscience for what to believe and how to act. Having s erious concerns about your life and death does not preclude being lighthearted and sociable. MOOD The mood is ominous, su sp ens eful and foreboding with occasional lighthearted moments. Sir Thomas More knows the s eriousn es s of his situation. However, he continues to entertain and be companionable. We know his situation, too, so there is a dark cloud hanging over everything, even as Sir Thomas is making light of the circumstances for his familys s ake. BACKGROUND INFORMATION - BIOGRAPHY Robert Bolt, the son of a small shopkeep er, was born and raised in Manchester and attended university in Manchester, where he received a degree in history. Manchester is a city in northwest England. He was in the military for three years during World War II. After his military service and after attending Manchester University and a year of post-graduate studie s at Exeter University, Bolt taught school, first at a school in Devon. Then he taught English at Millfield private school in Somerset for seven ye ars. During his time at Millfield, a dozen radio plays written by him were broadcast. play was Flowering Cherry starring Ralph Richardson. It played His first stage in London for a year. After that succes s, Bolt left teaching for the stage.

7 Bolt won two best screenplay Oscars. One wa s for the movie version of A Man for All Seasons, for which he did the screenplay for as well as authoring the play. The s econd was for his collaboration with David Le an for Doctor Zhivago, from the novel by Boris Pasternak. He was nominated, with Michael Wilson, for Lawrence of Arabia, from the writings of T E Lawrence. Bolt wrote Ryans Daughter, Vivant! Vivant! Regina!, and Lady Caroline Lamb. Thes e three were scripts rather than screenplays. Bolt reworked the story of the Bounty mutiny. It was called simply Bounty. His final movie was The mission, which was not ready for production until after his death.

PLOTTING THE PLAY Act 1 Scene 1: pp. 2-3 More and Rich convers e e arnestly; More's family at home, Norfolk pres ent More is summoned to Wolsey at Hampton Court. Scene 2: 10 -13 Wolsey tries to obtain More's support for the divorce Scene 3 13-16. Cromwell appears, in se arch of information Chapuys appe ars, in se arch of information Scene 4: 16-20 Roper asks for the hand of Lady Margaret Scene 5: 20-25 Cromwell and Chapuys thirst for information Scene 6: 26-40 More is the caus e of domestic distres s King at Chelsea tries to win More's support More's family is apprehensive Scene 7: 41-46 Rich is rewarded for services rendered

Act II Scene 1: 47-57 More is taken to task by Roper; Chapuys joins them More resigns public office Scene 2: 57-62 Cromwell requires that More declare his support for the King Scene 3: 62-66 Chapuys' letter from his master

8 Scene 4: 66-70 More is interrogated by Cromwell at Hampton Scene 5: 70-74 More insults Norfolk to break their friendship Scene 6: 75-81 More in Tower appears before a Commission hearing Scene 7: 81-88 More's family visit him in the Tower Scene 8: 88-97 Westminster trial, sentence and execution

(I hereby gratefully acknowledge the Tudor webpage and enotes and monkeynotes and sparknotes and many other helpful googled webpages which you are encouraged to consult AFTER you have read the play a couple of times AND formed your own opinion!) L.R. Becker (Ph.D.)