Themes in A Man for All Seasons
For each of the themes listed below, find at least two quotations and/or events from the play which clearly support the theme. Be sure to include page numbers for future reference.
1. PERSONAL INTEGRITY V.S.SOCIAL CONFORMITY: As a man of integrity, More must follow the dictates of his conscience, despite the various pressures placed on him to bend to the King’s will.
- pressures of family: (Margaret, Alice, Roper
- pressures of politics: (Henry, Cromwell, Wolsey, Chapyus
- pressures of friends: (Norfolk, Rich)
2. MODERATION V.S. EXTREMISM: bolt claims in his second preface to the play (1962) that many great men possess one great virtue but do not possess the opposite of that virtue which would provide a proper ballast, a balanced view. Roper provides an excellent foil to More in this respect, for he is the symbol of the extremist who refuses to take precautions where the exhibition of his moral principles is concerned.
3. LOYALTY AND THE BETRAYAL OF LOYALTY: More’s attempt to be loyal to the King and God, but to God first marks a sharp contrast to Rich, who while claiming to be More’s friend, betrays that friendship for political advancement. This is also in marked contrast yo Cromwell, who is motivated solely on his Machiavellian theory of convenience and who is loyal to the King as the jackal is to the lion.
4. THE CORRUPTION OF SOCIETY AND THE LAW: More’s mistake was his assumption that the law would save him. He failed to realize that the law, being man-made, is susceptible to corruption and perversion by those in power, just as the Church is sometimes open to abuses by those within it.
5. FAITH AND REASON: Religion is not always practical or sensible, for it is based not on reason but on love. More was a profoundly religious man whose religious commitment was based on faith; it is this embodiment of faith that accounted fir his refusal to be swayed by appeals to logic or common sense. For More, faith is interwoven through the very fabric of the human personality and must be lived – despite the consequences – if it is to have any meaning or authenticity in daily life.