A Man For All Seasons A man for all seasons is an unconventional play written by Rober Bolt.In his plays,we find an obvious seriousness of intention and he achieves this intention by an efficient use of symbols and imagery.He wrote fine plays .The most important of them is A Man for all Seasons.The play has a very strong element of suggestivenss which leaves an indelible imprint on the mind of the reader. The play opens with Sir Thomas More in his house in Chelsea.More is a man of learning and a scholar of Latin and Greek.The whole of Europe respects him.Even Henry 8th,the king of England has a great affection for him.He is rising to his fame and power gradually.The Duke of Norfolk is his friend. The country is burning with an arduous problem.The king wants to take divorce from his wife Catherine.The Pope of Rome would not grant it.Hence the king has dismissed Cardinal Wlsey for his failure to get a dispensation from the Pope.In his place Sir Thomas More ,a man of great eminence is appointed Lord Chancellor.The king believes that Thomas More,loyal as he is to the crown,will help him get the divorce to enable him to marry Anne Boleyn,a lady of the court whom he (the king loves).Katherine has given no male heir to the king and the king wanted a son.He,therefore,has decided to marry Anne Boleyn to combine pleasure with business,as he is of the view that between him and Anne,a son can be produced. Thomas More finds himself in a web from which it is very difficult for him to extricate himself.His loyalty to his religion prevents him from doing anything against religion,and his loyalty to the king requires him to acquit himself well in his duties as a loyal subject of the king. One day the king visits the house of More in Chelsea to woo him to his side.He first accepts the offer to supper,but later on declines it ,when he fails to persuade More to get the marriage the marriage with Katherine dissolved,the king is annoyed with him.His wife lady Alice and his friend the Duke of Norfolk want him to please the king,but he cannot oblige them. Thomas More now seems to be walking on slippery ground.The activities of Richard Rich and Cromwell prepare us for what is to come.More is no match to such unscrupulous persons.We are further alarmed when Cromwell,on the dismissal of cardinal Wolsey ,comes closer to the king.Cromwell employs Rich in his service ,who gradually rises to the position of Attorney General. The first Act of the play ends ,showing Cromwell and Rich hatching a conspiracy against More.Cromwell finally announces that he who puts his fingers to the flame will burn.Sir Thomas More who has defied the wishes of the king will suffer. The downfall of Sir Thomas More is imminent,particularly when we know the the character of hero,who is a man of principle,with unshakeable faith.There is ,now ,an open confrontation between the king and Sir Thomas More. In the opening scene of Act 2,More is recognized as the champion of the church.The Spanish Ambassador visits him and informs him about the likely rebellion in the Northern counties,if More is forced to to resign the Lord Chancellorship.He resigns,when the convocation of the clergy deserts the cause of the Church.He realises the danger and makes his swear ,never to divulge what he has spoken so far.He believes that his safety lies in his silence. Then ,in the dead of the night ,he is called by Cromwell to make certain enquiries ,where Rich is also present.But Cromwell and Rich cannot deter him.He is a match for both of them.He Cromwell discomfited,in the legal quiblings.Norfok also continues his efforts to make More relent ,but all in vain.More thrusts a querrel on him,and they part in anger. More loves his daughter Margaret very much.She along with Roper who loves Margaret,and who has been converted by More to the right understanding of religion,also makes all out efforts to persuade him(More) to declare his allegiance to the king,but he cannot budge. Finally the new Act of Treason is brought by Cromwell to catch More in his web.More is arrested because he has refused to take oath,acknowledging the king as the supreme head of the church.The king does not want to execute him.He simply wants Mores consent to his actions.Therefore he sends the commission of Enquiry in the jail to persuade More once again to relent.But the commision does not succeed .Cromwell permits Margaret,Roper and Alice to see More in jail,to make him agree to sign the Act of Supremacy.But More refuses to sacrifice his principles.More shines at his best in the jail. Act2,scene7,called the trial scene,is the best in the play.In this scene ,More finds himself up against determined men who want to contrive his death.More snubs Rich for falsity and perjury.He says that he is sorry for Rich ,for he has sold his soul only for the Attorney Generalship of Wales,whereas any other man in his place would not have sold it even for the whole world.Cromwell then reads a message from the king promising pardon if More relents.But More says:NO.He is declared guilty of high treason and is executed.He faces death like a brave man with all smiles.He is a man for all seasons.In Dr.Johnsons words:He was the person of greatest virtue these islands ever produced.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:52:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015