A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt. The play was set in the 1530s and it was based on real events which took place in the history of England. A Man for all Seasons’ protagonist is Sir Thomas More. He is dedicated to the Catholic Church and he is also a friend of Henry VIII, the king.
The play demonstrates the King to realize that his wife, the Queen, cannot give birth to a son to pass the throne to, so Henry VII wants the English church to give him divorce. Cardinal Wolsey is a mediator in this “agreement”, but the Pope refuses him and takes him away from power. Soon Thomas More takes his place.
The play also demonstrates the King to be assisted by Thomas Cromwell, who is the villain of the whole story. Cromwell gives the King an ideal that he could start his own church and get the divorce from the Queen through this church.
After the idea is implemented into life, the Church of England is created and it has the King as its leader. Such position of the King is opposed by Thomas More. The reason is that he obeys the laws of the Catholic Church and thus, he is against the divorce. He refused to sign the document which agrees the newly formed church. For this he is imprisoned and after convicting by Cromwell, he is being executed.
When a person behaves the way Thomas More does in the play, that is follows his or her religious believes or some idea even when promised to be executed, a question arises whether this person is saint or stubborn.
The question arises because usually people tend to save their lives at all costs and when this model of behavior is not followed, this means that a person is not an average one, but has some outstanding features of character.
To find out whether Thomas More was saint or stubborn, it is necessary to address the themes of the play. As well as in any other play, A Man for All Seasons has several themes, but the main one is that all people should have some principles and morals in life. These principles should not be compromised for anything even death similarly to the actions of Sir Thomas More, who did not change his point of view and did not give up his positive even in the face of execution.
Robert Bolt pays attention to the viewers of the play to the fact that if people deny their moral principles, their life becomes valueless. These people, according to the playwright, become alike Richard Rich who bends to influence and tends to take the easiest ways to reach his aims.
A Man for All Seasons encouraged people to feel stronger about their own principles regardless of the fact whether they have social grounds or not; Bolt demonstrates that principle should be stood up for.
To make sure that actions of Sir Thomas More do not come from his stubbornness, but from his …