A Man For All Seasons

Although Robert Bolt is clearly basing his play on the real events of the Protestant Reformation and Thomas More’s life, he makes several adjustments to the timeline that can be difficult to spot. There is no indication in Act I as to what year it is when the play starts, but in Act II, characters discuss the woman who gave More the silver cup, placing that event in 1526. In reality, Margaret and Roper were already married by this time: They married in 1521. Margaret is presented as More’s daughter, which is true, but she was actually his daughter from his first marriage; Alice is her stepmother. Thomas Cromwell says that he has just started working for Cardinal Wolsey, but this is also inaccurate. Cromwell joined Wolsey’s household in 1524 and officially became a member of his council in 1529. Also in 1526, Chapuys is presented as the Spanish ambassador, though he did not take up that post until 1529. The final scenes of this section take place a few years later. Again, the text of the play is not precise. As Wolsey has recently died, the play must jump forward to either late 1530 or 1531. This is a play, not a history textbook, so some adjustments are to be expected. Nonetheless, it is helpful to know where Bolt has deviated from history.

Bolt is taking on a major challenge by depicting this part of English history. All the major figures involved were complex individuals who sometimes acted selfishly, sometimes harmed others, and had contradictory and obscure motivations. Because Bolt has chosen More as his broadly sympathetic protagonist, he has positioned Cromwell as the play’s main antagonist. Alice even says that Rich must be “the only man in London” who likes Cromwell (45). Not all depictions of these historical figures follow that pattern. Some are more sympathetic to Cromwell’s position while condemning More for his harsh persecution of Protestants, and some present both Cromwell and More as ultimately cruel or unreasonable. 

One of the main sources of tension in the play arises from the difference between Catholic and Protestant Beliefs. Both More and Wolsey are Catholic, but they approach their faith differently. More is unwilling to endorse any political maneuver that contradicts his religious beliefs, while Wolsey balances religion with political expediency. He weighs the pros and cons of Henry’s divorce and decides that petitioning the Pope to dissolve the marriage is the best course of action for himself, for the King, and for England. More does the same mental arithmetic and decides that petitioning for divorce would be in direct contravention of his principles. This issue was complex, especially since Henry had already received special dispensation to marry Catherine in the first place. The marriage took place because of a legal loophole (the lack of consummation between Catherine and Arthur), and Henry tries to get a divorce by closing that loophole, arguing that Catherine and Arthur did in fact consummate their marriage. While the debate was religious in nature, it was also deeply political: The question was not only about the King’s divorce. It was also about whether the King or the Pope held the greatest authority in England. 

A Man for All Seasons is deeply concerned with The Power of the Law. The play opens with two lawyers, More and Rich, discussing politics. Working as a lawyer, particularly for a specific client like Cardinal Wolsey or the King, requires interpretation of the law to suit the purposes of the client. This is difficult for More to accept, as he feels that the law should be immutable. He is uncomfortable with the divorce in part because he thinks Henry is trying to prove that the law does not apply to him. Before the Reformation, when the Catholic Church was a major authority across Western Europe, it was virtually impossible to separate human laws from religious laws. Monarchs like Henry were thought to be appointed to carry out the will of God, making it difficult or impossible to question their application of the law without being charged with heresy. The Reformation sees that clear hierarchy start to break apart. More is unwilling to change his views as his country changes, but he is also unwilling to defy the King directly. To resolve this conflict, he often simply refuses to speak about his beliefs at all.

The Role of the Common Man is a central question in the text. The Common Man says outright that he is not the right man to be delivering the opening monologue, but he still delivers it. While this play may seem on the surface to be about the King, the Pope, and a few trusted advisers and lawyers, it is also a play about the common people. When kings and politicians make decisions, those decisions impact ordinary people the most. For example, people like Cromwell set the Boatman’s fares, but they do not understand what his work actually entails. Although More will later claim that obeying the law is of paramount importance, he understands the Boatman’s plight and is willing to pay a higher fare. Later, when Matthew makes money by relaying information to several characters, he remarks that he has only said things that are common knowledge. Though the common people have access to all kinds of knowledge, they do not have the political power to make that knowledge actionable.