LESSON NOTE FOR WEEK ONE
Introduction to Robert Bott _ A Man For All Season
Background of the playwright.
Robert Bolt was born to a middle class family in the North of England. As a young man he
fought in World War II as a member of the Royal Air Force, and after returning home he trained
as a teacher and began to write. During the 1950s Bolt wrote several radio plays for the BBC,
some of which he would then adapt into stage plays. He had his first commercial success with
the 1956 play, The Critic and the Heart, and then again in 1960 with the success of two plays, A
Man For All Seasons and The Tiger and the Horse. During the 1950s and 60s Bolt was a
member of the Communist Party, for which he was briefly sent to prison. However, this seemed
to have little effect on his career, and he continued to write plays into the 1970s, as well as
several critically acclaimed screenplays including Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
SETTING OF THE PLAY
A Man for All Seasons is set in 16th century London during the reign of King Henry VIII:
The play is set in London, mainly at locations along the Thames, like Thomas More's house, the
Tower of London, and Cromwell's office. More lives in Chelsea—now a posh district and former
nexus of "Swingin' London" in the '60s. But in the movie it's totally pastoral and bucolic.
Background of the play
It was first performed in London opening at the Globe Theatre (now Gielgud Theatre) on 1 July
1960. It later found its way to Broadway, enjoying a critically and commercially successful run of
over a year. It has had several revivals, and was subsequently made into a multi-Academy
Award-winning 1966 feature film and a 1988 television movie.
The play is a fictionalized account of the life of Sir Thomas More, an English lawyer, statesman,
and author of Utopia.
Plot summary
The play begins sometime in the late 1520s with a conversation between Thomas More and his
friend Richard Rich. More dislikes bribes and being in the public eye, whereas Rich cannot wait
to increase his social status from his current position as a poor academic. More helps Rich by
connecting him to his friend, the Duke of Norfolk, who takes Rich under his wing and hires him
as an assistant.
More goes to meet with Cardinal Wolsey, the Lord Chancellor of England. Wolsey wants More’s
help writing a letter to the Pope asking him to annul King Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of
Aragon. More resists, and Wolsey warns him that as a statesman his private conscience and
moral objections should not be more important than the fate of the country. Although More’s
objection is moral, people are already beginning to think his protest is political, like Chapuys,
who assumes More’s silence means he has allied himself with Catherine, and by extension,
Spain.
Back at home, More deals with his daughter Margaret’s suitor, Will Roper. More likes Roper, but
thinks his morals are too changeable, even calling him a “heretic.” He eventually softens to Will,
whose politics become more moderate, allowing Will and Margaret to marry.
Some time later, in 1530, Wolsey dies, and More is appointed the Lord Chancellor. Thomas
Cromwell, a lawyer and a confidant of the King, is becoming suspicious of More. Although he is
in an even more public position than before, More has still refused to publicly acknowledge the
King’s divorce. Cromwell bribes More’s Steward as well as Richard Rich to try to find
incriminating information he can use to bribe More.
The King comes to visit More in his home, and attempts to convince him to validate the divorce.
Henry is upset because he feels that, without More’s approval, his religious standing and soul
are in jeopardy. More remains unchanged, and the King leaves abruptly and angrily. Henry
expresses his frustration to Cromwell, who, together with Rich, plots to find a way to punish
More, or convince him to change his mind.
Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy which establishes Henry’s right to split from the
Catholic Church as leader of a separate Church of England, but More will not sign it.
Increasingly, people take his silence to mean he does not support the King at all, which is not
the case. More’s family and friends attempt to convince him to change his mind, but he will not.
As the pressure increases he becomes increasingly committed to his conscience. He resigns
from his role as Chancellor, but continues to be persecuted by Cromwell and the King.
More is eventually imprisoned, although he has not been charged with anything. Cromwell and
Rich visit and attempt to get him to take an oath acknowledging the Act of Supremacy. His
family also visits and begs him to relent. More does not, and is brought to trial. During the trial
Rich lies under oath and says More denied the King’s title as Supreme head of the Church of
England. This was not true—More never denied the title, he just refused to endorse it.
Unfortunately, the jury finds him guilty of treason without deliberation, and in 1535 More is
executed.