A Man for All Seasons

The play, A Man for all Seasons, is based around the story of Thomas Moore. Thomas was a lawyer and became the chancellor of England. His quest in the story was not so much something he was looking for or going after but more of something to hold on to. Thomas kept his ideas about the king to himself therefore to sneak under the law and not be accused of high treason. Thomas said, "I believe that when statesmen forsake their own private consciences they lead their country down a sure path to chaos." Thomas was very smart in keeping himself safe from trouble. He would see to it in his quest that no one would know what he truly thought.

Through the play Thomas goes through a lot of questioning and trouble. Everyone wants him to speak his mind. Some want him out of the way. Cromwell says, "Our job as administrators is to minimize the inconvenience." Cromwell plots and schemes the entire play to get Thomas in trouble. He sends him to a tower for 15 months and makes up things that "the king said". Others stand up for him such as his daughter Alice. Howard, his best friend, doesn't understand why he won't just give in since everyone else already has. Howard says "This isn't Spain, you know, this is England" Thomas faces a lot of the chaos and yet still doesn't give in and tell his thoughts. He remains silent.

As the play goes on Thomas winds up in the tower for 15 months for not signing the oath that Cromwell wrote. He stood for his beliefs and would not back down. He realized in the end of the play after his trial that England had truly sunk to its lowest and wasn't getting any better soon. He knew that he was going up to Heaven and that was satisfying for him. Thomas knew God was just even if England and its rulers were not.

I enjoyed the movie very much so. The history behind it was full of chaos and trouble making. Thomas Moore seemed like a very respectable man and knew exactly how to handle the world even if the world didn't know how to handle him. I felt that Alice was also very respectable along with everyone in his household. They understood him and knew where he was coming from no matter how bad they wanted him home. The movie over all was great.

Bolt, Robert. A Man for all Seasons. Screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on his play (1960)