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November 06, 2005
Innocent Man
Bolt, A Man for All Seasons -- Drama as Literature (EL 250)
Cromwell: "Yes i say he is. The trouble is, his innocence is tangled in this proposition that you can't change your woman without a divorce, and can't have a divorce unless the Pope says so..." (pg.75)
Sir Thomas More is very strong when it comes to his values and his religion. He will not change anything for anyone if it goes against what he believes.
King Henry wants to get a divorce from his wife because she can not bare a son. However, the Pope will not allow it and More does not agree with it. More is being pressured from all angles to get Henry a divorce.
I think that More has strong morals and values and does not want to hurt God or be a hypocrite. He wants to remain innocent.
Posted by Denamarie at November 6, 2005 12:10 PM
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Comments
Denamarie, I couldn't agree "More." (Sorry I just had to do it) I think that Thomas More is the perfect example of a fair and honest person. He is faced with so much temptatiion in this first Act. Not just any temptation either, the King is trying to persuade him! He is really showing how strong and rooted he is in his beliefs, especially considering this time period where the king could have had him beheaded.
More is such a likeable character. I think that as readers read this play they see attributes and characteristics in More's character that they would like to have for themselves. He never gets too emotionally frustrated with a situation. He puts his family first and loves them very much. He's popular and has a great reputation of being an honest wholesome person. (How many times does that combination occur?) Overall, in the first act, Bolt is trying to get the audience to side really like More's character. I'm interested to see what happens in the rest of the play.
Posted by: Andy LoNigro at November 7, 2005 10:40 PM
I think More was a bit of a martyr. He wanted to obey God and was also concerned about what was best for England. He didn't care about his own ambitions or interests, as opposed to Rich and Cromwell. His moral bravery is a lesson for the audience because his conscience was uncompromised.
Posted by: Kayla Sawyer at November 8, 2005 03:12 PM
Thanks guys. I think you both have really great comments. I think that More is a very likeable guy and that he is not self-centered and selfish. He is very brave for sticking to his morals.
Oh and Andy, it gets very interesting in the second half...Lorin im not going to give it away this time.
Posted by: Denamarie at November 8, 2005 10:55 PM
I felt me and Deana Marie had very similar outlooks on More's character. He is being pressured to agree with the divorce, yet in his moral nature he is not the man to do that. He just cannot
Posted by: Rachel Prichard at November 9, 2005 01:32 AM