More’s character raises important thoughts on faith, loyalty to church, loyalty to country, loyalty to family, and loyalty to self. In addition to these surface issues, More’s character presents another issue that is still questioned today. When Chapuys quotes Job 20:24, “He shall flee the iron weapons, and the bow of steel shall strike him through,” More is interested to learn more of the resistance movement in Northern England. There is also an undercurrent of what is going on at the time, the Inquisition: the Common Man says, “Imprisonment without trial, and even examination under torture, were common practice” (81). This thread of warring Christians raises important questions: how can Christians make war? How can Christians make war on other Christians? If the basic tenets of the doctrine were the same, how could someone be tried for practicing the religion in a different way?
Bolt’s masterpiece sparks the ignition of thought on past, present, and future issues. Where should loyalty be placed first, religion or the nation? How can peace loving people make war – murder, other people? The play opens many lines of thought and asks the viewer to question their beliefs.