Analysis of Major Characters
Sir Thomas More
Even though Bolt announces in his preface that he tried
to avoid the perils of having his characters represent something,
symbolism turns out to be a major force driving the action of the
play, as most characters are motivated by More's reputation as a
moral man, not by More's individual characteristics. Perhaps, in
fact, More stands for the perils of being perceived as a saint or
a moral man. Throughout the play, characters—including Chapuys,
Roper, Cromwell, and the king—view More as a representative of a
concept rather than as a person. His consent is important to the
king and to Norfolk because it would make them feel and appear moral.
Chapuys too sees More as an upstanding moral and religious man,
and Chapuys takes comfort in the fact that the virtues More represents
contradict the king's actions.
In his preface to the play, Bolt calls More “a hero of
selfhood.” More refuses to sacrifice his self, which
he defines by his moral conscience, even as he sacrifices his life.
Though More was much later sainted for his refusal to
swear an oath to King Henry's supremacy to the pope, Bolt does not
depict More as someone who ascribes to religious dogma of any sort.
In fact, Bolt disparages such people, who are represented by Will Roper.
As a hero, More is more existential than religious, because he looks
inwardly for his motivations and does not rely on any external ideals
to guide his speech and actions. In fact, More's morals are continually
shifting, and he surprises Chapuys and other characters with his
sharp wit and unexpected pragmatism. If an ideal agrees with his
conscience, More will do his best to live up to it; if not, he will
discard it.
More's reverence for being practical, however, is rooted
in his love for the law. According to Bolt, the letter of the law
held an important place in More's conscience, albeit a notch below
that held by the Church of Christ and the kingdom of heaven. Bolt
explains that he uses More's reverence for heaven as a metaphor
for humanity's reverence for the “terrifying cosmos,” which is either
void of any morality or occupied by warring forces of good (God)
and evil (the devil). Unable to know the nature of the cosmos, Bolt
contends, More put his faith in society's system of judgment—the
law. The great beyond, symbolized in the play by the sea and water,
remains unknown to humankind. Earthly society and laws, symbolized
by dry land, offer the only shelter from the uncertainties of the
universe.
The Common Man
In his preface, Bolt explains that he intended “common”
to be understood to mean “universal,” but many people ascribe the
pejorative connotations of vulgar and low class to the word as well.
Bolt laments the fact that upper class and even lower-status people,
who resented such an image, failed or refused to view the Common
Man as a representative of themselves. However, regardless of how
Bolt viewed his character, the Common Man embodies both universality and
baseness. In fact, the Common Man shows that the “common” human
being is base and immoral.
Although the Common Man acts in many different roles
in order to establish his universal nature, he actually develops
into a coherent character as the play progresses. Initially, he
portrays Matthew and the boatman, who are forgotten figures of the
lower class who judge the noble characters in the play and make
them look like fools. Yet as the play progresses, even the characters
played by the Common Man begin to lose their moral footing. Matthew,
for example, tries to suppress his guilty conscience for having
sold out More after More expresses his affection for Matthew.
Eventually, the Common Man's characters become more aware of
the excuses they make for their immoral acts. When the jailer deliberates
about whether to set More free, he speaks directly to the audience
about the futility of trying to do the right thing. By the end of
the play, the Common Man affirms the notion that to be alive—regardless
of the nature of one's actions—is the only thing that counts. As
a whole, the Common Man's role in the play shows his complicity
in More's persecution. Because the Common Man represents humanity
in general, he is intended to draw us all into
the play's central moral dilemma.
Richard Rich
Again, even though Bolt claims that he did not want his
characters to stand for anything in particular, Rich symbolizes
the tendency to succumb to the temptation of wealth and status.
Rich is a Machiavellian hero, someone who seeks to advance himself
politically and socially, whatever the cost. Despite his selfishness,
Rich reveals his humanity when he wrestles with his own conscience
while he sells out his friend More. In Rich's awareness of his moral
shortcomings, he is similar to the Common Man.
Like Cromwell, Rich serves as a foil to More, highlighting More's
superior character. Rich also illuminates More's character in less
obvious ways. For instance, in the opening scene, More tells Rich
that he should be a teacher. More shows great interest in Rich's moral
fiber and wishes for him to quell his petty, self-interested urge to
gain wealth and status. More's conversation with Rich reveals More's
own interest in teaching as not just a profession but as something
he himself practices throughout the play. In his interaction with
Rich in the first scene, More teaches by testing Rich by offering him
the goblet, letting Rich know that the goblet was a bribe and is therefore
tainted. More understands Rich's faults from the very opening of
the play, but he tries to nurture Rich anyway. It is therefore tragic
that Rich eventually perjures himself to condemn More to death.
