A Man for All Seasons

Key Facts

full title  ·  A Man for all Seasons

author  · Robert Bolt

type of work  · Play

genre  · Historical drama; satire (a literary work that ridicules human vices and follies)

language  · English

time and place written  · England, 1960

date of first publication  ·  1960

publisher  · William Heinemann Ltd.

narrator  · The play is narrated by the Common Man in a series of asides

tone  · The whole of the play points toward the beheading of its hero, Thomas More, a predetermined, historically specific, outcome. As such, the tone is ominous, foreboding, and suspenseful.

setting (time)  ·  1529–1535

setting (place)  · More’s home in London’s Chelsea district and the king’s court at Hampton

protagonist  · Sir Thomas More

major conflict  · Privately, More disapproves of King Henry VIII’s divorce and remarriage. Publicly, he would prefer to have nothing to do with the matter. But when Henry, through his agent Cromwell, forces More to speak out, More must either publicly assent to the divorce or die.

rising action  · After Cardinal Wolsey dies, and More is appointed as his replacement; Henry and, later, Cromwell press More to take a public stance on the issue of King Henry’s marriage; More’s family and friends also encourage him to relent.

climax  · More’s family visits him in jail, and his wife, Alice, finally accepts More’s stubborn behavior. At trial, More remains silent until he is condemned to death, after which he delivers a stirring soliloquy, finally proclaiming his opinions.

falling action  · More’s death, the Common Man’s summation

themes  · Types of moral guides; corruption; the self and friendship

motifs  · Satire and wit; silence; guilt

symbols  · Water and dry land; the gilded cup

foreshadowing  · Rich’s reference to Machiavelli foreshadows the way he and Cromwell will spare no one to achieve success; Rich’s corrupt acceptance of the tainted cup More offers him as a test foreshadows More’s eventual condemnation, based on Rich’s perjury; More’s unwillingness to talk with his family about his meeting with Cardinal Wolsey foreshadows his later refusal to discuss his opinions about the Act of Supremacy; Wolsey’s and Cromwell’s threats to More foreshadows More’s condemnation; Alice’s comment that colds kill even great men foreshadows Wolsey’s death; the Common Man’s announcement that Wolsey’s death was effectively the result of Henry’s displeasure foreshadows the conflict More will face as Wolsey’s replacement.