--It is difficult for an author to
portray a good character, yet Robert Bolt in his play, A Man for
All Seasons, presents Thomas More as a hero who is at once larger
than life yet truly
human. Using specific references to the text, show how Bolt’s
More
attracts the audience’s admiration.
--The title of Robert Bolt’s play
indicates Thomas More’s constancy. In the play, More is faced
with
not just one but several characters who challenge his viewpoint.
Illustrate what aspects of More’s character each of these challenges
highlight while at the same time he remains faithful to his convictions.
--One of the most
interesting
characters in A Man for All Seasons is the common man. Called
the “master statesman of us all,” his functions in the play are
manifold. Discuss his perspicacious and tantalizing character.
1.
Common Man
Give two examples of the Common Man
according to these 5 functions: 1-to give historical background
to
the story; 2-to foretell events that were to come later; 3-to introduce
comic relief into a serious drama; 4-to comment on the character
involved; 5-to give advice to the audience.
2. Explain the
significance of the title as it refers to Sir Thomas More.
3. Define “a fair
weather friend.” List 5 characters from the play whom you would
characterize as a “fair weather friend.” (cite examples from the
play)
4. Qualities of
Sir Thomas More. Identify as many qualities as you can which
describe Sir Thomas More. Give an example to illustrate each one (at
least 10).
5. More’s wit is
evidenced throughout the play as is his philosophy, humor, irony,
sympathy, prudence, etc. Find examples of the versatility and richness
of his character as reflected in the dialogue of the play (witty;
philosophical; humorous; poetic—using images and metaphors;
logical—using reasoned arguments; ironic; accurate or true; satirical;
sympathetic; insightful, penetrating—reading character; prudent;
steady—nonplussed, controlled, unruffled.)
6. Tests and
Trials. Many characters in the play try to change More’s
opinion. What types of trials does More undergo (from Wolsey,
Rich, Cromwell, Norfolk, Margaret, Alice, Henry, etc). List below
the various people who test More and explain the appeal each makes.
7.
Trial
Scene. How is More’s skill as a lawyer apparent in the “mock
trial” he is subjected to? How does this skill contrast with Cromwell’s
line of reasoning when he wants to implicate More? Find and list
examples from the play.
1. What does the
minor incident of the steward drinking More’s wine and More’s reaction
to him show the audience about Sir Thomas More?
2. Richard
Rich
says “every man has his price.” Do you agree or disagree with this
statement? What does More think of this idea? (base your answer on the
text, p.5)
3. What does More
advise Rich to do with his life as his profession? Why does Rich not
like this idea?
4. What is the
symbolic point of the falcon/heron incident Norfolk and Alice discuss?
5. How is it that
the Steward knows Rich (this early in the play) is a contemptible
character?
II. pp. 17-24 -
Wolsey and More
1. What is the
basic irony prevalent in this scene?
2. Wolsey says to
More that he would be successful if More “could just see facts flat on,
without that horrible moral squint, with just a little common sense.”
What
does he really object to and what does he really mean by “horrible
moral
squint” and “common sense?”
3. What is the
political problem the two are discussing? What is the Cardinal’s
proposal as a solution and what is More’s?
4. More states:
“I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the
sake of their public duties...they lead their country by a short route
to
chaos.” Do you agree?
5. Wolsey tells
More he “should have been a cleric.,” to which More replies “Like
yourself,
Your Grace.” What does More mean?
III. pp. 24-29 -
More, Cromwell, Chapuys, Boatman
1. What do both
Cromwell and Chapuys want from More?
2. Who is Chapuys?
3. What is the
point of telling the audience of the discrepancy in fees for rowing the
boat from Richmond to Chelsea and vice
versa?
IV. pp. 24-35 -
More’s home
1. Why doesn’t
More give permission for his daughter Margaret to marry Will Roper?
2. How do Lady
Alice and her daughter Margaret get along?
V. pp. 35-43 -
Cromwell, Rich, Chapuys, Steward
1. What is it, exactly, that
Cromwell does for King Henry VIII?
2. How have
Rich’s fortunes “improved’?
3. Why does
Chapuys correct Cromwell on the number of guns and where King Henry is
going?
4. When Chapuys
says “Sir Thomas is a good son of the Church!,” Cromwell replies: “Sir Thomas is a man.” What does he
mean?
5. The Steward
gets money from several people in this scene. Who are they and why do
they give him money? What does the Steward mean when he says “The great
thing’s not to get out of your depth”?
VI. pp. 43-89
King Henry’s visit to Chelsea
1. Alice and
Margaret can’t find More at the beginning of this scene. Where is he?
What do we learn about him?
2. What does the
audience learn about King Henry from his interview of Margaret?
3. What is the
relationship between the King and More at the beginning of their
conversation? What does the King think of More? Why does he get angry?
What do you think of More’s answers to the King? What character traits
does More show here?
4. Why does the
King leave so abruptly?
5. What does More
mean when he says “there’s a little.. .little area.. .where I must rule
myself?
6. Will Roper’s
views on religion have changed since his previous scene. What does he
now
believe?
7. Roper and More
argue over the role of the law. What does Roper think should be done
and
what is More’s opinion of the law?
8. Why is Rich
not trusted?
VII. pp. 69-77 -
The Pub scene
1. What post is
Rich offered by Cromwell? What does he give Cromwell in return for this
position?
2. Cromwell tells
Rich he lost his innocence “some time ago.. .you’ve only just
noticed...” What does this tell you about both Cromwell and Rich?
3. Is it odd that
both Cromwell and Rich call More “innocent” and mean that word as a
true
evaluation of More’s character? What does this assessment tell you
about
both these men?
4. What does
Cromwell’s action with the candle at the end of the scene tell you
about the man?
ACT TWO
I. pp. 81-98
More’s household
1. What does The
Act of Supremacy state?
2. What is the
“legal quibble” Roper speaks of in regard to The Act? (p. 83)
3. Why doesn’t
More like being called a saint by Chapuys?
4. What does
Chapuys discuss with More? How does More treat Chapuys?
5. Norfolk
accuses More of cowardice for resigning the Chancellorship. What answer
does More give to him?
6. To what is
Norfolk referring when he says to More (p. 91) “This isn’t Spain, you
know.”
7. Why is More
afraid?
8. What was “The
Pilgrimage of Grace”?
9. What is Lady
Alice afraid of in this scene? (p. 95)
10. Why doesn’t
More simply tell his family what his opinions are? (p. 95ff)
11. How does More
treat his Steward? Is he sincere when he says “I shall miss you,
Matthew”?
12. What does the
Steward mean when he says “I nearly fell for it”?
II. pp. 98-105 -
Cromwell, Rich, Norfolk
1. How is it
that, as Cromwell says, “This ‘silence’ of his is bellowing up and down
Europe!’”?
2. Norfolk states
his opinion of Thomas More as a judge. What is it? (p. 99)
3. Cromwell and
Rich discuss the Italian cup More gave to Rich. What are they trying to
do and what does Norfolk discover about the situation?
4. Cromwell says:
“My dear Norfolk.. .This isn’t Spain.” What does he mean? What does the
audience think of?
5. What does
Matthew the Steward mean when he says of Rich “Oh, I can manage this
one! He’s just my size!”
III. pp. 105-113
More’s family in penury
1. What is life
like now at Sir Thomas More’s home?
2. What does
Chapuys want and how does Sir Thomas treat him?
3. Why can’t More
accept money from the Bishops?
4. Why is he
confident even though in the next scene he is going to see Cromwell?
IV. pp. 113-129
Interrogation of More by Cromwell
1. How does
Cromwell treat More in this scene? How does More treat Cromwell?
2. There are many
references to “conscience” in this scene. What, according to Cromwell,
is the King’s concern with “conscience”? What is More’s relationship to
conscience?
V. pp. 120-126 -
More, Norfolk
1. Why does More
break off his friendship with Norfolk?
2. What does More
say friendship?
3. The real key
to More’s character lies in his answer to Norfolk which begins
“Affection
goes as deep in me. ..self.” What is More’s “real self” and to whom
does
he hold the strongest allegiance?
4. More gives
some strong arguments to Norfolk on the laziness and cowardice of the
nobility in England at this time. Find two quotes in particular on p.
123 which show More’s argument.
5. At the end of
the scene, More meets Margaret and Roper. Why does he want to know the
specific wording of the Act of Supremacy? What is the Act of Supremacy?
6. More says (p.
126) that “God made the angels to show him splendor.. .animals for
innocence and plants for their simplicity. But Man he made to serve him
wittily in the tangle of his mind.” What is More planning?
VI. pp. 126-137
More is interrogated in prison
1. What does
iniquitous mean?
2. Outline the
ways Cromwell tries to trap More in this scene.
3. How is Cranmer
(the new Archbishop of Canterbury) shown to be as worldly a cleric as
Wolsey?
4. What is More
able to make Norfolk see that Cromwell couldn’t make clear to the Duke?
5. Does More
condemn Norfolk and the others? (see p. 132)
6. Why is More
denied more books?
7. Why is the
Jailer alarmed at the 50 guineas offered to him?
VII. pp. 137-147
More’s family visit him in prison
1. Meg is under
oath to persuade More to sign the Oath. By what clever arguments does
she
try to make him swear to the Oath? What are his replies?
2. More says
“Well.. .finally. . .it isn’t a matter of reason; finally it is a
matter of love.” What does he mean?
3. How is Meg
crueler than King Henry in this scene?
4. More shows
that he loves his wife Alice but doesn’t know how to approach her. What
does he say that makes her so upset?
5. At the end of
this scene, Alice, who is bewildered and angry, yells at her husband
but also shows she loves him. What does she say and do?
6. More, in his
anguish, excoriates “These plain, simple men!” Why do the Jailer and
those
like him (the plain, simple men) stand condemned by More?
VIII. pp. 147-160
The trial scene
1. What are the
ramifications of the word “silent” and “silence” in this scene?
2. More shows he
knows the law very well in this scene. Cite several instances of his
knowledge and his excellent verbal fencing.
3. Why (by what
specific lines in the scene) is it so obvious that Rich is lying?
4. Finally, when
all else has failed, More speaks his mind and gives his opinion on the
Act of Parliament and on the marriage of King Henry to Queen Anne. What
does he say?
5. More’s own
epitaph could be summed up in the lines he says “I do none harm, I say
none harm, I think none harm.” How is there evidence in this scene that
he truly does what he says here?
6. What lines
strike you in this scene as especially memorable? Cite several and
explain them.
IX. pp. 160-161
More’s execution
1. What
three
significant incidents does Robert Bolt relate about the execution of
More in this scene? What are More’s thoughts and feelings, do you
think, about his death from the evidence of these incidents?
2. What does the
Common Man mean when he says “If we should bump into one another,
recognize me.”?
Martin Luther
King Richard III
King Henry VII
King Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr
William Shakespeare
Thomas More
Thomas Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (17th century)
Mary Tudor
Elizabeth I
Edward VI
Erasmus
William Cecil
Boccaccio
Edmund Spenser
Machiavelli Lorenzo
de Medici
Francis
Drake
Wars of the Roses
Wyatt and Surrey
Mary Stuart
Michelangelo
John Milton (17th century)
Spanish Armada
Cardinal Wolsey
Humanism
Philip II of Spain
Petrarch
Giotto
Donatello
Leonardo da Vinci
Columbus
Raphael
John Donne
Roger Ascham
Edmund Spenser
Hans Holbein
95 Theses
More’s Utopia Protestant Reformation
You will prepare a 5 minute oral
presentation on the character or event of your choice. You will need to
consult at least three sources to get sufficient background. (You
will hand in your notes for the presentation) and you will need to read
at least one book on your topic.
Here is some of the information you
will need to give your audience:
a. Dates of the
event or of the character’s life
b. The
relationship between your character and either King Henry VIII, Thomas
More, or the Renaissance in general
c. The
contributions or special concern of your character or event (e.g. did
he write a noted book? If a king or queen, what are the dates of
the reign and what historical events did he/she influence?)
d. Personal
anecdotes—some interesting details of the life or some statistic, some
unusual and memorable occurrence(s)
e. Why you chose
the character/event and what you think after your research
Later, you will write a book report
on the novel or non-fiction work you chose.
Name:
_________________________________
Person studied:
______________________________________
Title of book read:
____________________________________
Author:
____________________________________________
Publisher and date of publication:
________________________
Book Report on a
Biography from
the Renaissance
You have been reading a biography
of an interesting character who lived during the Renaissance, either in
England or in Europe. Consider now several key points in the life. Your
task is to choose seven examples from that person’s life and explain
both
why those incidents were crucial and what you thought of them. Give
enough
background so your reader can understand the circumstances that
influenced
your person’s decision or growth, and illustrate what he or she did
that
was so significant. Finally, explain in detail why you chose each
example.
Give dates and the age of the person at the time, note the significance
of
their actions (or others’ actions upon them) and relate freely your
reaction.
Seven full and complete paragraphs are expected with appropriate
headings.
