Site Map

Source Book Study Questions

Munday and Shakespeare's Sir Thomas More (SB, pp. 66-156)

1. What do the amusing play within a play, "The Marriage of Wit and Wisdom" (3.2), and More's role in it, reveal about his character?

2.  In act 4, why does More refuse to sign the "Articles" drawn up by Henry VIII?

3. How does the play represent More's relationship with his family and household, especially in 4.2, 4.4 and act 5? Why exactly do his servants mourn their master's loss in 5.2?

4. What does the play reveal about the realities of public service?

5. Why does More welcome imprisonment in 5.1?

6. The play consistently represents More's merriment, even in dark hours. Is More a madman to laugh as he does? Focus on two or three merry moments and explain your sense of the role of humor or good cheer in More's drama and death.

7. Do you think the authors of the play approve or disapprove of More's decision not to refuse the mysterious "Articles"? Why or why not?

8. What does this soliloquy at the beginning of act 3 reveal about More's understanding of power?