РефератыИностранный языкI I Like Treats Essay Research Paper Whether

I Like Treats Essay Research Paper Whether

I Like Treats Essay, Research Paper


Whether it is accurate in all its details or not, A Man for All Seasons is an attempt to


present the historical conflict between Thomas More and Henry VIII. The conflict


could be viewed as merely a political one but neither history nor the filmmakers have


viewed More’s conduct purely in that light, although Henry followed a policy which


advanced his personal power while it diminished the power of the Church of Rome. Sir


Thomas More was a moral intellectual who adhered to principles that transcended


political expediency.. There was a point beyond which he was unwilling to


compromise his personal convictions.


Robert Bolt borrows some of Brecht’s devices in creating his remarkable play, A Man for


All Seasons. “I tried then for a bold and beautiful verbal architecture, a story rather than a


plot, and overtly theatrical means of switching from one locale to another. I also used the


most notorious of alienation devices, an actor who addresses the audience and comments


on the action. He is intended to draw the audience into the play.” Bolt’s


narrator/participant is a brilliant creation in a tale about “Kings and Cardinals.” Playing a


half dozen parts as functionaries (e.g., servant, boatman, jailer, publican, etc.), The


Common Man sets the scenes and constantly reminds us that we are watching a play. He


also, and perhaps most importantly, adds his perspective on all these proceedings, forever


reinforcing that he is the quintessential man on the street. Occasionally, he jumps right out


of character, time, and period to give us an historical perspective. He’s tricky, loquacious,


charming, amusing and opinionated, and he most often speaks in the commonsense tones


of everyday life.


And yet as persuasive and amusing as The Common Man is, I think his true function is to


keep the focus on the one uncommon man in the entire play-Sir Thomas More. In a play


ripe with religious and political ideas, kings and princes, cardinals and statesmen, the


words “common, ordinary, commonsense, normal, and expected” pop up all the time. The


good and the not so good use the words “expediency, reasonableness, and political


necessity” to persuade More to give up his moral stance, which opposes Henry VIII’s


remarriage and, more important, Henry VIII’s claim to supremacy over the church. One of


the greatest legal minds of his day, More understands all the arguments for compromise


and pragmatism and expediency. He searches for every legal loophole to stay alive, but he


will not compromise his conscience.


The personal conflict between More and Henry VIII is not as intense as that between


Becket and the second Henry, but the real intellectual and moral agony involved and the


frictions provoked by family responsibilities bring the period to life. These are real people


struggling with their principles and their demons. The theological and historical questions


are played out together with personal, moral and ethical dilemmas. Papal supremacy,


interpretation of scripture, indissolubility of marriage interface with the stability of the


realm, the danger of Spain and greed for monastic riches. All intermingle with Henry


VIII’s desire for a son, his friendship with More, and his glandular drives. More’s family,


divided by the consequences of his legal hairsplitting as well as split by theological


tensions, is much less concerned than he for the sanctity of his conscience. They want him


to stay alive. Yet the supremacy of the individual conscience as well as the difficulty of the


politician reconciling his private conscience and his public duty are the maj

or themes.


Orson Welles’ Wolsey, the venal Cromwell and the ambitious Richard Rich who sells his


soul “for Wales?” add ingredients that combine to hold any viewer’s attention.


For our specific purposes the film presents a reasonably accurate picture of the issues


surrounding the early years of the English Reformation, the “King’s Great Matter,” the


feeble English hierarchy, the creeping Calvinism of Cranmer, the catholic attitudes of the


king, the compliance of the Parliament. It raises but does not answer the question of why


the Reformation moved quickly and with comparatively little opposition in England.


More’s trial brings many of these questions together and his final statement to the court


summarizes not only his theology but shows the strength of his beliefs. The ethical and


human dilemmas provide a perfect stage for encouraging deeper investigation of the


historical issues. The very human aspects of the personal struggles provide an opportunity


to emphasize the complexity of judging the people involved in this and other such dramas


of the past and the present.


Many of our heroes today are characterized by their tremendous physical


strength, romantic appeal, and or by valor in battle. St. Thomas More


is a rather unique hero since he is not a physically robust figure,


slew no “Dragons,” and was certainly not a romantic figure who appealed


to fair maidens throughout England. Thomas More was an English


statesman and writer. More was born in London. In 1504 he entered


Parliament, but was forced to retire from public life after urging a


decrease in a proposed appropriation for King Henry 7. After the death


of the king in 1509, More became active again. During the next decade,


More attracted the attention of King Henry 8. Henry made More one of


his favorites and often sought his company for philosophical


conversations. More became Lord Chancellor in 1529; he was the first


layman to hold the post. His fortunes change, however, when he refused


to support Henry’s request for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. More


resigned from the chancellorship in 1532 and withdrew from public


notice. The king had imprisoned him in 1534. More was tried the


following year; he refused to take an oath of supremacy, asserting that


Parliament did not have the right to usurp papal authority in favor of


the king. More was decapitated in 1535. In 1935 he was canonized by the


Roman Catholic church. More is considered a hero because of his


bravery for standing up for his morality. More had to go against his


friend the king in order to stand up for what is right. More’s faith in


God and how he died for Him gave him the right to be considered a hero.


More shows us that we should believe in what is right. He shows that


even withought using weapons and being a “stud” we could be heroes by


following God.


When Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, is unable to produce an heir to the


throne, he uses that as a pretext for the pope to grant him a divorce, so he can marry his


newest conquest, Anne Boleyn.


The King is backed by everyone on this request except the highly regarded and religious


Sir Thomas More. When Cardinal Wolsey, Chancellor of England, names More as his


successor, it becomes important for Henry to get More’s support, but More cannot be


swayed.


Henry demands the clergy to renounce the Pope and to name him Head of the Church of


England. Oliver Cromwell frames More, forcing him to resign as Chancellor. Eventually


More is brought to trial, found guilty of treason, and beheaded.

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