In Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, Thomas More is a man whose sense of self is set in stone. He dies not because he wants to be martyred or become a hero, but because he finds himself unable to compromise his integrity. Throughout the show, the characters who interact with More serve as foils. When their priorities conflict with his, they more clearly define him as an individual. In this way, the reader achieves a deeper understanding of More by gaining insight into what he is not, rather than what he is. Furthermore, “the uncommon man” is a singularly pristine figure against a dirty and compromising background. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From More's first conversation, "the price of a man" is a question that the characters struggle to articulate and understand. The ambitious and impressionable Richard Rich, whose malleable moral compass has been tampered with by reading Machiavelli, insists that “Every man has his price!” (4). More, whose values ​​are much more deeply rooted, disagrees: MORE: No no no. RICH: O pleasure. Titles, women, bricks and mortar, there's always something.MORE: ChildishRICH: Well, in suffering, certainly.MORE: Buy a man with suffering?RICH: Impose suffering and offer him escape.MORE: Oh. For a moment I thought you were profound. (4-5)More is the kind of man who cannot be bought, either with treasures or the threat of suffering. This initial clash of principles sets a precedent for the rest of More's interactions with the other characters in the play. His unyielding and forthright sense of justice makes it impossible for him to submit to iniquity. More is a man of great understanding, but, as the Administrator predicts, “One day someone will ask him for something he will want to keep; and he will be out of practice” (17). When More meets Cardinal Wolsey, who has a surprisingly utilitarian outlook for a member of the clergy, Wolsey tells him: “You are a constant regret to me, Thomas. If only I could see the facts clearly, without that horrible moral squint; with a little common sense you could have been a statesman” (19). Unlike many men, Thomas More's morality is not simply a perspective that he can choose to put on or take off like a pair of glasses. Rather, his ideals are a part of him, immutable and inseparable from his identity and sense of self. King Henry visits More at his home for dinner, under the pretense of discussing the question of marriage with him. He wants More to approve his divorce from Catherine and remarriage to Anne Boleyn, so as to appease the public and raise his personal conscience: MORE: Then why does Your Grace need my meager support? HENRY: Because you're honest. Additionally, you are known for being honest. . . There are those like Norfolk who follow me because I wear the crown, and there are those like Mr. Cromwell who follow me because they are sharp-toothed jackals and I am their lion, and there are a mass who follow me because they follow everything what moves – and then there's you. (55)Other does not follow a crown, nor a lion, nor anything else simply because he has pomp and "power", but follows what rings true to his heart. Henry and the English people know this, and so Henry believes that Thomas' approval will vindicate his divorce fight. More wants to follow the king's orders, but his conscience simply won't let him. When King Henry asks More to give his blessing on his divorce, he forces More to choose a side of his opposing internal alliances. More is a loyal subject of the king, but also a man of deep and unshakable faith. Although his consideration for theThe well-being of his family and his friendship with the king have kept him neutral regarding his marriage, Henry's request pushes Thomas to choose between loyalty to his king or his values ​​(and therefore his faith in God). . This core, this indivisible moral core that is More, cannot be governed by a king, or by any earthly entity; nor can he contradict himself, as the king asks of him. He tries to explain it to Alice:ALICE: You're too cute, Thomas! MORE: Woman, take care of your house. ALICE: I'm taking care of my house! MORE: Well, Alice. What would you like me to do? ALICE: Be governed! If you don't want to govern it, let yourself be governed! MORE: I could not and would not rule my king. But there's some. . . little, area. . . where I have to govern myself. It's very little, for him less than a tennis court. (59)More stands firm and is ready for whatever comes next, but he neither expects nor wants to make any public statement with his refusal to accept the marriage. He avoids being confrontational about his beliefs so as to cause the least amount of trouble for himself and his family. He assures Alice, “Rest assured: this is not the stuff martyrs are made of” (60). Although he is a compassionate, forgiving, and generous man, Thomas More's principles simply will not be changed. Men like Norfolk, Cromwell, Rich, and Roper have fickle morals, allowing themselves to rise or fall with each fluctuation in King Henry's moral temperature. More, however, refuses to bend to the king's will, prioritizing purity of conscience over the preservation of physical well-being. Unlike the fickle theology of William Roper, More's foundation rests on rocks and resists whatever the world can throw at it: MORE: . . . Will, I would trust you with my life. But not your principles. You see, we talk about being grounded in our principles. But if the weather gets worse, take an anchor and drop it where there is less wind, and the fishing is better. And “Look,” we say, “Look, I'm stuck on my principles!” (69) Furthermore, malleable in its morals like a diamond, it cannot be changed. He truly is a man for all seasons. Richard Rich, yet another obstacle to More, is a man who has a price and knows it. In his conversation with Cromwell, he demonstrates his willingness to sacrifice his integrity:CROMWELL: Do you think that... that you would never repeat or report anything, etc.?RICH: Yes!CROMWELL: No, but seriously.RICH: Why, yes !CROMWELL: Rich; seriously.RICH: It depends on what I'm offered. (72)Rich is the kind of person whose conscience means little to him. There is a fundamental discrepancy between his priorities and those of More. Integrity means a different thing to each of them. While More is a man whose spirit is capable of transcending his worldly attachments, Rich is unable to hold his soul sacred and is willing to sacrifice it for a sum:CROMWELL: You seem depressed.RICH: I'm complaining. I lost my innocence. CROMWELL: You lost it some time ago. If you only noticed it now, it couldn't have been very important to you.RICH: That's true! Because it's true, he can't! CROMWELL: We feel a sense of liberation, don't we, Master Rich? An unusual freshness in the head, like in the open air? (74)More's identity, and therefore his entire existence, revolves around his principles. His beliefs are important to him because without them, More ceases to be More. It is not their logic that matters to him, but rather the fact that they are an integral part of what he identifies as himself. Changing or compromising its values ​​would mean trying to resculpt something already set in stone. He tries to explain it to Norfolk: NORFOLK: Does that make sense? Will you give up everything you have, including respect for your country, for a theory?MORE: The Pope's apostolic succession is... . . Well, it's a theory, yes; Notyou can see it; you can't touch it; it's a theory. But what matters to me is not whether it is true or not, but that I believe it to be true, or rather, not that I believe it, but that I believe it. . . Do I trust to make myself dark? (91)King Henry's request calls More to do what he cannot: compromise his loyalty and silence his conscience. Although he is a loyal subject of the king, More's loyalty is first and foremost to God. He cannot and does not want to give it up, because to do so would mean giving up his very essence. When he refuses to sign a document acknowledging his consent to the king's divorce, he is accused of treason and thrown into prison. The Common Man, dressed as a Jailer, allows More to be locked up, even though he knows he is an innocent man. He uses an old expression to rationalize his inability to act: COMMON MAN: “I would get him out if I could, but I can't, not without settling there myself. And it's already there, so what would be the point? You know the old adage? 'Better a live mouse than a dead lion,' and that's all” (127). The Common Man is “plain and simple”. He prefers to save his own skin rather than take a stand for what he knows is right. More hides in the “forest of law,” refusing to make a definitive statement on his opinion of the king's marriage. By remaining silent, he blocks the accusation against him. Rich, whose price turns out to be Wales, is eventually called upon to give false testimony against More to speed up the trial. With his false account of More's actions, More is found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. In his last informal conversation with Norfolk, Norfolk berates More for his refusal to yield to King Henry's commands. More attempts, one last time, to make Norfolk understand what drives him to be so adamant about his beliefs: NORFOLK: Oh, it's immutable, isn't it? The only fixed point in an ever-changing world of friendships is that Thomas More won't give up! MORE: For me it has to be like this, because it's me. Affection is as deep in me as you think, but God alone is love through and through, Howard; and this is myself. NORFOLK: And who are you? Damn, man, that's way out of proportion! We're supposed to be the arrogant, proud, splenetic ones – and we've all given up! Why do you have to stand out? You'll break my heart. (122) Norfolk is deeply troubled by what he sees as a painful and illogical sacrifice on More's part. Unable to see beyond the immediate physical impact of things, he is frustrated with Thomas because he cannot find a direct or tangible reason for his friend's actions. Although he is undeniably a good man, Norfolk has spiritual superficiality and fails to understand the ultimate meaning of actions. His decision to succumb to the king's will is not, for him, morally compromising. He simply doesn't see an obvious reason to risk his neck, so he chooses to remain silent. In this way, it is another obstacle for More, who goes on to tell Norfolk: MORE: And what would you do with a water spaniel who is afraid of water? You would hang it! Well, as a spaniel is to water, so a man is to himself. I will not give in because I oppose – I do – not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but yes, me! (123)The very essence of More is at stake in his decision. Without his faith, he is a shell of his former self, no more important than a water spaniel who can't swim. When he speaks to his daughter Margaret for the last time, More tries to make her understand what drives him to do this. . She asks him, “Have you not done everything that God could reasonably desire?” (141) In a tone that suggests he has come to terms with the situation, he responds, “Good. . . Finally. . . It is not a question of reason; finally it's a question of love.” (141)More's unwavering devotion to his people.