Man For All Seasons

Virtually, all the central characters killed each other off in a downward spiral of luscious revenge (Shakespeare). It is striking in its contrast to the likes of Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet or Macbeth to where Shakespeare dove deep into the emotions and psyche of human life (RedEyesTakeWarning). Violence and death were not foreign concepts to the people of the Elizabethan era, as medieval life was chocked full of war, famine, and plague. In the case of entertainment, violence and death were no strangers as people would flock to see bear baiting, including Queen Elizabeth. (Mabillard).

“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight. This quote can be assimilates to Brutus in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. In a way he died as a hero but he did live long enough and saw himself becoming the villain. Throughout the play, Brutus had been consumed in a lot of drama and deaths. The readers can tell the internal arguments he has with himself about it too. In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, there are many tragic deaths, drama, and heroes and villains. The question is, who is the hero and who is the villain.

The political aspects of the 1500’s consisted of the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan Era called for many changes in politics. Another name for the Elizabethan Era was the Golden age, due to the major focus on the higher class. Monarchy was strongly placed during this time. According to Dictionary.com, a monarchy is, “A state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.” This is a way of saying that all power was simply given to one person, that being Queen Elizabeth. She had control over all and whatever she said, went. King Henry VII passed away allowing his son to take over his label as king. King Henry VIII became king at a very young age of 17 years old. Being this young, it made duties harder to accomplish. With that being said, he took charge of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant

Henry VIII was the King that would change England’s religious system and make it his legacy. The religious system would carry on after his reign and become the predominant religion of England. The question is: How did events connected to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign cause for a permanent shift in the religious system of England? This question will be answered by analyzing events related to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign. These events will not be a biographical representation of any one historical figure, but relayed in connection to the topic of this paper in order to provide an answer for the essay question. This method is being utilized because it provides an analytical perspective, while also providing a personal appeal by tying the facts in with historical figures. History is not just facts, it is a story, and like any good story it should pull a reader in and make them interested. The historical figures utilized will be Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer due to their direct correlation to the change in the religious system of England. The sources utilized were chosen and implemented in relation to how they encompassed concepts related to historical

important to note as the play was set at a time of monarchical struggle and the

Saint Thomas More (1478-1535), the patron saint of statesmen, lawyers and politicians, acted as a beacon of pious courage during the Middle Ages. His courage stands out because he was willing to stand up to the government, at ultimately be beheaded in defense of his beliefs. Though only a layman in the Church, having only briefly considered priesthood, More was nonetheless adept at balancing a healthy prayer life with a career as a statesman and being a husband and father of four children. Even while he served as the Lord Chancellor of England and as a member of Parliament, he would often regularly fast. Thomas More fell out of grace with the English government following the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation in England.

The book. “A Man for All Seasons” by Robert Bolt describes the life of the lawyer Thomas More and how he defied the marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry VII. Thomas is a virtuous man who defended his sense of self against his adversaries. But, because he would not bow to the marriage, Thomas lost his life. Thomas More's’ love for God takes away his life. Thomas’ primary role of his identity is his love for God and forms the majority of his conscience. A way in which Thomas’ love for God takes away his life is by taking away his friends. Another way in which Thomas’ love for God takes away his life is by taking away his family. Another way in which Thomas’ love for God takes away his life is by taking away his life.

Henry IV of France was able to act as a "fox" by evaluating what mattered more to him. When Henry converted to Catholosism out of being a Hugenot during the Saint Bartholomew 's Day Massacre, it was clear that he valued his own life over religion. Even when he coverted back to Calvinism afterwards, he soon relized his valued of being in power over religion would cause him to convert, once again, back into Catholism. “Paris is worth a Mass," he said as he gave into the Roman Catholic Church for the leadership of France. This value of state over religion made him a politique, believing that no religious truth was worth the ravages of cicil war. He kept France from futher civil war by issuing the Edict of Nantes which acknowledged Catholicism as th official religion of France but guaranteed the Hugenots the rights to worship. He was wise to recognize that tolerance can help establish peace in his nation and also to convert to Cathalosism because of their bigger population in France.

By researching the life and writings of William Shakespeare, it can be shown that many Christian values and beliefs are displayed through his literary works. In order to understand the religious content in Shakespeare's work it is helpful to first understand what the religious environment in England was like around Shakespeare's time. England, ever since it was ruled by the Romans, had been a Catholic nation. Before Shakespeare's lifetime, a drastic change occurred that completely upended the existing Catholicism of the English people. During King Henry VIII's reign, the English people were, for the most part, content with Catholicism. Through a series of very complex political maneuvers, Henry eventually seized power of the English

Throughout Thomas More's Utopia, he is able to successfully criticize many of the political, social, and economic ways of the time. His critique of feudalism and capitalism would eventually come back to haunt him, but would remain etched in stone forever. On July 6, 1535, by demand of King Henry VIII, More was beheaded for treason. His last words stood as his ultimate feeling about royalty in the 15th and 16th centuries, "The King's good servant, but God's first." Throughout his life, More spoke his beliefs about feudalism, capitalism, and his ideals of Utopia; More was a thinker, good friend of Erasmus, and although many critics take Utopia as a blueprint for society, in many instances he encourages thought, a critical part of the

Robert Oxton Bolt was an English teacher at a prestigious private school and wrote plays and scripts for radio dramas. The success came in 1957 with the play “Cherry Blossom” and allowed the young playwright to leave the teaching profession and to concentrate on work. His next play, “Man for All Seasons,” dedicated to the life of the famous statesman Sir Thomas More became very popular in the theatrical world. Bolt is a follower of Brechtian epic theater. The play is an example of “pleasurable learning” (Brecht 3) with “alienation effect” provided by the role of Common Man and meaningful decoration such as the ladder. The characters of the play one way or another move up the stairs, which means changes occurring in their minds and souls. Equally successful was the film adaptation of the play, “Man for All Seasons” (1966), directed by Fred Zinnemann. It was included in “The Vatican Film List” of recommended films in 1995. The role of Sir Thomas More in this film brilliantly plays a famous actor Paul Scofield. Events, historically accurate reproduced on the screen, place in England of the XVI century, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The plot is the conflict between King Henry VIII and the Lord Chancellor Thomas More, which leads to the execution of the latter. Despite the protagonists’ being a “hero of selfhood” (Bolt xvii) and his sacrifice of life

Religion was a major factor in a number of Shakespeare’s plays. Religion motivated action and reasoning. In Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” religion was more than a belief in a higher being; it reflected moral standards and ways of living. In the “Merchant of Venice,” “a Christian ethic of generosity, love, and risk-taking friendship is set in pointed contrast with a non-Christian ethic that is seen, from a Christian point of view, as grudging, resentful, and self-calculating.” (Bevington, pg. 74) Although Shakespeare writes this drama from a Christian point of view he illustrates religion by conflicts of the Old Testament and the New Testament in Venetian society and its court of law. These Testaments are tested through the

Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I may have been the English Reformation’s greatest benefactors, all because of self interest. Henry VIII was not originally Protestant, but after the pope denied him of his divorce, Henry VIII took things into his own hands. Due to the power kings had in the Middle Ages, Henry VIII was able to control Parliament and force it to do whatever

This shift from promoting an ideal 'Utopia ' in his work to openly and aggressively defending the Catholic Church is one of the first examples of the Reformations affect on changing political discourse from criticisms to open violent outbursts and pleas of aggression. Adding to this further is More 's response to Tyndale in 1531, where More states the Reformation is a genuine danger to all of Catholic society4. More was eventually executed but stated “I die the Kings faithful servant, but Gods First”5 revealing although More hated the Reformation, he had stood by his religious values, including his King, making his political writing still plausible in terms of how an authority, such as a monarch, could work hand in hand in a religious society. More 's response to Tyndale and final words shows how much his own way of political discourse had shifted through the years of the reformation, as he had called for violence in the early years 1517, aggressively insulted protestant philosophers such as Luther, but had now consorted to reason. Therefore it can be concluded that many of the philosophers actions during the early years of the Reformation were shock reactions to this shift in power and apparent attack on the perceived 'Catholic state ' rather than a true change in political discourse, as many of the underlying religious opinions in political writing has been retained.

Thomas More lived before and during the Tudor Dynasty, in which England, and most of Europe for that matter, was experiencing a huge influx of political strife and new ideas. There was a continuity of inter-state and intra-state power struggle in Europe that marked the Middle Ages, with superpowers such as France, Spain, and the Habsburg Empire all competing to outmuscle one another. England was no different- having gone through the Hundred Years War, the War of the