Cultural Criticism In A Man For All Seasons By Robert Bolt

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Recommended: Forms of civil disobedience in literature

Cultural Criticism Analysis Question 1 The purpose of A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt is to inform its readers the one should not conform to the ideologies and the pressures placed upon individuals by the society. The play portrays that discordance with the society may occur when standing by one’s conscience, but embracing one’s beliefs will lead to moral satisfaction. In the play, Thomas More does not assert against his beliefs in the favour of King Henry VIII which eventually leads to him being granted a death penalty by decapitation. It is the idealistic nature of More that leads him on to the path of annihilation. It is important that a person stands up for their beliefs, but it is more important to mould one according to the situation to ensure one’s safety. More dies because he firmly stands by his beliefs, but this only caused pain to his family and lead to no permanent solution to the issue he was standing up against. King Henry VIII still married Ann Boleyn, whether be it with or without More’s agreement. Instead, More could have just accepted King’s decision of going against the church, even if he did not truly believe in his decision, and saved his family of the pain that was caused due to his death. After the Jailer locks More in the jail, he …show more content…

Eliot. In the drama, King Henry II tries to reduce the power held by the church, and most people agree with the King’s decision, except from an archbishop named Thomas Beckett. Even after multiple attempts of coercion by King Henry II, Beckett did not agree with his ideas, and therefore he gets banished from the kingdom. In A Man for All Seasons, King Henry VIII’s treatment towards Thomas More was somewhat similar because even King Henry VIII tried to convince More to agree with the decision of his marriage with Ann Boleyn. The dialogue between Cromwell and More make the intentions of the King

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