Thomas More Quotes

In the play ‘A Man For All Seasons’, written by Robert Bolt, we are intoduced to an existentional hero, Sir Thomas More. More is a man with unwavering integrity, who is true to himself and stands firm in what he believes. In this essay, I will discuss the characteristics of Sir Thomas More and how it adheres to the statement, “Man is the measure of all things”, by the Greek philosper Protagora. I will provide quotations from the play, to support my arguments.

Firstly, in the play ‘A Man For All Seasons’, the audience learn about the protagonist Sir Thomas More, who is presented with a problem that will result in the outcome regarding his life. Bolt portrays More as a complex character, whose characteristics are rooted in the sense of integrity.

The quote, “I neither could nor would rule my King. But there is a little... little, area... where I must rule myself. It’s very little – less to him than a tennis coart”(Bolt, p59), proves that More will lose all the respect he has for himself, if he were to sign the oath. According to Randy Lee , More feels, ‘If a man is prepared to take an oath than he must stand by that oath’(2000). However, More will go against everything he believes in, if he signs the oath and therefore he is not willing to sign it. He reveals his perspective by saying, “When a man takes an oath, Meg, he’s holding his own self in his own hands. Like water...”(Bolt, p40).His conscience is tremendously important to him and if he were to go against his moral conscience, it would be like destroying his soul, and without his soul there is no point in living. More stays true to hlmself and his beliefs. His beliefs depict his profound truths of his inner self, therefore he would destroy himself if he were to compromise them, “Because what matters is I believe it, or rather, no .... not that I

More refuses to be shaped and molded into somthing that he is not, and therefore fought for what he believes in. More is a strong religious man with unshakable faith. He would not go against his religious beliefs, no matter what the consequences are. More feels that his soul is more important than anything and therefore it needs to come first, this is proven when he resigns as Lord Chancellor, due to him not being able to go against his religious beliefs., “If the Bishops in Convocation submitted this morning, I’ii take it off”(Bolt, p48). According to F. Michael Higginbotham, More would stay true to his conscience until the bitter end(2000), “.... yet God exists. In matters of conscience, the loyal subject is more bounden to be loyal to his conscience than to any other thing”(Bolt, p92). More attained more at the end of the play because he did not let death stop him nor did it make him worry, “He will not refuse one who is so blithe to go”(Bolt, p99). His death was not in vain because he knew he was in line and steadfast in his beliefs. More dying proves a point to the public of England as well as to himself, that he was a noble and honorable man and that he was not going to fall short to the mendacious reasonings of King Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, “I have not disobeyed my sovereign. I truly believe that no man in England is safer than myself”(Bolt,p40). He mightily believes in the church and