Man For All Seasons

When Robert Bolt titled A Man for All Seasons, he did not draw from the story’s main men as inspiration. A “man for all seasons” is a man of great aspects and capabilities, a description the men of Bolt’s play do not fall under. The play follows English nobility during a tumultuous time in British history. King Henry VIII wishes to divorce his wife, his brother’s widow, as the pair finds themselves unable to birth a male heir. Sir Thomas More rises to the title of Lord Chancellor, and the King hopes to convince More to support the divorce. More lies mum on the subject, because of the controversy that surrounds the issue. Years pass and Henry creates the new Church of England, and marries his former mistress, Anne Boleyn. In contrast, More rots away in a jail cell for not swearing to the King’s Oath of Succession. The play concludes with More beheaded for high treason after Henry forces More’s trial to court, despite the fact that More never acts illegally. While More, Henry, and other men, such as Richard Rich possess numerous talents, they are not men to admire, as they do what they please, no matter the consequences.

These men cannot answer to this name because of their subpar characteristics, such as failure to stray from one’s views if faced with dire consequences, a superficial mindset, and lack of ability to deal with resistance. Bolt employed this title to contradict the men’s inner personalities and to make their unsatisfactory traits jump off the page. A “man for all seasons” usually tends to possess great ability for many pastimes and maintains a respectable image with his peers. None of the previously named men deserve the glory that comes with the title “a man for all seasons”. Bolt titled his play, A Man for All Seasons, this specific way to showcase that none of his leading men remain worthy of the