A Man for All Seasons by Sir Robert Bolt

General Questions

1. On a number of occasions Sir Thomas More is tempted to a course of action repugnant to his nature. Describe four such occasions and examine his reaction to each of them.

2. At several points throughout the play, the playwright heightens our interest by a hint of some future action. Select four examples of foreshadowing and outline the incidents which fulfill each of them.

3. Compare Norfolk and Cromwell as men who are willing to follow “the whole movement of the times.”

4. William Roper considers himself a man of principle. How well does he live up to his image of himself?
   
   
5. List, and then illustrate the dramatic functions of the Common Man.

6. “Throughout the play, More displays a subtle ironic wit.” Find four occasions which support the aptness of this judgement.

Major Themes

1) The importance of the individual

2) The conflict between the state and the individual

3) Power and Government

i) Goodness and corruption

ii) Law and justice

4) Relationships

i) Love: Cupiditas and Caritas (cupiditas — cupidity, love; caritas — charity, affection)

ii) Family and Friendship

iii) Service

5) Loyalty and Betrayal (consider Christ, Satan, and Judas figures — archetypes)

6) The Irony of Life (consider essential paradoxes presented in play)

Imagery

Examine the use of the following “props”:

1. Clothing, chains of office

2. Sacramental imagery: baptism, communion, marriage