a_man_for_all_seasons

1、A Man for All SeasonsRobert Bolt AbstractAnalysis of charactersComprehensionRobert Bolt Robert Bolt was born in 1924 in Manchester, England. In 1941, he began working at an insurance agency. Later, he attended Manchester University, served in the Royal Air Force, and fought in World War II. After th

2、e war, Bolt worked in England as a schoolteacher until 1958, when his play Flowering Cherry met with success and critical acclaim. He wrote A Man for All Seasons in 1960.Abstract This is a real story happened in 16th century in England. Henry VIII, hinges on Henrys determination to break with Rome s

3、o he can divorce his current wife and wed again, and good Catholic Mores inability to go along with such heresy. More resigns as chancellor, hoping to be able to live out his life as a private citizen. But at last was killed by Henry. ( In preface showed four motives that why Henry wanted to divorce

4、 his wife.) Thomas More The protagonist of the play. Bolts More is a man who gives up his life because he cannot sacrifice his own commitment to his conscience, which dictates that he not turn his back on what he believes is right or on God. To More, a mans conscience is his self, so he refuses to b

5、etray his own conscience even on pain of death. King Henry VIII The king of England, It is very important to Henry that others think of him as a moral person, and he therefore cares greatly about what More, a man of great moral repute, thinks of him. Henry, who believes that he can force everyone, i

6、ncluding the pope, into validating his desires, wants to put his conscience at ease by forcing More to sanction the kings divorce from Catherine. Duke of Norfolk Mores close friend. betraied his friendship with More. A large and rather simpleminded man, he is often too stupid to know whats going on,

7、 and he is innocent relative to Cromwell. Alice More Mores wife. A conflicted character, Alice spends most of the play questioning why her husband refuses to give in to the kings wishes. Her attitude shifts from anger to confusion. When she visits her husband in prison, Alice finally shows him uncon

8、ditional love, saying that the fact that “God knows why” More must die is good enough for her. Thomas Cromwell A crafty lawyer who is the primary agent plotting against More. He facilitates Mores downfall with only a minimum of guilt. Chapuys The Spanish ambassador to England. When questioning More,

9、 Chapuys displays his aptitude for hiding his political agenda under the guise of religious fervor. William Roper A young man who is a staunch Lutheran at the beginning of the play and later converts to Catholicism.he advocates human law as a better guide to morality. Cardinal Wolsey The Lord Chance

10、llor of England, who dies suddenly following his inability to obtain a dispensation from the pope that would annul King Henrys marriage to Catherine of Aragon and permit him to marry Anne Boleyn. His sudden death hangs over the rest of the play as a warning to anyone who would court the kings disapp

11、roval. The Common Man In his preface, Bolt explains that he intended “common” to be understood to mean “universal,” the characters the Common Man plays become more and more guilt-ridden. In the end, the Common Man silences his guilty conscience by finding solace in the fact that he is alive. He ends

12、 the play by implying that most people do the same thing. The Gilded Cup In the first scene in Act One, More offers Rich a cup that More received as a bribe.The cup symbolizes corruption, and it also symbolizes Mores attempt to test Rich and teach him by example. Mores attempt to test Rich with the

13、cup actually sets in motion the events that lead to Mores conviction at the end of the playa conviction that Rich helps secure by lying under oath in court. The Self and Friendship Through its depiction of Mores personal relationships, the play examines the extent to which one can be true to oneself

14、 and a good friend to others. The play shows that Mores self-reliance is not completely incompatible with friendship and love. In Mores conversations with Norfolk and Alice, he shows that he truly cares about them as his friend and wife. For example, More tells Norfolk to “cease knowing him,” but More argues that he gives hi