A Study Guide for Robert Bolt's "A Man for All Seasons" (lit to film)

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Robert Bolt's "A Man for All Seasons" (lit to film), excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: May 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781410393142

Book preview

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A Man for All Seasons

Robert Bolt

1966

Introduction

The 1966 film adaptation of Robert Bolt's 1960 play, A Man for All Seasons, is a masterpiece in character study. It is not a flashy production. It is rather a subtle story about Sir Thomas More, a quiet man with iron convictions. Strengthened by his devout faith, More withstands pressure from his king, his friends, and even his wife and daughter to swear to an oath that the courtiers surrounding him take lightly. Because he knows it is wrong, he refuses to swear, though it costs him his life. Themes of integrity and betrayal thread through this story of conscience.

Viewers may find it helpful to research the period before watching the film, for those who know nothing of Henry VIII's great matter—his six-year mission to have his marriage to his first wife annulled so that he might marry Anne Boleyn, which finally ended with the Church of England splitting away from the Catholic Church under the pope in Rome—may find themselves lost in the political intrigue of the Tudor court. Once one understands the situation, the film is a fascinating study of a tumultuous period in English history. A Man for All Seasons is the rare period film that sticks to the facts while developing the story in a literary frame.

Plot Summary

The Film Opens With A Fanfare Playing Over The Image Of Statuary At A Castle, Likely Hampton Court Palace. Cardinal Wolsey Finishes Writing A Letter And Gives It To His Secretary, Thomas Cromwell, Who Then Passes It On To A Messenger. As The Opening Credits Roll, The Messenger Travels Along The Thames To The Home Of Sir Thomas More To Deliver The Letter. More'S Servant, Matthew, Carries The Letter Inside. More; His Wife, Alice; And His Daughter, Margaret, Or Meg, Are Entertaining Guests, Including Richard Rich And Thomas Howard, The Duke Of Norfolk. More Is Summoned To The Palace. He Prepares To Go Immediately, Though Before He Leaves, Norfolk Warns Him To Be Wary Of Wolsey, Who Can Be Manipulative. As More Walks To The Boat, Rich Catches Up To Ask Whether More Recommended Him For A