A Man for All Seasons: The Immoral Choices of Henry, Rich, and Cromwell
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt is an exciting play with several unique characters who lead their lives in different ways. For instance, there is Thomas More who lives a moral life and Richard Rich who is one of the most immoral persons in the play. King Henry is another character in the play, he tries to appear as a moral person, but he often goes out of his way to execute people who offend him. Woven deep into the plot of the play are several themes including the theme of integrity and that of law vs. power. However, the theme of integrity is the most evident of all and the one that captivates readers the most. Throughout the play, readers will observe different characters trying to preserve their integrity despite being faced with tough choices. Most of these characters are similar in that they were unable to uphold their integrity and hence ended up choosing to commit a serious moral evil. The following is an interpretive essay focusing on the immoral choices of three characters in the play; the three characters include Henry, Rich, and Cromwell.
Immoral Choices That Tarnished Integrity
Each of these characters engaged in an immoral choice that tarnished their integrity. Taking Rich, for example, he betrayed a friend by giving false evidence during a trial. Rich testified against Thomas More in a trial where he claimed that he heard More deny the king's authority over the church (Bolt 99). The truth of the matter was that More had chosen to keep quiet over the political issue of whether the king had jurisdiction over the church. However, Cromwell promised Rich an excellent job in the court in exchange for the false testimony against More. In essence, Rich readily abandoned his integrity and conscience to attain a title. Cromwell's immoral choices reveal themselves when he starts plotting against More who is a moral man. Cromwell uses underhand methods such as bribing the friends of More into giving up useful information that would help bring down More (Bolt 64). Finally, Cromwell manipulates the king into executing More based on false evidence from Rich. The king also makes an immoral decision when he decides to bend the law to suit his selfish needs. For instance, he passed an act giving him control of the church, an act that was deemed immoral during that political era. Also, the king executed anybody who opposed his actions.
Motivations Behind Immoral Choices
The characters described above had different motivations behind their immoral choices. Rich, for example, made an immoral decision to get a job and attain a respectable title as well as lots of wealth. Rich is therefore labeled as the lowest of all corrupt men described in the book. Rich gave in to his greed and turned down the opportunity to have a good friend and an honest job. Whereas other corrupt and immoral men looked beyond this world, Rich only thought of his present status and what he would be able to achieve. In comparison, the king made an immoral choice since he wanted a male heir to the throne (Bolt viii). His current wife had failed to give him a male heir, so the king wanted a divorce to help him remarry and attempt to conceive a male heir. Thus, readers recognize that the King's wrong choices were based on his fears about the future of the country. However, More refused to approve of the divorce which ultimately led to his demise. Cromwell was the chief agent involved in plotting against More to achieve the King's objective. As such, Cromwell was motivated by his evil nature and also by his will to help the king achieve his aims. Henry and Cromwell are therefore similar in that their immoral choices were based on an idea greater than themselves. Rich, on the other hand, based his decision on his selfish nature.
The Consequences and Guilt
Each of the three characters has a different experience as a consequence of choosing to take part in an immoral decision. The main difference, however, is that some of the characters feel guilty while others do not feel the guilt. Rich and Cromwell are satisfied with their immoral actions and do not feel any guilt following their immoral choices. Rich is satisfied with his new position as the attorney general while Cromwell is satisfied for having helped the king achieve his objective. King Henry, on the other hand, feels guilty for having chosen to take part in such twisted actions. It is evident that Henry feels guilty since he does not attend More's trial.
Conclusion
In conclusion, most of the characters in the play are unable to uphold their integrity hence they end up making immoral choices. Different desires and motivations led these characters towards their immoral decisions. Henry was for instance bound by the politics of the time while greed motivated Rich's actions. Cromwell, on the other hand, was driven by his evil nature and desire to help the king achieve his objectives.
Works cited
Bolt, Robert. A Man for All Seasons. , 1995. Internet resource.
