Summary
Bolt opens his play with a monologue recited by the Common Man-a character who dons several different costumes and personas throughout the play. From beginning to end, he is cast as More's personal servant, the steward named Matthew; the uncharitable jailer who sees More through his imprisonment in the Tower; the executioner, who sends More to his swift death in the play's closing act. His opening speech is self-deprecating, and this style of narration with not be atypical of this character's actions. In fact, he provides quite a bit of comic relief in the tenser parts of the play. We can clearly see the Common Man through each of his disguises, thus conveying that his actions can be representative of those of all men. The Common Man points out that the 16th century belongs to the "Common Man"-the same, he claims, as in every century.
After Matthew's speech, we open on a conversation between Sir Thomas and Richard in the former's household, where Thomas is hosting a dinner. Also present are More's daughter, his wife, and Norfolk, a politician and friend of More's. During this conversation, we are made acutely aware of Richard's shaky moral character. Discussing terms of morality with Thomas, Richard firmly insists that every man has his price when it comes to forsaking his private conscience. We will eventually see that Richard is a greedy social climber who will betray his own conscience for better positions and more power. During this conversation, we also discover that Rich has become closely associated with Lord Cromwell-an unsavoury character who is generally distrusted by other characters in the play. Rich is recently graduated from Cambridge, and is hard-pressed to find work that he finds agreeable. We are given a significant hint as to Rich's true nature when Sir Thomas offers him a goblet-an object of bribery that was sent to Thomas from a woman in the Court of Requests-and Rich accepts the gift greedily.
The dinner closes with Matthew handing Richard More's gift, and Matthew chuckles at Rich's character-saying that he's "just [his] size," and that he'll "come to nothing." He also provides a sense of foreboding with an analysis of More's character, pointing out his natural generosity and that one day, More will have something that he will "want to keep"-hinting at More's own life.
More makes an evening trip to Cardinal Wolsey's house-where the latter is drafting a letter to the Archbishop of Rome. The letter is written at the King's request, and inquires about his divorce from his rightful queen, Catherine. More carefully comments that the letter is eloquently phrased-much to Wolsey's behest, who finds More to be a bit of a plodder when it comes to political issues. More clearly finds the divorce an unsavoury notion, but does his best to keep his opinions to himself. Wolsey, unsatisifed with this attitude, tells Thomas that a divorce is nothing short of a necessity, and that morality in political matters is a luxury. In fact, Wolsey is one of many characters who attempts to persuade Thomas to place important political decisions over personal morals.
Thomas returns home to find his family awake-and requesting news on his meeting with Wolsey. A young man named Roper is there, whose heretical reviews on Church reform prevent Thomas from consenting to his intentions to marry his daughter, Margaret. Thomas reassures his family on his meeting with Wolsey and sends them to bed.
We see Rich continue to climb the social strata through personal recommendations: first as Norfolk's librarian, then as an assistant to Cromwell. It is under Cromwell's tutelage that Rich's immoral behavior begins to flourish. Cromwell takes great pride in his new pupil and immediately undertakes the task of entrapping More-whose upright character as a political figure poses a problem to Henry VIII's desired divorce. Cromwell convinces Rich to dispose of his conscience entirely.
Henry visits Thomas and attempts to persuade him to see the practicality of his decision. As a friend of the King,Thomas sympathizes with his ruler, but refuses to openly condone Henry's actions. Henry assures Thomas that he will allow Thomas to foster his private conscience. Thomas takes this at face value and believes that he will be left alone. However, Henry's actions are made clear when Cromwell is asked to interview Thomas personally-and Thomas is convinced that Henry intends to have all personal opinions of his marriage expressed in absolutes.
Thomas desires his family's safety over all. Roper, at this point, is engaged to Margaret, but More cautions him about making his political opinions public. Having disappointed his King, More intends to live as private a life as possible. Norfolk attempts to persuade Thomas to relent, forcing Thomas to tell Norfolk his true opinion of him-that he has forsaken his private conscience to serve his public affairs. More is eventually thrust back into the public and forced to stand trial for high treason for charges brought forth by Cromwell. Cromwell deviously uses a private exchange between Rich and More in court, and Rich lies profusely under oath. Wrongly accused and acquitted, Thomas is sentenced to death and taken to the Tower. Here, his wife and his own daughter beg him to spare his life. Thomas, now as unrelenting as ever, feels prepared to go before God with an upright conscience. It is revealed that Rich rose in favor and died peacefully in his sleep; Henry obtains his marriage and divorce, but dies a painful death at the hands of syphilis; Cromwell's loyalty failed to serve him well, for he was also accused of treason and killed; Norfolk was accused of the same crime, but Henry died before the sentence could be carried out.
The Common Man appears to carry out More's execution. More is murdered, and the Common Man reappears to address the audience for the last time. He advises the audience not to make any trouble-or at least any more than what is necessary.
Analysis
Bolt uses the actions of historical characters in England's political sphere to highlight the potential dangers of political prowess and the complete abandonment of personal morals. The exact phrase uttered by More-that public officials who forsake their private consciences for state matters lead their country on a "short route to chaos"-sums up the theme of the play perfectly. Many of the characters abandon their morals entirely to find a life of prestige and comfort; others have little conscience left to forsake, such as Cromwell; the bishop who was seated before Wolsey clearly made his opinion of Henry's actions utterly salient. What More proposes is to behave in a somewhat different manner-in fact, he comments that while God seeks perfect behavior in His angels, He desires something more complex from mankind. Thomas does little in the way of speaking outright to those who demand his opinion of Henry's marriage. It is only when Thomas is confronted and given absolutely no room to defend himself that he expresses his most heated opinion of his leader's actions.
Thus, Thomas finds a utilizes his wit and conscience simultaneously-acting only so far as his personal conscience permits, but not one iota greater. Thomas' personal relationships with each of the characters is highlighted throughout the play. Rich begins as an acquaintance with an opportunity to become More's friend. However, Rich trades his relationship with More for the first lucrative position that comes his way. Norfolk eventually bends to Henry's will and asks More to join them-even if merely for the sake of "friendship." Cromwell is made astutely aware of More's upright character by others in the play, but disregards their words and pursues More's demise for personal motives. This says a great deal about More's opinion of "the self," as he calls it. More doesn't bend to the multitudinous opinions of the Church, the State, his closest friends, or even his own family. More acknowledges the corruption that Roper sees in the Church, but disapproves of his extreme heretical ways and dangerously blatant opinions. Nor will More walk with Norfolk for the sake of friendship-who keeps his own conscience internalized while externally consenting to the illicit actions of others
More is character who has ascended socially(and partially reluctantly)due to his brilliance and affability. However, we see that Bolt cleverly points out the origins of other characters, and leaves us to draw conclusions about the actions that led to their prominence. The Cardinal was a "butcher's son," and Cromwell was the son of a farrier. We see that the Cardinal is willing to serve the King's wishes against the responsibilities of his profession; Cromwell is clearly devious and willing to serve anyone in power for his own advancement.
In the play we have a proper mix of fallen figures and thoroughly hardened villains. In Rich, we see a "student hounded by self-doubt" and "longing to be saved from himself." Cromwell's character is the result of a heart hardened to the consequences of greater social sins. His character serves as the perfect foil to Sir Thomas' character-whose refusal to betray his conscience leads to his ultimate downfall.
The Common Man's frequent appearances-while providing necessary breaks from the play's growing tension-reinforce the play's broader ideas. As the steward, the jailer and the executioner, the Common Man behaves as most men would. Without going above and beyond, the only actions he takes are those which will secure his own safety. The character consistently rejects any opportunity for nobler acts. As the steward, he wittily divulges information on his master for money. As the jailer, he neglects to give More any additional time with his family. As the executioner, he urges the audience to "stay out of trouble"-which is acted out in a visceral response when he feels his own neck to ensure its attachment.The mere ubiquitous nature of his character cleverly reinforces Bolt's idea that all men fail to take more virtuous action in the pursuit of self-preservation. However, through the actions of the Common Man as well as his protagonist, Bolt identifies a much broader responsibility - that following one's personal conscience is what preserves society on the whole.
