A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons is a brilliant dramatization of the conflict of wills between King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More. However, it is first and foremost the compelling portrait of a courageous man who died for his convictions.
Sir Thomas More — the brilliant nobleman, lawyer, humanist, and author of such works as Utopia — was a long-time friend and favorite of Henry VIII. More ascended to the position of Lord Chancellor in 1529. Yet he was also a staunch Catholic.
When Henry broke with the Church in 1531, after the Pope had refused to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, More resigned the Chancellorship.
In 1534, Parliament passed a bill requiring all subjects to take an oath acknowledging the supremacy of England’s king over all foreign sovereigns — including the Pope. More refused, was imprisoned, and finally was executed in 1535. Nonetheless, his legacy lives on as a man who stood firm — no matter the season.
- About the author: Robert Oxton Bolt was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter. He remains known for writing the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Man for All Seasons. The latter two won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
