Philip Argauer

1010588.01

A Man for All Seasons

Interpretive Essay
A Man for All Seasons is a timeless account of the Lord Chancellor of England in the

Early 1500s, Saint Thomas More, who stands up for what he believes, even to the points of

losing everything, including his life. Written by Robert Bolt, the story takes place in England

and follows Thomas as he makes the tough decision to follow his conscience and lose everything

he had gained as Chancellor. The play itself is narrated by the “Common Man,” through an

array of asides. This figure is placed in the play to represent the entire population; every age,

creed, and color. During the play, the Common Man takes many different roles, first as a

Steward, then a Boatman, and finally a Jailor. In each of these characters, different qualities are

expressed, each of which is the playwright’s way of expressing what he thinks about the normal

person. In the play, the Common Man is portrayed with self-centeredness and greed in his roles

as the boatman, steward, and jailor, which shows Bolt’s true feelings concerning ordinary

people.

To begin, the self-centeredness of the Common Man was a prominent characteristic in

each of his roles as the boatman, steward, as well as the jailor. The boatman, while taking

Thomas back to his house, went on a monologue about his sad state of economic affairs. He

barraged Thomas with the woes of his financial state saying, “Some people think boats stay

afloat on their own, sir, but they don’t; they cost money” (28). The Common Man also showed

self-interest in his role as the Steward. When being interrogated about Thomas More, he gave up

all information concerning Thomas’ personal life which he knew and held back nothing. In
return for his cooperation, he was paid very handsomely. When the Steward examined how

much money he had made off the information he declared, “And that's more than I earn in a

fortnight!” Finally, the jailor, as portrayed by the Common Man, was also very self-centered.

When Thomas’ family came to visit him while he was in jail, they were only allowed a certain

amount of time to visit. As they were talking, the Jailor declared that their time had ended and

they must leave instantly. Instead of letting them say goodbye, he roughly forced them out. He

claimed that his motive was not wanting misfortune to befall him because he was just a “plain,

simple man and just want[ed] to keep out of trouble” (147). The Common Man very clearly

showed selfishness throughout the play in each of his roles.

As the Common Man was playing his different roles, each incorporated a certain degree

of greed. The Boatman was the first example of this. When Thomas was looking for a boat to

take him home, the Boatman first declared that he too was heading home and could not take

Thomas to his destination. So, Thomas asked the Boatman to show him to another boat.

Reconsidering, the Boatman agreed to take Thomas. While his actions seem very Christian-like

and charitable, his true motive sprung from his avarice. He believed that Thomas would pay him

extra for going out of his way and audibly commented that he believed that Thomas would

“make it worth my while…” (25). Furthermore, as the Steward, he showed the pronounced trait

of greed. He opened the play as Thomas More’s steward and served him throughout most of the

play. However, when Thomas resigned from his position as Lord Chancellor, the Steward was

forced to either take a pay cut or find another employer. The Steward, being inwardly inclined,

decided on the latter, and began working for another employer even though Thomas had treated

The Steward well. While interacting with other characters, the Common Man displayed avarice

in each of his roles during the play.

 Robert Bolt, the author of A Man for All Season, introduced the Common Man as a

character who resembled the ordinary characters as Bolt saw them. From this lens, the Common

Man became a very condemning statement that Bolt was making about the collective of people.

In each of the characters which the Common Man played, there were many undesirable traits

which have been granted to them by the playwright. Two of the main traits which were

previously discussed, egocentrism, and greed, are considered both derogatory and deleterious to

one’s personality. These two traits were specifically prominent in each of the roles. If examined

carefully, one can decipher how Bolt truly felt about the ordinary person. Clearly, he did not

think of them highly, nor did he have high respect for them. He believed, as demonstrated by the

Common Man, that every person from every walk of life and of every age contained, to some

degree, a desire to please only themselves and a greedy nature. In moral contrast, Thomas More

was the straight arrow who followed his conscience regardless of what happened to him. On the

other side of the spectrum, the Common Man bent over backward to simply avoid getting into

trouble; and he certainly held no moral high ground. In the end, Robert Bolt painted common

people in a very bad light and gave them next to no moral sense which exemplifies just how

highly Bolt thinks of the average human.

Through the play, the Common Man represented what Bolt felt was an accurate

representation of commonplace people. When playing the character of the Common Man, he

maintained a constant attitude which lacked a moral standard. In each of his roles, he brought to

light the selfishness which inhabited many people as a familiar root sin. The Common Man

capitalized on people’s desires to talk about themselves and their misfortunes as well as those

who make decisions based solely on whether they would benefit from the decision without a

consideration for others. Also, Bolt highlighted the greed which many people carry within
themselves as they move about in their daily lives. This in turn influenced each of their actions.

Within the play, he juxtaposed the asinine actions performed by the Common Man against the

saintly actions of St. Thomas More. He did this purposely to scrutinize the failing nature of the

Common Man, which became more evident when contrasted with the righteousness of St.

Thomas. The Common Man’s desire for more money ultimately associated him with those who

lack a firm moral character. Furthermore, Bolt shows his disdain for the ordinary person and the

lack of ethical righteousness which many seem to possess. Thus, the Common Man had many

character flaws, specifically, those of self-centeredness and greed and Robert Bolt displayed his

dislike for each of these characteristics by embedding them in the common man.