Man For All Seasons Symbolism

In the play, “A Man for All Seasons,” Robert Bolt uses contrasting characters in order to illustrate the rise of a corrupt conscience. Sir Thomas More, the protagonist of the play, is “known to be honest” (55). Despite being perceived as steadfast, More is secluded due to his unwillingness to conform to the greedy mindset of the “successful”. On the other hand, Bolt introduces Richard Rich and the Common Man to the audience. Rich, as indicated by his name, is willing to adjust his morals if it furthers his social advancement. Similarly, the Common Man portrays multiple characters that can be seen as a clear representation of society, and its deceptive form of conscience. Besides the use of characters, Bolt makes use of several symbols to reinforce …show more content…
Land represents the law-abiding nature More follows while water is used to symbolize the fluidity of moral values adopted by the rest of the characters in the play. Whilst explaining to Roper the importance of the law, More compares it to a forest by stating “thick with laws from coast to coast-Man’s laws, not God’s-and if you cut them…d’you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?” (66). More stressed to Roper that his idealistic viewpoint is inconsistent just like the waters of the sea. More believed in “groundedness” and staying true to one’s morals. However, this is not the case for the other characters, as all of them were willing to follow the blindly follow the king regardless of whether they agreed with him or not. Another symbol utilized throughout the story is the Common Man. The Common Man played many characters, and was the most relatable to the audience. One of the many characters he played was the jailer. As the jailer, he was responsible for keeping a lookout on More during his imprisonment. As More was admitted into the jail, the jailer told him that it was “better [to be] a live rat than a dead lion” (127). This is a reference to the biblical quote “better a live dog than a dead lion”(Ecclesiastes 9:4). The jailer's usage of the inaccurate quote demonstrates the byproduct of a misinformed …show more content…
As demonstrated by symbols like land and water, many people live idealistic lives with the primary goal of reaching the ultimate class. They follow a broken moral compass that has been altered to only point towards monetary gain. Because society has become increasingly dependent on these compasses, members have lost any trace of individuality that once existed. As demonstrated by the jailer, citizens are blinding themselves to the truth because they would much rather live a life of blissful ignorance then face reality and its challenges. Rich displayed that adopting a fickle-minded attitude will help people reach their full social potential, but it comes at the cost of losing oneself. Despite all these societal pressures, one person did not fall, and that was Sir Thomas More. More showed the reader that humans are made up of their conscience, and by giving up on their conciseness, they are giving up their selves. It can be concluded that Bolt utilized different characters and symbols to highlight the corrupt nature of modern-day