Character Analysis: A Man For All Seasons

Register to read the introduction… Rich's lust for power and wealth in the end gets the best of him and any kind of guidance or advice given from More is ignored. It's interesting to note that More does care for Rich. In his interaction with Rich in the first scene, More teaches by testing Rich by offering him the goblet, letting Rich know that the goblet was a bribe and is therefore ‘dirtied'. More understands Rich's faults from the beginning of the play, but he tries to nurture Rich anyway. This is another excellent example of More's superior character. It's unfortunate that Rich eventually perjures himself to sentence More to death. A Man for All Seasons focuses on Rich's rise in status almost as much as it does the fall of More. More and his beliefs get him death, while Rich gains greater status and more and more wealth, at the cost of his friend More. Throughout the book you can see Rich fall deeper and deeper into his own loss of innocence. At the end of Act One, Rich and Cromwell are having a conversation. Cromwell offers Rich the job as Collector of Revenue in return he wants information about the goblet given to him by More. Rich ‘laments' that he has lost his innocence, "I'm Lamenting. I've lost my innocence (44)." …show more content…
Rich is asked to testify about his conversation with More before the trial on what More's stance was on what the King was doing. Rich says, "Parliament has made our King Head of the Church. Why will you not accept him?... Then he said parliament had no power to do it (94)." By perjuring against More he has pulled the final straw and officially hands himself over to greed and lust for power. More's standout character is shown once again when he says to Rich, "In good faith, Rich, I am sorrier for your perjury than my peril." In the end for perjuring against More Rich is given the job of attorney General of