A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolton Magnificent, stupendous- 10 out of 10

 A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolton

Magnificent, stupendous- 10 out of 10

The film may be better known than the play and I however had the chance to enjoy the excellent screen version first.

The movie had the script written by Robert Bolt and went on to win no less than six Academy Awards and had Orson Wells in the cast.

This morning I have finished the play on which the acclaimed film was based and what a marvelous work it is!!

It can serve as a lesson for anybody interested in learning about meaning, rectitude, bravery, power of conviction and much more.

The hero is a very complex and strong man, determined to stand up for his beliefs, even if that means antagonizing the king.

Thomas More is not really a rebel, on the contrary he respects the authority of the king and that makes the play even more thrilling.

If he would be a nut case or a chevalier bent on fighting and dueling emphatically, refusing to accept the new order for the fun of it, it would have been a comedy or perhaps a tragedy with limited impact.

But Thomas More, even when accused is very careful to state that he accepts the new order of things and even the future queen.

The trouble is started by the infamous king Henry VIII, after his first wife fails to deliver a heir and he wants to change the established rules.

It is true that not having a male descendant was a problem of national security in those days and any ruler would have been annoyed with the situation.

But Henry went too far, one might say- when he decided that he would have a new wife no matter what the rest of the world says.

This meant a conflict with the Catholic Church that disapproves to this day of divorce and banned it outright in the past.

In fact I think it is disallowed even today without a proper dispensation, based on reasonable and well grounded motives.

In the conflict with the Catholic Church, Thomas More sides with the pope, in the belief that the latter does represent God on Earth.

Since Thomas More is a very faithful man, he sees the options before him as clear cut, although he would not upset the king, if he could.

-          Even if the monarch deserves obeisance and loyalty, there is a higher authority that commands even greater respect

So when asked to disavow his faith and recognize a new church, which would become The Church of England or The Anglican Church, More refuses.

This makes me have some qualms here, even if I am aware of the Magnificence of this Man for All Seasons.

Yes, it is wonderful and awesome to have such strong, unflinching beliefs that would not change even in front of Death.

But on the other hand, a little flexibility could have saved not just his own person, but spared his family immense suffering.

The strange coincidence is that while I write these notes, there is an episode from The History of Christianity on The History Channel- where else?- and that makes me think of a possible vanity of the great man.

The episode on TV refers to Protestantism and the many shades and confessions it gave birth to all over the world.

We can imagine what comedians would make out of this stand for the Old Church as opposed to choosing a new denomination.

But putting this issue aside, we need to get back to admiring a wonderful hero who would not lose his religion even when faced with execution.

I am not sure if I should assume that a potential reader would not about this centuries old history and not think in terms of spoiler alerts.

Because the stupendous play ends with a dramatic, horrifying bang…the significance of which the audience knows all too well.

I had the great chance to listen to a BBC production with fantastic interpretations from the likes of Brian Cox and Martin Freeman.