Premium Essay

Sir Thomas More Essay

Submitted By
Words 478
Pages 2
This is a 1960 movie played by Robert Bolt and it’s based on the life of Sir Thomas More. It’s noteworthy that an earlier form of the film had been written for BBC radio in the year 1954 and subsequently, a one hour version of the film was produced in 1957. These early versions of the film were starring Bernard Hepton. However, based on Robert Bolt’s success in earlier films, he finally took over this role from Bernard Hepton. The official version of the film was first performed in London during the opening of Globe theatre after which it found its way to other places such as Broadway. The film then had a successful run spanning over one year and its worth commending that it was commercially viable. Apart from making economic returns to the …show more content…
This was a Chancellor for England who is popular for having refused to endorse King Henry VIII’s wish to divorce his wife, Catherine of Oregon. The divorce is driven by the fact that the queen cannot bear him a son and a successful divorce would see the king marry another woman, Ann Boleyn who interestingly is the sister to his former mistress.
The film achieves the role of revealing the true character of Sir Thomas More. In the plot, he is revealed as a more principled man and therefore not corrupt. His good deeds make him fall in favor with the people. The chancellor is however not liked by everybody and he is of course being envied by Thomas Cromwell who is his arch rival. However, the people and his family have fallen in love with his character.
The title of the Play “A Man of All Seasons” therefore adequately describes the main character in this film as one who maintains a clear conscience in all prevailing circumstances and will make a sound choice which is not swayed by the pressure and influence of the wicked. The antagonistic nature of the sixteenth century is also revealed in both the script and the film and the film adequately reveal the real struggle which existed between the ideas of identity and conscience. The choice that is made by More not to be swayed and give in to the will of the king and his evil men is a true representation of conscience in the film.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Sir Thomas More Utopia Essay

...Published in 1516, Sir Thomas More’s Utopia drew attention to many of the issues contemporary European society faced at that time. While Utopia is considered a socio-political satire, there is little humor to be found in the problems of their day. Thomas More drew attention to the unfair socio-economic system, the egocentric kings and distrust in technology. Sadly, five hundred years later, the modern world still faces these same issues. Turn CNN on any time of the day and you will hear a multitude of examples. Currently, the United States faces an unfair socio-economic system that gives privilege and opportunity to wealthy citizens, while repressing minorities and the poor. The issues wealthy citizens face are represented fully and addressed...

Words: 511 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Wewa

...Prose Treatises Treatise on the astrolabe. Short Poems The Complaint of Chaucer to His Purse ,Truth, Gentilesse, Merciles Beaute, Lak of Stedfastnesse, Against Women Unconstant.  Geoffrey Chaucer   Thomas Malory's (1405-1471) :  Morte d'Arthur. work: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (by anonymous). 1500-1660: The English Renaissance 1500-1558: Tudor Period (Humanist Era)   The Humanists: Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) : Utopia, The History of King Richard the Third, The Life of Pico della Mirandola, The Four Last Things, A Dialogue Concerning Tyndale, The Confutation of Tyndale's Answer, A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation and Sadness of Christ . Sir Thomas More  John Skelton (1460-1529):  A ballade of the Scottysshe Kynge  John Skelton  Sir Thomas Wyatt(1503-1542):  My Lute Awake! Once, As Methought, Fortune Me Kissed They Flee From Me The restful place ! renewer of my smart It may be good, like it who list In faith I wot not what to say There Was Never Nothing More Me Pained Patience ! though I have not Though I Cannot Your Cruelty Constrain Blame Not My Lute My Pen ! Take Pain The heart and service to you proffer'd Is It Possible? And Wilt Thou Leave Me Thus? Since so ye please to hear me plain Forget Not Yet The Tried Intent What Should I Say! Sir Thomas Wyatt. The Renaissance Period consists of four subsets: 1. 1558-1603: The Elizabethan Age (High Renaissance):  William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Comedies: All's Well That Ends Well, As You Like...

Words: 1263 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

More Vs Montaigne

...worked. Sir Thomas More and Michel de Montaigne are prime examples of how they may seem to have totally different ideas on human nature and society, but they do indeed have some similarities. Although Sir Thomas More and Michel de Montaigne both believe human nature is should be civilized in a way that is close to simplicity; More argues in order to have a simpler life they must be governed through a utopian society, where Montaigne argues the barbaric lifestyle is superior. Thomas More is portrays his views through Utopia. According to Thomas...

Words: 1004 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

America War

...American Revolutionary War Helen Dunlap COM/150 29 January 2012 Lisa Pope The American Revolutionary War was an event that lasted from 1775 to 1783. This war has begun as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the former 13 United British colonies, but ended in a global war between several European palatable powers. For about a decade, tension had been mounting between Great Britain and the American Colonies. The British government had passed a series of laws in an attempt to take control over the colonies. Americans had become so used to having control over their own local government so they objected to the new laws and protested against being tax without their consent. This was the sudden and unfair taxation of the colonists that led to the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was the result of a series of social, political, and intellectual transformations in early American society and government, collectively referred to as the American Enlightenment. Americans rejected the oligarchies common in aristocratic Europe at the time, championing instead the development of republicanism based on the Enlightenment understanding of liberalism. Among the significant results of the revolution was the creation of a democratic elected representative government responsible to the will have of the people. However, sharp political debates erupted over the appropriate level of democracy desirable in the new government, with a number of Founders. Seventeen sixty-three...

Words: 1790 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Children of the Holocaust

...For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation). Essays of Michel de Montaigne Essays are generally short pieces of writing written from an author's personal point of view, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams. The concept of an "essay" has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic with a linked series of photographs;...

Words: 1245 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Benjamin Banneker's Letter

...Benjamin Banneker In the time of 1791, America was on the brink of war. Though the cause of this war was rooted on many incidents adding up and festering, they all revolved around one particular topic- slavery. Slavery is ingrained as a rather large portion of American history and eliminating it from practice was a battle all on its own. As a plea to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker wrote an emotionally charged letter as an attempt to sway him against this practice. In this letter, Banneker utilizes many important rhetorical devices that are crucial to his message. Through parallelism, repetition, and emotional appeal, Banneker effectively displays his beliefs towards the topic. Banneker begins his letter by discussing the “tyranny of...

Words: 431 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Essay Formats

...Essays are generally scholarly pieces of writing written from an author's personal point of view, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of an article, a pamphlet and a short story. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams. The concept of an "essay" has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic with a linked series of photographs; it may or may not have an accompanying text or captions. Contents...

Words: 1269 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

John Locke

...studentship was taken from him by royal mandate. Locke's mentor was Robert Boyle, the leader of the Oxford scientific group. Boyle's mechanical philosophy saw the world as reducible to matter in motion. Locke learned about atomism and took the terms "primary and secondary qualities" from Boyle. Both Boyle and Locke, along with Newton, were members of the English Royal Society. Locke became friends with Newton in 1688 after he had studied Newton's Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis. It was Locke's work with the Oxford scientists that gave him a critical perspective when reading Descartes. Locke admired Descartes as an alternative to the Aristotelianism dominant at Oxford. Descartes' "way of ideas" was a major influence on Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Locke studied medicine with Sydenham, one of the most notable English physicians of the 17th century. His skills in medicine led to an accidental encounter with Lord Ashley (later to become the Earl of Shaftesbury) in1666, which would mark a profound change in his career. Locke became a member of Shaftesbury's household and assisted him in business,...

Words: 1196 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Principle of Population

...The full title of the first edition of Malthus' essay was "An Essay on the Principle of Population, as it affects the Future Improvement of Society with remarks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and Other Writers." The speculations and other writers are explained below. William Godwin had published his utopian work Enquiry concerning Political Justice in 1793, with later editions in 1796 and 1798. Also, Of Avarice and Profusion (1797). Malthus' remarks on Godwin's work spans chapters 10 through 15 (inclusive) out of nineteen. Godwin responded with Of Population (1820). The Marquis de Condorcet had published his utopian vision of social progress and the perfectibility of man Esquisse d'un Tableau Historique des Progres de l'Espirit Humain (The Future Progress of the Human Mind) in 1794. Malthus' remarks on Condorcet's work spans chapters 8 and 9. Malthus' essay was in response to these utopian visions, as he argued: "This natural inequality of the two powers, of population, and of production of the earth, and that great law of our nature which must constantly keep their effects equal, form the great difficulty that appears to me insurmountable in the way to the perfectibility of society." The "Other writers" included Robert Wallace, Adam Smith, Richard Price, and David Hume. Malthus himself claimed: "The only authors from whose writings I had deduced the principle, which formed the main argument of the Essay, were Hume, Wallace, Adam Smith, and Dr. Price ...

Words: 1548 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Why Did Plutarch Write

...Roman Empire and served as a Chief Magistrate for his village Chaeronea. He also ran a school of philosophy and Greece. As well and his significance as an philosopher is trying to give plato’s work justice. We study Plutarch today is because of his works he made back then. His works heavily influenced he evolution of the essay. His writing was mostly attic and influenced the way he spoke, he also refrained from having a hiatus between his words. The way he wrote influenced many philosophers and he also influenced one great historical figure, Shakespeare. Since he influenced many philosophers and Shakespeare, he way we look at poems, the way we write essays, and literature over all has been changed....

Words: 569 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Future of Earth

...population increasing according to the video (there is more than one correct answer)? More than 2 people every second 2) What is (or could be) the greatest threat to the planet according to the video? Humans or ourselves 3) How many people were living on the planet at the time that Sir David Attenborough was born? Just under 2 billion people 4) What is the name of the group that Sir David Attenborough supports and what is its main focus? The Optimum Population Trust. Their main focus is to reduce birth rates 5) For how long has every human birth and death on the planet has been reliably recorded, and where are those data kept? For the last 60 years. It is kept in New York City at the United Nations 6) How many more people will the Earth need to accomodate in the next 40 years? 3 billion people 7) Which country will be have the largest population in the future? India 8) Name of at least two countries whose population will surely decrease in the future. Japan, Russia, Germany, and much of Eastern Europe 9) For most part of the last 10000 years earth's population did not increase much. When did it start to increase significantly? The 1800s 10) Why from that point on the human population started to increase? Because infectious diseases have been massively reduced 11) What's the name of the English clergyman who wrote an important essay on population growth toward the end of the 18th century? Thomas Malthus 12) How much water does an astronaut need...

Words: 733 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Themes in Sir Gareth

...Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur in the middle of the fifteenth century and it has now become a paradigmatic representation of Middle English Literature. In this essay I am going to look closely at a section of The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney; paying close attention to style, theme and lexis used as well as looking at how this passage fits into the society of the fifteenth century. The extract I am going to examine is situated close to the start of the narrative; hence it provides key introductions to characters. Unquestionably one of the main themes of this narrative is chivalry. Chivalry was a concept well known in the fifteenth century and it was seen as the absolute ideal way to conduct oneself by the upper class. Central concepts within chivalry are honour, generosity, loyalty, courage and physical prowess. I believe that Molory is attempting to use Le Morte d’Arthur to exemplify how to act chivalrously. The genre of Romance was often utilised in this period to provide a template of action and I believe the characters of Arthur and Gareth do so in this text. The times Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur were extremely turbulent for the English people. There was barely two years of peace between The Hundred Years’ War and The War of the Roses so the English throne was at an incredibly unstable point and people were uncertain who was going to rule. I believe this historical context had an effect on Malory’s...

Words: 1078 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Pad 510

...crimes by death and have conducted executions as a routine part of the administration of criminal law. The Age of Enlightenment was the first significant movement to abolish the death penalty. Britain was very influential in America’s use of the death penalty. The European settlers that came to the new world are the one’s that brought the practice of capital punishment, death penalty. The first execution was recorded in the Jamestown Colony of Virginia in 1608. The Divine, Moral, and Martial Laws were enacted in 1612 by the Governor of Virginia, Sir Thomas Dale. The death penalty was established for minor offenses such as killing chickens, stealing grapes, and trading with Indians. It was Cesare Beccaria’s 1767 essay, On Crimes and Punishment that caused policy makers to have a different view of the death penalty. Becarria theorized that there wasn’t any justification for the state’s to take the life of a human being. The essay led to Tuscany and Austria abolishing their policy of the death penalty as a punishment for the crimes that were committed. It also gave an authoritative voice and renewed...

Words: 1018 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

English Fiction

...nome della rosa, 1980). Recently we have seen a flowering of historical crime fiction as the subgenre attains maturity and becomes increasingly popular and innovative. Jason Goodwin, Philip Kerr and Susan Hill were all shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers Association Dagger this year (recent historical winners include Arianna Franklin, Jake Arnott and Craig Russell). Clearly the combination of thriller, crime and historical detail is compelling. Anne Perry’s new Inspector Pitt novel, Betrayal at Lisson Grove (out in paperback from Headline this year) is a pacy, twisting thriller. It is 1895 and Pitt is up against a conspiracy in the Lisson Grove offices of Special Branch (in best le Carré tradition investigating the enemy within is more hazardous than looking outwards). The novel outlines a huge conspiracy and ranges from St Malo to Dublin. While it is often too lightly written and some of the relationships are awkwardly handled, the novel is compelling and narratively satisfying. Perry’s series of Victorian...

Words: 5212 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

The Defence of Poesy

...The Defence of Poesy by Sir Philip Sidney, written c. 1580–82; published 1595 Member of a family that had risen to prominence under the Tudor monarchy, Sir Philip Sidney (1554–86) won admiration at an early age for his courtly skills and intellectual curiosity. His wide travel in continental Europe included diplomatic missions on behalf of Elizabeth I. He advocated support for the Protestant Netherlands in their military resistance to the rule of Catholic Spain. When an English force was sent to the Netherlands in 1585, Sidney was given command of a garrison, and died from wounds sustained in a military engagement. Sidney’s major writings probably belong to the period 1578–84, though none can be dated with certainty. Arcadia, a prose narrative interspersed with verse, combines chivalric romance, pastoral, comedy, and debate on ethics and politics. It survives in a complete earlier version and an unfinished expanded version. Astrophil and Stella, a cycle of 108 sonnets and 11 songs, is one of the first English adaptations of Petrarchan love poetry. By turns witty and tormented, it is a lightly disguised and no doubt fictionally embellished treatment of Sidney’s thwarted love for Penelope Devereux, sister of the Earl of Essex. The most likely date for the composition of the Defence is 1580–82. Like Sidney’s other writings, it circulated only in manuscript during his lifetime, and was published by two separate printers in 1595 under the titles Defence of Poesy and Apology for...

Words: 1045 - Pages: 5