A Man For All Seasons
The definition of humanism is "A philosophy centered on the values, interests andpotential of human beings" (Webster's Dictionary 1984, p. 340). In the play, A Man for allSeasons by Robert Bolt, Thomas More is a humanist as he knows his own values, interestsand potential, and observes those of other people. Thomas More was a man who held ontohis values no matter what. Thomas More believed in what the church said greatly. Theking had a dispensation so that he would be able to marry Catherine. When the kingwanted a divorce without a true reason, Thomas More wouldn't throw his beliefs away andrefused to say that he agreed with the divorce. When Thomas More refused to swear to theact he was put in prison. He was charged with high treason and was beheaded. Thomas More saw that the people in his country held no value on being true totheir religion, but he did. "Hear me out. You and your class have 'given in'-as you rightlycall it-because the religion of this country means nothing to you one way or the other." (p.122). Thomas More knew that the people had given up something they once had claimed
If aperson makes an oath that is not what he really believes, they will begin to lose themself inthe lies and will no longer be able to see what they really hold as a true value. And if he opens his fingers then-he needn't hope to findhimself again. He observed other people doing so and knew that they were nolonger their genuine self. "When a man takes an oath, he's holding his own self inhis own hands. Thomas More couldn't tell ifanother person was going to end up in heaven or hell because he couldn't know exactlywhat their conscience said verses what the person did with what their conscience toldthem. They didn't have a high enough value on it to stand up for it. Thomas More believed that an oath was something that needed to be takenseriously, as it was directed to God and a person's self. Thomas More believed deeply in his values and could not do anything that wouldresult in changing them. Thomas More believed that doing a specific thing can't determine whether a personwill be condemned to hell, it is whether they did according to their own conscience thatwould determine where their soul would go for eternity. The values that Thomas More had he held onto dearly andhe wouldn't change them for convenience. "I will not give in because I oppose it-I do-not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other ofmy appetites but I do-I!" (p.
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