#7 - A Man For All Seasons

This post and the following two (Heart of Darkness and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) are being backdated considerably. I hemmed and hawed over whether or not these should be included on the list. I had included Duddy Kravitz from last year's English, so it seemed like I should. But I put it aside and let it coast, until I returned to the master list and realized that Heart of Darkness was on the list at number 42. This meant that if I were to ignore English books, I would have a dilemna. So the decision became to write the posts for all three of the English class books. I am still slogging through the Iliad, however the busiest time of the year (double play) and the rhyming-translated-19th-century-English-from-Latin-from-Greek is making it awfully hard.

Now, A Man For All Seasons, by Thomas Bolt. This play came along at the perfect time in my high school career. In History, we were discussing the Wars of the Roses, and Henry VIII. In Politics we were covering the basics of law created by Henry VIII, and in English we had AMFAS. Magically, all of my high school courses convened to teach me about the same time period at the same time, giving me a 360 degree perspective. It really was a neat effect. I only wish that we could have somehow had math pertain to the subject as well.

AMFAS was interesting in that it was a historical play. The characters were real, the situations were real. What was created was the image of Sir Thomas More as this hero of his own convictions, not kowtowing to the will of the land. It led to a caricaturing effect on all of the people, which lent itself to the play's heavy-handed messages. It thrived off of its simplicity. Land and water imagery was practically labelled and highlighted throughout, and each of the characters' intentions were cut and dried. It was a very "writable" work from an essay perspective, which was both nice and a little patronizing. You were smacked about the head with the thesis, instead of having it shown to you.

The story itself was thrilling. It was a case of the truth being stranger than fiction, as the royal intrigue of the Tudor dynasty reached dizzying heights, then came crashing down about More's ears. Cromwell played the quintessential villain, Roper played the world's first religious extremist, and Henry VII played a spoiled brat. The characters were almost commedia dell'arte in their simplicity, giving them a bold and pure edge. You knew who they were, and it allowed them to resonate all the better.

Writing an essay on this was child's play. If you chose to write on imagery, there need not be any memorization. Simply open the book to any page, and there will be a mention of it somewhere. Points must be given to Bolt for having the dedication to follow through on his extended metaphor for that long. If you chose instead to discuss character, I personally found that Roper was fantastic. His fanaticism and youthful exuberance for violence was remarkably familiar. It reminded me of stories of young teenagers being convinced of the powers of a cult or sect. He had that kind of glint in his eyes when you read his lines, and it was frightening to see.

Overall, this was a nice, simple book that still managed to carry strong opinions on topics such as conscience and personal conviction. I would love to see it on stage one day.

7/10