Lessons, Week 6, 24 28 February 2014

English 1302 Lessons Spring 2014 Week 6, 24-28 February 2014 Drama: A Man for all Seasons You are not required to believe in any point of view promulgated by Thomas More, Henry VIII, the delightfully wicked Cardinal Wolsey, Robert Bolt, Mr. Bolt’s play, Fred Zinneman’s 1966 film version, Charlton Heston’s 1988 film version, or me, and you will note that the test questions and essay prompts are brilliantly neutral. We’ll watch the movie. I also have the play as printed for you to access at your convenience; there is only one copy, so share. You will be relieved to know that I also have for you a big ol’ packet of materials for you to work through, including a test and an essay! The fun never ends! But for now, though, let’s defer that and begin observing the flickering images on an Orwellian telescreen. A quote from SparkNotes (SparkNotes is not entirely reliable; the editor later makes an allusion to predestination, in which neither Thomas More nor Robert Bolt believed or ever indicated they believed). Note the symbolism of the sea, as per “The Seafarer”: And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you—where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat?...This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast—man’s laws, not God’s—and if you cut them down—and you’re just the man to do it—d’you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? - I.vii After Roper accuses More of respecting man’s law over God’s, More delivers this defense of his actions. Though More believes in the afterlife, he also recognizes that he has no right and no means to make judgments that are better left to God. More respects man’s law as the best available means of protecting against evil, even if it lets people like Rich off the hook from time to time. Bolt explains in his preface that he uses seafaring and water metaphors to signify the uncertainty of the great beyond, the moral universe that Roper aims to navigate. In this passage, More’s vision of a stable, lawful earthly existence is signified by images of the forest, and a lawless earth is signified by images of a barren wasteland. M. Hall, HSG English 1302 Drama A Man for all Seasons Resources Remember that encyclopedia and dictionary references are never cited in a scholarly paper. Neither are SparkNotes, Cliff’s Notes, or (ich) Schmoop. Employ serious sources only in your writing. You needn’t look up all this, or, indeed, any of it, but all the entries are brief and could prove useful to your understanding of the play. http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/manforallseasons http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/amanforallseasons/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095578/ (Fun fact – this is the 1988 Charlton Heston version. All the music in this film was composed by King Henry VIII.) http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/printable/59804 (This is a brief biography of Robert Bolt, who was raised a Methodist, became a Communist, and then apparently lost all faith. Possibly this is why he was fascinated by Thomas More.) Both film versions should be available for free on the Orwellian telescreen.