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  • Essay / The Role of Virtue and Corruption in A Man for All Seasons

    A Man for All Seasons, written by Robert Bolt, is known for the illustration of opposing ideologies and subjective views of morality . In "A Man for All Seasons", integrity and corruption are overarching themes involved in the development of the play's characters. The conflict between these two ideas is illustrated when Bolt presents integrity in the form of Thomas More, a lawyer who seeks to preserve his "soul" while maintaining his unchanging opinion of the state regarding the affairs of the royal marriage. While More represents integrity, society, in the form of the other characters in the play, is More's flagship. The characters depicted as More's foil represent the corruption of society, being those who are opportunistic and expedient in their actions, thus fueling conflict with More's integrity in the process. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the beginning of the play, the conflict between integrity and corruption is introduced by More's interaction with Wolsey over the politics of marriage of King Henry VIII. . The conflict is presented as Wolsey discusses with More how they "might influence His Holiness's response." By using the euphemism "influence", a connotation of quiet corruption is created, underscoring the idea that even in high authority, Wolsey being the Lord Chancellor of England, corruption is present. This idea of ​​corruption exchanged with More, More refutes it by stating that "when a statesman abandons his own private conscience...he leads his country...into chaos", emphasizing the conflict between ideology, creating a climate of opposition between them, developing their characters. Through this interaction of ideological differences, the atmosphere of opposition between integrity and corruption is reinforced. The idea of ​​integrity and corruption is further developed in the scene where Richard Rich is forced to follow in More's footsteps and seeks employment with him. Asking for a job outside More's home in Chelsea More once again refuses his request and tells him to "become a teacher", so as not to be tempted to accept bribes. This interaction is key in that it illustrates how More, who has often faced high-value bribe offers from his clients, realizes that Richard Rich has the potential to be tempted by these offers. This is a key element because it brilliantly shows how widespread corruption is in More's society. Pressing on the idea of ​​corruption with bribes, More gives Rich a silver cup explaining how such an event often happens, after which More asks "are you going to sell it?" testing this point, further shutting down the interaction between them as Rich says "yes". This discussion of fighting corruption is countered by Rich's later statement in the play where he admits that "every man has his price", showing how corruption is endemic in their society. Using this conflict, Bolt continues to explore the ideas of integrity and corruption, particularly by what means people present themselves with integrity but are actually ruled by opportunism; corruption.By using ideological invariance as a technique in the play, Bolt manages to develop both integrity and corruption. This invariance is seen as the main cause of the conflict between Thomas More and King Henry VIII when they both speak at More's residence in Chelsea about the king's divorce and remarriage. This confrontation is demonstrated by the fact that More maintains his integrity and moves forward cautiously.".