Moral Corruption in a Man for All Seasons

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Moral corruption in A Man for All Seasons There are many issues that people have to deal with in a society. The play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt illustrates throughout the text the moral corruption within society and how those in the high social classes can manipulate lower social classes to meet their needs. Robert Bolt illustrates the theme of corruption through the lens of Marxist theory. Robert Bolt provides a summary of the historical context of his play and defends his reasons for choosing Sir Thomas More as the protagonist. The plot of this play follows historical events in the sixteenth century. The sixteenth century is an era of political disorder, the downfall of religious beliefs, and the clash between the social classes, which led to various conflicts and corruption. One of the biggest political issues dealt with in the play, A Man for All Seasons, is that King Henry VIII is in need of a male heir to the throne. The setting of this play is in England during the reign of Henry VIII. Bolt portrays King Henry VIII as a person with power and strength that has the ability to do anything to meet his personal needs. King Henry VIII is also impatient and reckless; for example, he makes an unexpected visit to More’s place to try and convince More to accept his point of view on the Acts of Succession and Supremacy. The Act of Succession is a law that King Henry VIII wants to pass to allow him to declare an official divorce to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and to remarry his recurrent love, Anne Boleyn. He wants to divorce Catherine of Aragon because she is unable to produce children. “ No, Catherine's his wife and she's barren as a brick; are you going to pray for a miracle?” (Bolt 12). The Act of Supremacy declares that King Henry VIII would be the only supreme head on earth of the Church in England and that the English crown shall enjoy
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