ConscienceWebster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines conscience as “thesense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s ownconduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to doright or good. ” In A Man for All Seasons, each character’s conscience plays theultimate role in the outcome of the story. “Individual conscience” is traitthat each character possesses.
This trait differs in intensity throughout theplay in each of the main characters. Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII showtheir unchangeable conscience, by their actions. More refuses to accept theKing’s divorce of Catherine, and marriage to Anne. The King appoints More toLord Chancellor, hoping to persuade Sir Thomas to accept his marriage. KingHenry wants everyone to accept his divorce. He believes he is right for goingagainst Pope’s ruling, and he wants all his royal subjects, and men ofpopularity to accept his decision.
This is the King’s “individual conscience”talking . He fears that without the acceptance from Thomas, Lord Chancellor,that he has made God angry, and he will pay for his unsupported decision. Sir Thomas More was the only character that believed and stuck with hisconscience, by doing so, it cost him his life. Sir Thomas was a very prominentmember of the King’s council, he was the only member whom did not take bribes tosway his decision. Sir Thomas had always trusted in his conscience. Hebelieved that the right way, and God’s way lies in the conscience.
Sir Thomaswas separated between church and state, and he stuck with his decision. TheKing liked More, he liked him so much, that he promoted Sir Thomas to LordChancellor. This decision was also to help sway More into accepting hismarriage to Anne. However, when the King comes to More asking for his blessing,More refuses, and resigns as Chancellor. The King becomes furious and stormsoff.
More now has the hardest decisions to make. He has to choose betweensaying he accepts the King’s marriage, or sticking with his conscience andpaying the ultimate cost, the cost of loosing his family and his life. Alice More, Sir Thomas’ wife has a conscience much weaker than that ofhe husband’s. She is willing to accept the King’s marriage to Anne, for thismarriage means nothing to her or her family, nor does this affect her life inany major way.
This is why she is so demanding of Thomas to go against hisconscience, and save himself, and the well being of the family. Thomas’stubborn actions caused Alice to become angry and frustrated with him. She didnot understand how Thomas could allow himself to be persecuted and executed fornot accepting the King’s marriage. Thomas’s daughter Margaret wasn’t a strong as her father with herconscience.
She could say something without meaning it in the heart. Margaretwas all forgiving, when Sir Thomas resigned as Chancellor, no one would removethe chain from his neck. She removed it for him, even though she thought heshould just accept the King’s marriage. She believed it was more important forThomas to be there for his family than the church.
In a last effort to convinceher father to take the oath, Margaret said to Thomas “God more regards thethoughts of the heart than the words of the mouth. “The play shows a wide variety of individual consciences, Sir ThomasMore and the King have the strongest ones. Margaret and Alice More were moreeasily disposed, they could go against their morals, and say something. Justbecause they say something does not mean that they mean it. This is the messagethey were trying to pass along to Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas’ decision to stickwith his morals, cost him his life, his family, but not his pride. Philosophy
