Every June 22, the Church celebrates the figure of a man who preferred to lose his head rather than betray his conscience. As we approach the feast of Thomas More, We find ourselves with a character whose relevance transcends the centuries, becoming a reference of coherence both for the faithful and for those who see in him a bastion of individual freedom in the face of tyranny.
As Antonio R. Rubio Plo has pointed out in his analysis of the cultural representation of the saint, the figure of Thomas More has been immortalized on the stage and on the big screen, offering lessons that continue to vibrate strongly today.
A man for all seasons is not meant to evoke a saint, not least because Bolt did not consider himself a Christian. Bolt's Moor is a man marked by an energetic sense of individuality, of his own identity. For his way of understanding the world, he is willing to lose his life.
The play: A man for eternity
In September 1960, a play that had triumphed during the summer on the London stage was published. It was A man for all seasons, by Robert Bolt, which soon jumped to the American stage and was the most Oscared film in 1966. In Spain it was given the title of A Man for Eternity, of inaccurate meaning. It is an expression of Erasmus of Rotterdam, a friend of Thomas More, the protagonist of the play, whom the Dutch humanist described as "a man for eternity". "a man for all hours, someone who adapts himself to seriousness as well as to happiness, and whose company is always pleasant".
Author: Robert Bolt
(1924-1995), began his professional career in an insurance company, studied history in Manchester and taught at a school in Devon. He then abandoned teaching after the success of his radio scripts and plays, although his prestige is due to being the screenwriter of Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Ryan's Daughter, three films by David Lean. These stories have in common characters who are unable to come to terms with their reality and who defy the conditions of their existence, regardless of the price to be paid. They are willing to maintain, no matter who, their own individuality.
Later, Bolt's name was eclipsed, conditioned by the limitations of an illness and a stormy sentimental and family life. However, his last triumphant moment would be the screenplay of Roland Joffé's The Mission (1986).
Englishman Robert Bolt (1924-1995) taught at a school in Devon, but gave up teaching after the success of his screenplays, including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and The Mission.
Actors
Some say that the actor Paul Scofield was not the most suitable to play Moor. He is too serious for a good-humored Christian as the Lord Chancellor of England. Actually, the problem lies in Bolt's vision of More. He is right to take advantage of the Gospel passage about what good it is for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul (Mt 16:26), although Bolt may have wanted to substitute the soul for individuality, the specific way of being.
But if there is someone who is repulsive in the play, more so for Bolt than perhaps for More himself, it is Richard Rich, a young careerist who moves around the Lord Chancellor in the hope that he will grant him an office. Failing to achieve his purpose, he joins the entourage of Cromwell, who rewards him from the first moment, and even testifies against Moor in his trial before parliament.
I recommend to teachers, and non-teachers, the reading, or viewing, of the dialogue between Rich and More at the beginning of the play. Rich is offered a position as a schoolmaster, with a house of his own and an annual income of 50 pounds. But the young man, greedy for fame and honors, considers this offer from Moro insignificant, for it amounts to a life marked by mediocrity. No one will know that he is a great teacher, except his students and friends. It is more attractive to devote himself to politics, despite the risk of falling into temptation, something Moro wanted to avoid with his advice.
The life of Thomas More reached its breaking point when Henry VIII decided to break with Rome in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon. In this scenario, most of the courtiers and bishops of the time opted for pragmatism. Rubio Plo highlights how Bolt's work portrays figures such as Wolsey, Cranmer, Cromwell and Norfolk as opportunistic, lying and corrupt men whose only compass was to stay at the height of power.
In contrast, the Henry VIII of Bolt's fiction is presented as a young and chivalrous man who, despite his affection for More, cannot tolerate that it does not coincide with his royal will. Herein lies the core of the drama of Thomas MoreThe conflict between loyalty to the sovereign and loyalty to God as manifested in conscience. More did not seek martyrdom; in fact, he used all his legal knowledge to try to save his life without compromising his principles. However, when the law of man collided head-on with divine law, his choice was clear.
The Value of the Unseen: Advice to Richard Rich
One of the most revealing moments of the play, and one that Rubio Plo strongly recommends analyzing, is the initial dialogue between Thomas More and young Richard Rich. Rich represents worldly ambition, the burning desire for fame, positions and social recognition. Faced with this greed, Moro offers him an alternative that, to the eyes of the world, seems mediocre: a position as a schoolteacher.
Moro tells Rich that he could be a great teacher, and to the young man's complaint that "no one would know," Moro replies that he himself, his students and God would know. This invitation to a life of integrity in simplicity is perhaps the most potent message for our society today, obsessed with visible success. Rich's tragedy is that he rejects this "mediocrity" only to end up becoming the man who, for political office, testifies falsely against Moro, leading him to the gallows.
St. Josemaría entrusted to the English saint (February 7, 1478-July 6, 1535), the matter of relations with non-ecclesiastical authorities. The story is told in the book The intercessors of Opus Dei.
In accordance with the Church's continuing tradition of turning to the intercession of the saints, The faithful of Opus Dei and the members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross entrust themselves to some of them in a particular way. To St. Thomas More, in particular, relations with the civil authorities.
St. Thomas More was particularly suited to the role of intercessor of Opus Dei, both because of his professional prestige and his status as a statesman, and because he was a married man and a man of state. family man. He was to be the only non-celibate layman to be named a saintly intercessor: the number of canonized canonizers with such characteristics was then, and is now, quite small. Although St. Josemaría had seen the presence of married faithful in Opus Dei from the beginning, he was not able to obtain approval to formally admit the first three supernumerary members until 1948. It is likely that this fact influenced to some extent the choice of St. Thomas More as intercessor just a few years later.
Antonio R. Rubio Plo
Degree in History and Law
International writer and analyst
@blogculturayfe / @arubioplo
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