A Man for All Seasons

Rating:
Summary: I thought it was an excellent book. I really enjoyed it.
Review: A man for all seasons is about a man who refuses to sacrifice his beleifs. The book is about Thomas More, who wouldn't make a stand on King Henry VIII's divorce to Catherine. When asked about More's opinion, he kept silent. He got pressured from many people, friends, families and political foes. But he did not want to reveal his opinion that he could not recognize the king's divorce as legal. The king wants to pass the Act of Supremasy, that states that the king will be the supreame head of the church, instead of the pope. Thomas More will not sign this act, wich landed him in a lot of trouble. It's a great book, i highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Classic
Review: A Man For All Seasons

This review is dedicated to prisoners of conscience and those who swim against the tide by putting their own consciences first

This play revolves around Sir Thomas More who out of his own religious and political conviction refuses to endorse the divorce of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon .As a result he is condemned to die but refuses to renege right up to his execution
It is a universal work which embodies the principals of freedom and conscience; the self-assurance to do what one knows to be right regardless of swimming against the . tide. In the age of political correctness it is as important to stand firm on ones own convictions and sense of right and wrong no matter what the consequences
More refuses to bow down to the maxim that 'every man has his price' and is an early political dissident -the forerunner of so many true prisoners of conscience throughout .More can be seen as the Danton , the Pastor Niemoller , the Lech Walesa the Vaclav Havel or one of the countless persecuted dissidents in dictatorships existing today such as Zimbabwe , Cuba , Libya and Red China

It is a far better analogy as far as I ma concerned than Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'

But it is far more than just a political work -it is full of human emotion and explores human themes
It is wonderful to see how More' s wife and daughter stand by him to the end

And the biting humor of the narrator presented as The Common Man adds a special quality to the play much like Shakespeare's Fallcroft

A Man For All Seasons is definitely a literary masterpiece

Rating:
Summary: THIS PLAY IS IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS SHAKESPEARE
Review: A short book. And well worth the effort to read.

Tells the story of Thomas More, who loved King Henry, but who loved God most. Henry wanted More to sanction his marriage to Anne Bolelyn. More could not do it in good conscience because he knew it violated God's Law. More was willing to risk his life to keep his conscience clean.

This play disproves the old saying that "every man has his price." Fortunately, some people, like More, have been willing to lift us to higher standard of behavior by standing on prnciple.

I love books which demonstrate solid moral values and which are based on real history. Robert Bolt did a truly classic job with this play.

--George Stancliffe

Rating:
Summary: THIS PLAY IS IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS SHAKESPEARE
Review: A short book. And well worth the effort to read.

Tells the story of Thomas More, who loved King Henry, but who loved God most. Henry wanted More to sanction his marriage to Anne Bolelyn. More could not do it in good conscience because he knew it violated God's Law. More was willing to risk his life to keep his conscience clean.

This play disproves the old saying that "every man has his price." Fortunately, some people, like More, have been willing to lift us to higher standard of behavior by standing on prnciple.

I love books which demonstrate solid moral values and which are based on real history. Robert Bolt did a truly classic job with this play.

--George Stancliffe

Rating:
Summary: A Sham for all seasons
Review: After reading the book, i came to the conclusion that it was good. The end kinda stunk, and i felt that it was well written. I found new respect for thomas more, and an interest about this time and subject in the renissance.

Rating:
Summary: read it for sophomore history class
Review: i am a sophomore and my history class read this book. i was a little reluctant to open it, as i am with all assigned literature. when i begain reading, i figured i was in for some really boring play that my frivolous history teacher had some sort of affection for. however as i read on past the introductory mumbo jumbo, the play suddenly became engrossing. i just lost myself in it and before i knew it i was really enjoying it. it was very easy to understand, and with an open mind i believe anyone can enjoy this play. its not written in old shakespearean english, either, so you dont have to play guessing games with some of the words. all in all, this book is a winner and should, while not entirely historically accurate, be entertaining and impressive. however, i would not recommend it to a cynical reader who trashes a book if its cover isnt interesting.

Rating:
Summary: PEPE
Review: I am an 11th grader and i found it pretty easy to understand. The facts were brought up well organized and although i had to read the book for a research paper, it wasnt bad at all since i understood what i was reading before i read it. I recomend that people should read this book and understand why Sir Thomas More was a Martyr.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Literary Experience
Review: I am currently reading A Man For All Seasons as a school project, and I am enjoying it more than any other book that I have read in school. This play is an incredible work of art that thoroughly and accurately depicts the personality and moral values of Saint Thomas More, the man who was "the King's good servant, but God's first". Sir Thomas More became King Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor under one condition: that he be left out of "The King's Great Matter", which, if you didn't know, was the King's conflict with the Pope over his desired anullment from Catherine of Aragon. However, Henry is not satisfied with this, and he is determined to have a blessing of his marriage to Anne Boleyn from Sir Thomas. More, however, is a devout Catholic, and he believes that Henry's anullment from Catherine was not valid, and his morals will not allow him to bless the King's marriage. In hopes of forcing More to agree with him, the King administers an Oath claiming that he is the supreme head of the Church in England, and that Anne Boleyn's children would be the heirs to the throne. Sir Thomas refuses to sign the Oath, and, after spending almost 2 years in the Tower of London, is beheaded. A Man For All Seasons is a great play, for it really shows the reader the kind of man that Sir Thomas was. The other characters are also well written (particularly Sir Thomas's daughter, Margaret). If you are a drama fan, history buff, or someone who likes to read books with great moral substance, A Man For All Seasons is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: I hated this book!
Review: I hated this book, I had to read it this year for english class and I'm a Junior in high school. It may be good because it has history but this is certainly never something I would pick up to read for entertainment. It was boring and hard to understand, I don't recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: "Yes, a man's soul is his self!"--Thomas More
Review: I picked up the play after teaching at a school named after St. Thomas More. Although I'm not positive that I received a historically accurate picture of who the man was, I don't care. I will add the character of Thomas More to my list of heros and role models taken from fiction (along with Atticus Finch).

I see many high school students have written reviews against the piece, but I think they are the age group that most needs to hear it's message: follow your conscience. In the end, it wasn't the King or even the Pope that More was most loyal to, but his own sense of right and wrong. To quote another famous, English play: "To thine own self be true."

Besides which, More chose to resist in the least conflicting way. He didn't lash out and condemn everyone for going along with the king. He silently refused to comply. Granted, he was trying not to get his head cut off, but still, his example of righteous living rather than righteous blabbing is something we all need in our quest for tolerance and peace.