Product Description

A Man for All Seasons dramatises the conflict between King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More. It depicts the confrontation between church and state, theology and politics, absolute power and individual freedom. Throughout the play Sir Thomas More's eloquence and endurance, his purity, saintliness and tenacity in the face of ever-growing threats to his beliefs and family, earn him status as one of modern drama's greatest tragic heroes. The play was first staged in 1960 at the Globe Theatre in London and was voted New York's Best Foreign Play in 1962. In 1966 it was made into an Academy Award-winning film by Fred Zinneman starring Paul Scofield."A Man for All Seasons is a stark play, sparse in its narrative, sinewy in its writing, which confirms Mr Bolt as a genuine and solid playwright, a force in our awakening theatre." (Daily Mail)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78036 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 104 pages

Customer Reviews

Histroy at its best
The thought of a play concerned with an historical event might put you off seeing it. But in 'A Man for all Seasons', Robert Bolt has successfully created a play which deals with the historical events of Sir Thomas More's trial and execution in 1535, and at the same time made it entertaining, accessible and thought provoking. You don't need to know any of the history surrounding the play because, as a text, the plays gives you what you need to know. And the philosophical ideas which More/Bolt plays with are still relevant today - just as they were in 1535, and just as they were in 1960 when the play was written. If you get the opportunity to see a production of 'A Man for all Seasons', or the film, you really should take it up. And if you want a copy of a play which you'll refer back to time and again, then Bolt's is one you'd be well advised to invest in.

A Man for All Seasons
An fully accomplished script, with subtlety and a keen vocabulary. Interesting to convulge Mores weaving mind manacles as he escapes the law - only through his own knowledge. A hard book to truely understand but makes interesting reading.

A play for those who are fascinated by history
I have actually been using this play as a source for my A level coursework on Thomas More. This play was easy to read and get into, and really gave you a feel for what More was actually like. I also watched the film version of the play, which also helped with the understanding of everything. The only thing I'd have to say is I don't know whether people would fully understand all parts of the play if they had not previously done some study on the time of Henry VIII as the play seems to assume knowledge. But if you are interested in this period of history, then pick up this play.