“Robert Bolt’s
classic play A Man for All Seasons is
the story of Sir Thomas More. He had distinguished himself as a scholar,
lawyer, ambassador, and, finally, as Lord Chancellor of England. He was a man
of absolute integrity. The play opens with these words of Sir Richard Rich:
“Every man has his price! . . . IN money too. . . . Or pleasure. Titles, women,
bricks-and-mortar, there’s always something.”
“That is the theme of the pay. It is also the theme of life.
Is there a man or woman in this world who cannot be bought, whose integrity is
beyond price?
“As the play unfolds, Kind Henry VIII desires to divorce
Queen Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn. But there is a catch: divorce is
forbidden by the Catholic Church. And so King Henry VIII, not to be thwarted in
his desires, demands of his subjects the taking of an oath that will support
him in his divorce. But there is a further problem.
“Sir Thomas More, who is loved and admired by the common
people, is a holdout—his conscience will not let him sign the oath. He is
unwilling to submit, even at the King’s personal request. Then come the tests.
His friends apply their personal charm and pressure, but he will not yield. He
is stripped of his wealth, his position, and his family, but he will not sign. Finally,
he is falsely tried for his life, but still he will not succumb.
“They have taken from him his money, his political power,
his friends, and his family—and will yet take his life—but they cannot take
from him his integrity. It is not for sale at any price.
“At the climax of the play, Sir Thomas More is falsely tried
for treason. Sir Richard Rich commits the perjury necessary to convict him. As
Sir Richard exits the courtroom, Sur Thomas More asks him, “That’s a chain of
office you are wearing. . . . What [is it]?”
“Prosecutor Thomas Cromwell replies, “Sir Richard is
appointed Attorney-General for Wales.”
“More then looks into Rich’s face with great disdain and
retorts, “For Wales? Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul
for the whole world. . . . But for Wales!”
“In the life to come, no doubt many will look back amidst
uncontrollable sobs and repeat again and again, “Why did I trade my soul for
Wales or temporary physical pleasure or fame or a grade or the approval of my
friends? Why did I sell my integrity for a price?”
Tad R. Callister, “Integrity: Foundation of A Christlike
Life,” Ensign, Feb 2013, 50-52.
