DOCSLIB.ORG

John Colet and Sir Thomas More - Part One Transcript

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
John Colet and Sir Thomas More - Part One Transcript John Colet and Sir Thomas More - Part One Transcript Date: Tuesday, 9 June 2009 - 1:00PM Location: Barnard's Inn Hall Dean John Colet & Sir Thomas More Professor Tim Connell We are commemorating John Colet and Sir Thomas More this year because of their links with the Mercers' Company, which both of them joined in 1509. They were first-class City men: Colet was the son of Sir Henry Colet, who was twice Lord Mayor of London and, of course, he became Dean of St Paul's. More was the son of a judge, a student at Lincoln's Inn, and undersheriff from 1510 to 1518. He also lodged for four years with the Carthusians in the Charterhouse near the Barbican. But if Sir Thomas was a man for all seasons, then Colet was one of the greatest men of his age. The two were close friends (Colet was actually More's confessor) and they made a massive contribution to the times in which they lived, a contribution indeed which has survived to this day. More, of course, could add diplomacy, government service and the world of letters to his many attributes, not to mention his time as Speaker of the House of Commons, a highly respected position (in those days at least). Colet studied at Oxford, as did More, who was high steward for both ancient universities, so it is not surprising that he should hold strong views on education, as of course did Colet, whose great achievement of founding St Paul's School we are also recognising today. And More was a great proponent of a sound education, for girls as well as boys. His daughter, usually known by her married name of Margaret Roper, became not only a highly qualified scholar in Latin and Greek as well as theology, but she was also one of the first women in England to appear in print. She was also, may I add, a translator of great skill, who should perhaps be better known in her own right, and not just as someone who was determined to keep the memory of her father alive, and who indeed dealt with the critical final years of More's life with dignity, tact and courage. More and Colet would have been great men in any period of history, so it is hardly surprising that they met and became friends with the other great spirits of the age. Of these, Erasmus must stand out most clearly, as his thinking on matters of theology was perhaps more advanced (and even far-reaching) than that of either the young scholar whom he met at Oxford (Colet) or the young lawyer (More) whom he met a couple of years later in London. He was introduced by his old tutors William Grocyn and Thomas Linacre, educationalists and thinkers who also merit greater recognition and esteem than I think is normally accorded to them. Also important was William Lilye, a pioneer of Greek learning (and author of a Latin primer that was to stay in print for three centuries) and who was to become the first High Master of St Paul's. The common denominator in all of this was the Renaissance, and Humanist thinking, which revolved around the study of Greek, with all the possibilities that this offered in terms of novel fields of study, the re-discovery of the Classics - and the impact that this would have on the Reformation and all their lives. Linacre is critical as he may have been the first scholar of Greek in England, and he actually taught Erasmus.[i] Lilye is also a key figure: slightly older than the others (he was born in 1468), he went on a pilgrimage to Rome and visited Rhodes on his way back. There he came into contact with the many Greek scholars who had been displaced by the capture of Constantinople in 1453. He then studied in Rome and Venice and so brought a wealth of learning back with him.[ii] These men were living in an age of massive change and no little danger, a time when so much had been ground down by war and lengthy conflict: the Wars of the Roses and the fall of the Plantagenets were a recent memory, and Perkin Warbeck was not executed until 1499.[iii] Thomas More was even brought up in the house of a man who was a veteran of the wars himself.[iv] Not only was the system of government reeling from rivalry and Civil War (not unlike the Labour party today), but much of the old order was in decay with the rise of the trade guilds which affected commercial life as well as foreign relations. Change was in the air across Europe and beyond: the Portuguese were in the process of opening up trade to the East, thereby challenging the former hegemony of the Venetians, already greatly weakened and threatened by the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. The Spanish were making momentous discoveries in the West; Pope Alexander VI (himself a Spaniard and also known to history as the first of the Borgia popes) divided the world between Portugal and Spain in 1494 with his Treaty of Tordesillas. Peter Martyr d'Anghiera's De Orbe Novo was not published in full until 1530, but his first publication dates from 1511 when he was made chronicler to the Council of the Indies. Bartolomé de Las Casas, the Dominican friar who informed the world of the suffering of the Indians with his Breve Relación de la Destrucción de las Indias ('Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies'), was pivotal in creating the Black Legend of Spanish cruelty in the New World, and which was pounced upon by Protestant states as proof of Catholic iniquity.[v] This heady and seemingly endless range of new discoveries and intellectual challenges in a period of unprecedented change had an inevitable impact on the position of the Catholic Church across Europe: Savonarola was executed for condemning corruption in the Church in 1498; Luther's 95 Theses appeared in 1517, at about the same time as Ulrich Zwingli became the driving force behind Protestantism in Switzerland. These trends may perhaps be seen as the culmination of a process going back to the Czech theologian Jan Huss who was burned at the stake in 1415, not to mention the longstanding history of the Lollards in England, who had been persecuted since the time of Henry IV. [vi] A key element in the growing ferment for change was the advent of printing. The spread of new ideas was undoubtedly helped by the speed with which ideas could be communicated, and it is perhaps no coincidence that Geneva became a centre for religious change as well as printing. In England, the key issue was the translation of the Bible by John Wycliffe into English as far back as 1382, and more importantly for the era of More and Colet, the Tyndale Bible of 1526 [vii]. It is of particular significance as it drew on both Greek and Hebrew sources, in much the same way as the great Polyglot Bible of Cardinal Cisneros at Alcalá de Henares is printed with Aramaic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew in parallel columns.[viii] Colet himself began to translate parts of the New Testament from the Greek, which he then read from the pulpit at St Paul's Cross to crowds which were said to number 20,000. This brought him into conflict with his own bishop Richard Fitzjames and at one point there was even concern that he could be charged with heresy, though this may have been triggered more by his unpopularity for attempting to reform the day- to-day running of the cathedral than any deeper matters of theology. More, it should be remembered, was no mean translator himself. In fact, he came to prominence at an early age with a masterful translation of Pico della Mirandola[ix]. However, as Chancellor he relentlessly pursued heretics and in particular those who were responsible for the clandestine distribution of Tyndale's Bible, and he engaged in bitter disputes with Tyndale in matters of theology. Both men published accusations and refutations in fiery language (at times almost literally, considering the fate of some of the people caught with the Bibles). More's bitter opposition to heresy and fundamental change in the Church may seem strange in the light of the more moderate views expounded in Utopia, where freedom of conscience is tolerated. However, it would appear that More could not in all conscience abandon the old ways and he viewed both dissent within the Church and conflict between Christian kings with equal concern because of their threat to stability and the established order. This outlook perhaps harked back to folk memories of the recent wars and the suffering of so many people on the Continent of Europe in the name of religion. John Colet did not live long enough to have to face that dilemma. He died in 1519 of the sweating sickness, but not without having seen the successful launch of his school, which had widespread support, ironically perhaps, as it supported the New Learning, encouraged the study of Greek, and laid the foundation for the many great schools which were to emerge in the sixteenth century. It is worth reflecting briefly on how he (and indeed, any of us) might react to a situation in which there was no option to take sides or even make a stand. What would any of us do if politics in this country came to the point where UKIP and the BNP were the only parties we could vote for? It is a dilemma which may perhaps be summed up by Foxe's Book of Martyrs on the one hand and, on the other, the canonisation by Pope Paul VI in 1970 of the Forty English Martyrs.[x] Someone to admire in this context is a near contemporary of both Colet and More: John Feckenham, the last mitred abbot of Westminster Abbey to sit in Parliament.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Thomas More and the Question of Servitude in Utopia
    Università degli Studi di Padova Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Lingue Moderne per la Comunicazione e la Cooperazione Internazionale Classe LM-38 Tesi di Laurea To what deaf ears should I tell the tale! Thomas More and the Question of Servitude in Utopia Relatore Laureanda Prof.ssa Alessandra Petrina Maria Tuzzato n° matr.1110740 / LMLCC Anno Accademico 2016 / 2017 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 5 1. Humanism and Political Thought ............................................................................... 11 1.1 The contribution of Scholasticism and the origins of Humanism ........................ 11 1.2 Humanism in England .......................................................................................... 17 1.3 The Court of Henry VIII ....................................................................................... 24 2. Thomas More (1477-1535) ......................................................................................... 29 2.1 Early years: education, early works and friendship with Erasmus ....................... 29 2.2 The Flanders Embassy: the Composition of Utopia and the prefatory Letter to Gillis ...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Relevance of St. Thomas More
    The Catholic Lawyer Volume 13 Number 2 Volume 13, Spring 1967, Number 2 Article 5 The Relevance of St. Thomas More Richard A. Vachon, S.J. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/tcl Part of the Catholic Studies Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Catholic Lawyer by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE RELEVANCE OF ST. THOMAS MORE RICHARD A. VACHON, S.J.* T HOMAS MORE WAS the contemporary man. I mean this not in the sense Winston Churchill had in mind when he wrote, "More stood forth as the defender of all that was finest in the medieval outlook." Rather, Thomas More was our man. He worked for a salary and met a payroll. Long before urban sprawl, More was a city man-Reynolds calls him the greatest of all Londoners. He was born in the city and lived in the heart of it for nearly 50 years. Then he became a suburbanite-opening up Chelsea. He invested in land, leasing farmland to tenant-farmers or holding it on speculation. He was a politician, probably the only canonized saint who ever ran for public office and won. And when Parliament elected him Speaker, he petitioned and received from the King immunity for the members of the House to express their opinions freely on the matters submitted to them.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of the Renaissance on Richard Hooker
    Perichoresis Volume 12. Issue 1 (2014): 93-116 DOI 10.2478/perc-2014-0006 THE INFLUENCE OF THE RENAISSANCE ON RICHARD HOOKER EGIL GRISLIS * University of Manitoba ABSTRACT. Like many writers after the Renaissance, Hooker was influenced by a number of classical and Neo-Platonic texts, especially by Cicero, Seneca, Hermes Trimegistus, and Pseudo-Dionysius. Hooker’s regular allusions to these thinkers help illuminate his own work but also his place within the broader European context and the history of ideas. This paper addresses in turn the reception of Cice- ro and Seneca in the early Church through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Hooker’s use of Cicero- nian and Senecan ideas, and finally Hooker’s use of Neo -Platonic texts attributed to Hermes Trismegis- tus and Dionysius the Areopagite. Hooker will be shown to distinguish himself as a sophisticated and learned interpreter who balances distinctive motifs such as Scripture and tradition, faith, reason, expe- rience, and ecclesiology with a complex appeal to pagan and Christian sources and ideas. KEY WORDS: Cicero, Hermes Trismegistus, Pseudo-Dionysius, Renaissance, Seneca Introduction The Anglican Church has had a rich past, as the churchmen who reshaped its life in the sixteenth century were also learned scholars (see Sykes and Booty, 1988; Evans and Wright, 1991), such as archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), bishop John Jewel (1511-1570), archbishop John Whitgift (c.1532-1604), and priest and theologian Richard Hooker (c.1554-1600). More recently, some schol- ars (such as Lake, 1988: 227, 230) have singled out Richard Hooker as the inven- tor of Anglicanism.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. John Colet Colet's View of Man's Nature John Colet (D
    THE INTELLECT-WILL PROBLEM IN THE THOUGHT OF SOME NORTHERN RENAISSANCE HUMANISTS: COLET, ERASMUS, AND MONTAIGNE ERWIN R. GANE Pacific Union College, Angwin, California In an earlier essay I have dealt with the intellect-will problem in the thought of Nicholas of Cuss.' In the present article I will treat the same question in the thought of three other Northern- Renaissance humanists: Colet, Erasmus, and Montaigne. Finally in my "Summary and Conclusion" at the end of this essay, I shall endeavor to draw some comparisons and contrasts covering all four of the men. 1. John Colet Colet's View of Man's Nature John Colet (d. 1519), perhaps most famous as an English educator in Oxford and London, adhered to the Augustinian doctrine of original sin, involving inherited guilt and universal human depra~ity.~When Adam sinned the whole race sinned so that his descendants were born with depraved natures and per- verted intellects and wills, subject to the sentence of eternal death. Leland Miles suggests that Colet argued for a tendency to evil in fallen man with no "absolute obliteration of free will."3 Ernest Hunt quotes Colet to prove that his concept involved total depravity of reason and will in relation to spiritual matters: lSee AUSS 12 (July 1974): 83-93. The introductory section in that earlier essay (pp. 83-84) outlines more specifically the particular problem treated in both articles, and it may therefore be useful to reread that section as an introduction to the material being presented now. aLeland Miles, John Colet and the Platonic Tradition (La Salle, Ill., 1961), pp.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historic Episcopate
    THE HISTORIC EPISCOPATE By ROBERT ELLIS THOMPSON, M.A., S.T. D., LL.D. of THE PRESBYTERY of PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA tEfce Wtstminmx pre** 1910 "3^70 Copyright, 1910, by The Trustees of The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work Published May, 1910 <§;G!.A265282 IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACADEMIC USAGE THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE PRESIDENT, FACULTY AND TRUSTEES OF MUHLENBERG COLLEGE IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF HONORS CONFERRED PREFACE The subject of this book has engaged its author's attention at intervals for nearly half a century. The present time seems propitious for publishing it, in the hope of an irenic rather than a polemic effect. Our Lord seems to be pressing on the minds of his people the duty of reconciliation with each other as brethren, and to be bringing about a harmony of feeling and of action, which is beyond our hopes. He is beating down high pretensions and sectarian prejudices, which have stood in the way of Christian reunion. It is in the belief that the claims made for what is called "the Historic Episcopate" have been, as Dr. Liddon admits, a chief obstacle to Christian unity, that I have undertaken to present the results of a long study of its history, in the hope that this will promote, not dissension, but harmony. If in any place I have spoken in what seems a polemic tone, let this be set down to the stress of discussion, and not to any lack of charity or respect for what was for centuries the church of my fathers, as it still is that of most of my kindred.
    [Show full text]
  • Hans Holbein at the Court of Henry VIII
    Holbein at the Court of Henry VIII • The talk is about Holbein’s life in England and the well known personalities at Henry VIII’s court that he painted. • Figures such as Thomas Wolsey (no portrait by Holbein), Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich (drawing), and Thomas Cranmer (not by Holbein) figured prominently in Henry's administration. • I discuss Holbein’s style by comparing his drawings with his paintings. • And, finally, I look at the many puzzles presented by The Ambassadors. Notes The Tudors (1485 -1603) in brief: • Henry VII 1485 – 1509, Henry Richmond, descendent of John of Gaunt, defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field in 1485. Married Elizabeth of York uniting the two houses of York (white) and Lancaster (red) as symbolised in the white and red rose he adopted. He was a skilful politician but he is often described as avaricious although this did mean he left a lot in the treasury for his son to spend. • Henry VIII 1509 – 1547, he married Catherine of Aragon (his brother’s widow and mother of Mary) but Henry annulled the marriage to marry Anne Boleyn (mother Elizabeth) who he beheaded for alleged adultery. He declared himself head of the Catholic Church and married Jane Seymour who died after giving birth to Edward. He then married Anne of Cleves but the marriage was annulled and she survived Henry the longest. He then married Catherine Howard who he beheaded for adultery and finally Catherine Parr (her third husband) who outlived him and married Thomas Seymour (who grew up in Wulfhall) whose brother was Edward Seymour, Lord Protector of England during the first two years of Edward VI’s reign.
    [Show full text]
  • Grade Twelve: Theology Course: Western Philosophy Text: a Man for All Seasons Author: Robert Bolt
    Grade Twelve: Theology Course: Western Philosophy Text: A Man for All Seasons Author: Robert Bolt Main Characters The Common Man Margaret More William Roper Sir Thomas More Cardinal Wolsey King Henry VIII Richard Rich Thomas Cromwell Cranmer, Archbishop of The Duke of Norfolk Signor Chapuys, the Canterbury Alice More Spanish Ambassador Character Reflections 1. Who is the Common Man? What different roles does he play? What do they all have in common? 2. What is Thomas More's occupation? What virtues is he known for? Describe his relationship with King Henry at the beginning of the play. 3. Who is King Henry VIII? What is his predicament? Why does this present a problem for his ministers? 4. How does Thomas More's family look at him? What is his relationship with his daughter, Margaret, like? 5. What is the nature of Thomas More's friendship with the Duke of Norfolk? How are they different from each other? How does their friendship change by the end of the play? 6. Who is Richard Rich? What advice does Thomas give him? Why does he refuse to take this advice? How does he “lose his innocence”? 7. Why does King Henry so greatly desire Thomas's approval of his divorce from Catherine of Aragon? 8. Why does Thomas refuse to share with his family and friends his opinion about the King's actions? 9. Who is William Roper? Why does Thomas initially refuse to give his daughter to him in marriage? In what way are he and Thomas very different? How are they the same? 10.
    [Show full text]
  • EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY THEATRE a PLAY by ROBERT BOLT M
    EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY THEATRE presents A PLAY BY ROBERT BOLT m. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS Directed by GCRALD SULLIVAN Set~ing Designed by CINDI S\HTZER (under the supervision of C. F. Blanchette) Costumes Designed by Lighting Designed by KANCY PAULE BRUCE K. MORRISS Technic al Direction by CINDI SWITZER & C.P. BLANCHETTE Cast of Characters (In the Order of Their Appearance) THE COHMON MAN •.. ,, •.. •• ,.,., .•••••... Gary Shrader SIR THOMAS MORE •••. • ...•...•. , •• ~,,, ... Randy Arney MASTER RICHARD RICH, .••• •• ••1 •••• I •••••• Earl H~lbe THE DUKE OF NORFOLK, Earl Marshal of England, , .. .• Ben Andrews LADY ALICE MORE , Sir Thomas's Wife. ,,, .•. , ••. , ••. • Kati e Sullivan LADY MARGARET MORE, Sir Thomas's daughter ...•.•.. , Theresa Sparlin CARDINAL WOLSEY, .• ..... , • . • , , .• , .. Scott Zimmerman THO HAS CROMWELL •. , . , . , . , .•. , , •••. J arne s P . Kl ec kn e r SIGNOR CHAPUYS , the Spanish Ambassador .. , .•.•••.•. John Hightower CHAPUY 'S ATTENDANT ,. ,,,, , ... ,.,.,. I, Terry Kroenung WILLIAM ROPER •...•.•...•.•...•...• Scott J . Stanley KING HENRY the EIGHTH., .•. .• , .•.•.• , •. Peter Samuel A WOHAN • . •••.• . •• 1., •••••••• , •• 1 •• • 1 •••• Betty Cash THOMAS CRANMER, Archbishop of Canterbury ,, .•.•... , Bill Pierson The action of the play takes place in England during the 16th Century. There will be one ten-minute intermission . Production Staff: STAGE MANAGER • •••• .••• , , •• • • • • •• •• • . • .. Julia Grant ASSISTANT STAGE MANAG ER • .• •• . , . ••. •. Terry Kroenung PROPERTIES MISTRESS .• •
    [Show full text]
  • Nova Et Vetera .Of the Times Recognized the Necessity of Direct Contact with the Hellenic Writings
    SEPT. 1936 LINACRE AND THE SCHOLAR-PHYSICIANS OF OXFORD <THEBRITISH 550 12, MNEDICAL JOURNAL I These conditions could not endure. Arabian-taught medicine was scholastic and sterile. Powerful thinkers Nova et Vetera .of the times recognized the necessity of direct contact with the Hellenic writings. John Basingstoke, an Oxford man, travelled to Greece, and there learnt Greck THOMAS LINACRE AND THE FIRST from a learned Athenian woman, Constantina. He re- soon * turned to England with Greek manuscripts, and was SCHOLAR-PHYSICIANS OF OXFORD in contact with the great churchman and scholar Robert BY Grosseteste (1175-1253). Grosseteste's life is in large part bound up with Oxford, where he was educated. A. P. CAWADIAS, O.B.E., M.D., F.R.C.P. Wishing to increase his knowledge of true science he PHYSICIAN TO TIIE ST. JOHN CLINIC AND INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE studied Greek not only at second hand in Paris but at Oxford with a native Greek, Nicolas or Elicheros, and began to translate Greek authors, unfortunately not im- Thomas Linacre and Leonicenus were the greatest portant writers. His friend and Oxford contemporary, physicians of the early Renaissance. Around the former Roger Bacon, the Doctor mirabilis, with the courage radiated a group of other eminent physicians who, with and energy which characterized his whole life, pointed the exception of Caius, were all of Oxford. The studies out that the knowledge received from the Arabian writers and medical preparation of Linacre belong to the last was imperfect because of faulty translation, and he quarter of the fifteenth the period of active century; blamed the professors for not learning Greek so as to life, as in the case of the other great Oxford scholar- be able to read Aristotle and other writers in the original.
    [Show full text]
  • The Stained-Glass Stories of the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul an Independent Study Project by Aidan Tait ’04
    A Hundred-Year Narrative: The Stained-Glass Stories of the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul an Independent Study Project by Aidan Tait ’04 We are so fortunate to visit daily a place as sacred as this. -Rev. Kelly H. Clark, Ninth Rector of St. Paul’s School The Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul became the focal point of the campus upon its construction and consecration in 1888. Today the Chapel Tower pales only in comparison to the School’s power plant; its hourly bells can be heard from all over the campus. Both figuratively and literally, the building cannot be overlooked in the discussion of School history. And as St. Paul’s prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary during the 2005-2006 academic year, the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul remains of utmost importance in the minds of alumni, faculty, and students alike. Each year the Rector receives new students to the School by welcoming into their Chapel seats; departing seniors use their last day in Chapel to sit in the very seats they occupied as new students. Indeed, the Chapel has a sort of aura about it—of both personal and School history—that makes it meaningful and unforgettable in the minds of those who live here. While taking photographs of the Chapel one Thursday during Spring Term, I met a man from Boston who commuted daily through the area and had decided that afternoon to tour the Big Chapel. He came up to me, his eyes wide with the experience of taking in the building for the first time.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Survey of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: a Summative Paper
    HISTORICAL SURVEY OF HERMENEUTICS AND HOMILETICS: A SUMMATIVE PAPER by Charles E. Handren B.A., California Baptist University, 1995 M.Div., American Baptist Seminary of the West, 1999 A POST-COURSE ASSIGNMENT FOR MN 9101-01 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF HERMENEUTICS AND HOMILETICS Submitted to the faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MINISTRY Concentration in Preaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Deerfield, Illinois June, 2013 HISTORICAL SURVEY OF HERMENEUTICS AND HOMILETICS: A SUMMATIVE PAPER In the spring of 2011, I took a Doctor of Ministry course at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School entitled, “Hermeneutics and Homiletics.” One of the required readings was Dennis Johnson’s fine work, Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from all the Scriptures. Part one of this book, and particularly chapter four, provides an overview of the history of hermeneutics and homiletics which both aided my understanding of the subject and exposed a significant gap in my knowledge. Specifically, Johnson helped me to see how little I knew about the interpretation and proclamation of the Bible over the last twenty centuries, and how significant a bearing this history has on current issues and debates. Since my Doctor of Ministry concentration is preaching, I thought this gap unacceptable and thus requested an independent reading course which was eventually entitled, “Historical Survey of Hermeneutics and Homiletics.” I set two objectives for the course. First, I aimed to develop a broad and general understanding of the history of the relationship between hermeneutics and homiletics in the Christian church. I have fulfilled this aim by reading a little over five-thousand pages of secondary material, and by building a basic mental framework which now needs to be clarified, strengthened, and built out.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study Guide, with Theatrical Emphasis, for Robert Bolt's Play a Man for All Seasons For
    A Study Guide, with Theatrical Emphasis, For Meg for Robert Bolt’s Play A Man for All Seasons by Arthur Kincaid V. Questions for Discussion and Essay Writing…..….…....…105 Contents VI. List of Works Consulted……………….………..………..109 I. Introduction…………………………..……….………..….5 II. General Background 1. Thomas More…………………………..….……...……..6 2. Henry VIII and Thomas More…...……….…….….…..10 3. Renaissance Humanism…...……………....…….….…..12 4. Robert Bolt…………………………………...….…..…13 5. Theatrical Influences………………………….......…....15 III. Classroom & Theatre Performance 1. What Is Theatre?……………...………….….…….....…19 2. Aspects of a Play...……………………………………..22 3. Classroom Performance………...………………..…......30 4. Full Performance………………………………………31 5. Acting Exercises……………….……..………….....…..37 IV. Notes and Questions for Study and Performance 1. Act 1, A Man for All Seasons……………...…….....…..….47 2. Act 2, A Man for All Seasons……………....……..…....….74 5 www.thomasmorestudies.org Kincaid’s Guide: A Man for All Seasons 6 II. General Background I. Introduction 1. Sir Thomas More This guide is designed to give a performance orientation to the study of Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. It attempts to encourage teachers Nobody wants to be a hero. You go through life giving up and students to discover the work as a play to be performed. You can use parts of yourself – a hope, a dream, an ambition, a belief, a liking, this guide for inactive classroom study if you wish, but it would be much a piece of self-respect. But in every man there is something he more interesting and productive to use it as a stimulus to performance cannot give up and still remain himself – a core, an identity, a work of some sort, whether it be rehearsing a scene in class or a full thing that is summed up for him by the sound of his own name on his own ears.
    [Show full text]