AMFAS Question.

[BlueYoHo]

Hey guys. Our teacher gave us this sheet with around 100 Questions for just Act one of A man for all seasons, and i got stuck on this question...
In scene 5 where Cromwell and Rich are talking to each other (before Chapuys enters) Rich sort of tells Cromwell that he's not More's friend, but in a sense he is?

Just wanted to know why you think he denies More's friendship? I just can't think of the reason, even though it seems obvious..


Just for the record, if i ever make any more posts, (that is if i don't get banned for being an idiot) English is by far my worst subject. So yeah...

[Amnesiac]

Hey, i think i can help you in a minor capacity. Basically, Rich is the sort of man who will do anything to raise his social and financial status in society. He sees Cromwell as being a man who can give him everything he has ever wanted, and will therefore do whatever he says in order to gain prosperity. In this case, Cromwell despises More because he will not swear to the Act, so therefore Rich denies that he has a friendship with More in order to please Cromwell. 

It is way more complicated than that, but at the krux of it is Richs' personality. He is self-aggrandising and will act in any way in order to further his status. Let me know if i have confused you at all.

[methodsboy]

In the end, Rich gives up his conscience, something that More would never do.
Maybe he said that so that he could find out information about More from Cromwell and then later on Rich might have told all that info. to More?

[BlueYoHo]

You sort of lost me methodsboy.
But i do get what your saying Amnesiac, that makes more sense than what i was thinking of lol
thanks heaps to both of you anyway.
 
Oh and what does 'krux' mean? I've never seen that word before.

[BlueYoHo]

Even though it has been some time, I've just realised another thing.
When Cromwell found out that Rich was the Duke's librarian, he then asked if he was still friends with More. Does this mean that Cromwell was like surprised almost that Rich didn't have a good job seeing as he 'was' friends with the new Lord Chancellor (maybe More would set him up with decent work). Hence he really denied the friendship to, i guess, open up a job opportunity with Cromwell.

P.S. I don't think anybody could have phrased that any worse if they tried.

[Survivor]

To me, Rich denied the friendship with More in order to gain Cromwell's favour (which consequently allowed him to advance up the State) as Amnesiac already pointed out. But most importantly, the concept of 'friendship' to Rich acts as a mere stepping stone which enables him to acquire material riches, status and power. To Rich, friendship involves no love or compassion, which justifies his anger when he exclaims "friendship with Sir Thomas More and still no office?" We are positioned to see that Rich admires More when Rich pleads him to "employ" him, however, his weak sense of morality prevents him from understanding the importance of a real friendship. Thus, he has no problem in denying the friendship if it were to secure him a position, even if it meant being political partners with the ruthless Cromwell.

As for the second part of your question regarding Cromwell's surprise that Rich was merely Norfolk's librarian, I guess Bolt is contrasting More's version of friendship (genuine compassion, unconditional love) to Cromwell's (friendship = connections = status).

[Amnesiac]

Well phrased.

[BlueYoHo]

Woah, that was good. Very nice. Thanks.