“Robert Bolt’s Man for All

Season’s and the Art of

Discerning Integrity”
REFLECTION WITH CALL TO ACTION PAPER

Balagtas, Joseph Christopher

Beleno,Danilo

Combate,Valeriano Troy

Corpus, Janine Isabelle

Garcia, Ezekiel Manuel

Regado, Aleezah Gertrude

 Balagtas, Christopher

In Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, Thomas More was seen as a man with firm principles
founded on faith, trust and love for God. With such principles which are evidently indissoluble,
Thomas More “did not just create such beliefs, rather, these beliefs make him.” Even in the face
of adversity and ultimately certain death, Thomas More stood his ground—he made sure
everyone knew that his faith in God is not subject to compromise; that when everything else is
in chaos, he has something which he has come to know to be true in the face of uncertainty, and
for More, his truth is no one else but God.

Due to his unwavering faith, Thomas More patterns his life within the law, but not as one who
blindly obeys it. He does what his conscience compels him to do and accepts the law’s
punishments when they are required and the law’s comforts when they are available. And it is
exactly this exercise in faith—in God and in the law—which led to Thomas More’s demise.

In the legal profession, which is rife with corruption—in coffers and in integrity—the way
Thomas More lived his life founded on his principles couldn’t be any more significant. Clearly,
not all members of the legal profession are Christians. However, one does not need to be a
Christian to be able to live a life of integrity. In Randy Lee’s Robert Bolt’s a Man for All Seasons
and the Art of Discerning Integrity, he was able to explain not only More’s, but also the other
characters’ integrities through their primary motivations, understanding of the world, and their
attitude toward the law. Thomas More might have been the centerpiece of the play, but Randy
Lee sufficiently showed and explained that some characters acted the way did due to the
firmness of their principles as well.

In the play, the characters were bound by their principles—that because of what they believed
in, there were things which “they cannot bring themselves to do”; things which, if they did,
would go against their principles. And the actions of the different characters in the play are
proofs of how the beliefs and principles of one can affect others—More’s trust in God; Cardinal
Wolsey’s commitment in the preservation of the public good; King Henry’s trust in his logic;
Signor Chapuys’ loyalty to his country, Cromwell’s commitment to the King’s good; Richard’s
Rich commitment to his own good; the Duke of Norfolk’s commitment to the preservation of
friendships; and finally Alice More’s commitment to seeking good for her family. Through this
understanding, one can see the effects of one’s foundations to everyone around him. And in the
legal profession, if lawyers enter into the profession with their principles already grounded
upon strong foundations, then society would undoubtedly be a more just place to live in.

For lawyers to have strong foundations their training should start with their life before they
enter the profession. The most ideal would be to start before an aspiring lawyer enters law
school, but the more practical one would be first to start at least when the aspiring lawyer enters
law school. Although Thomas More’s belief in God would be feasible in Catholic law schools, it
might not be as effective in non-sectarian law schools. However, what can be taught is Thomas
More’s commitment to and attitude towards the law. In the legal profession, or in society in
general, every person’s conscience is motivated by his own perspective, and one can argue that
there could be as many perspectives as there are people in the world. However, like Thomas
More, those in the legal profession can be taught that one can do what his conscience compels
him to do, but one should accept the law’s punishments when they are required and the law’s
comforts when they are available. If this is effectively taught in law school, then members of the
legal profession, as early as when they are still students of the law, would already be molded
with the principle of the rule of law; and that if they should feel or sense any injustice within the
law, they could act as what their conscience compels them to do, but they should be able to
accept the law’s punishments as they are willing to accept its comforts.

Beleno, Danilo

The play A man for all seasons, written Robert Bolt, mainly talks about integrity. According to
the play, integrity may be percieved in three different ways. First, integrity can be drawn from
the strenght of oneself to his or her religion and beliefs. Second, integrity is relatively based on
one's understanding of the society or world where he or she belongs. And lastly, integrity is
grounded to one's understanding and compliance with the laws being imposed.

"Integrity is not a function of one says about himself but what one does to his life."

As we all know, integrity is one of the foundations of the legal profession. It is not merely a
requirement but an essential part of the profession and without which, it will be more difficult
to get hold of that one thing the profession seeks to obtain : Justice.

The abovementioned line is truly an eye-opener for the the members of the profession, as well
as to those who seek to be part of it someday. It is much more relevant nowadays given the fact
being a "lawyer" is now commonly percieved as a "business" rather than a "profession". The line
reminds us that we should stick with the very foundation of the profession.

Relating to the life of Thomas More, as illustrated by Bolt, members of the law profession shall
stick with and unconditionally choose justice and fairness above all. Even though it seems like
being in the same side with justice and fairness nowadays, in the context of those who are
crying for due process amidst the multiplying number of cases of Extra-judicial killings, is the
minority's choice, members of the law profession, as seeker of justice, shall stand their ground
and never compromise and concede to the will of those who advertently chose to impair justice
and deprive persons of their constitutionally-granted rights.

In this current society we live in, wherein "Integrity" is being used by people in a "for show"
manner, wherein people seem to care so much with the use of words not deeds; wherein the
people's rights are taken from them by the supposed persons who are mandated to protect the
same, members of the law profession must be like Thomas More, they must act in accordance to
what they are really mandated to do, strenghten and driven by the very foundation of their
profession and without desire of recognition because at the end of the day, if they do otherwise,
the very meaning and intent of the profession, which is to bring forth justice to all members of
the society and not only to those who are privileged, will be defeated and we will be plagued by
an seemingly uncurable epidemic of injustice.

Combate, Valeriano Troy

After reading Robert Bolt's play, I found myself finding a new idol. Thomas More was an
incredible and truly inspiring man. A Man For All Seasons is a play concerned with morality,
politics and the common man. It is a play that though written decades ago, holds great wisdom
for the individual of today and in its own particular way utilizes a known historical event to
address particular issues.

The core argument of this play is whether morality and law, or religion and law must be
separated, however Robert Bolt's argument appears to be that a man or woman must stick to
their beliefs. That to do otherwise and to compromise lacks moral integrity. That is the main
point of the story, keeping your integrity.

The suggestion through the play is that morals can be seen as just a gesture, and any gesture is
of course not important when contrasted against any form of legality. However, the protagonist
of the play, Thomas More, takes the stand that morals are above the law, not mere gestures, for
they define a man, and a man's self is all he has in the end according to More. To that end
morality comes over man made laws because to More morality essentially stems from God.

It is fascinating how political this play is, considering that so much pageantry surrounds
politics. It is also fascinating that the main narrator for the play is called the Common Man and
plays a variety of roles, occasionally breaking the fourth wall to speak to the audience. The most
interesting aspect of this character is that he does nothing to prevent the disaster that occurs in
the play, hinting that Bolt is aiming to show his audience that when the common individual
does nothing to prevent it, tragedy will triumph.

A Man For All Seasons is the story of a man who essentially does not bow to others putting
pressure on his beliefs in regards to politics, and religion. Whether we are meant to be that man
for all seasons is a question for the reader or observer to consider. The key issue of importance
appears to be that one should recognize what they can do to prevent disaster from striking.

In my pursuit of hopefully becoming a legal professional, I will always remember the lesson
that this play taught me, that I always have to stick to what is morally right and never damage
my integrity. Losing my morals and my integrity would be equivalent to losing my soul, and
without my soul I cannot be considered human. As a lawyer I will fight the good fight, defend
the weak, give a voice to the voiceless, and uphold my duty as a protector of the laws of the
land with God by my side.
 Corpus, Janine Isabelle

In Randy Lee’s Robert Bolt’s a Man for All Seasons and the Art of Discerning Integrity, he
discussed the different characters in Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons. He examined the
different roles these characters played in the story and delved into the reasons and motivations
behind their actions.

Bolt presented Thomas More as a man of faith and integrity. He stood his ground despite the
pressure and threat on his life. For me, this is a character worth emulating, especially during
times when we think we are left with no choice.

While we can acknowledge that as human beings we are flawed, and there is no absolute good
or evil, we also have to realize that we have been given the power to choose. We make choices
based on the things that are important to us, whether it be our family, friends, ideals, or
ourselves.

As future lawyers, we must be able to stand our ground and hold on to our principles. The
practice of law is not an easy profession. We have often heard that the legal profession is full of
corruption, but it is our job to make a change. We will be facing obstacles that will make us
question ourselves and our morals, but we must be firm and making decisions and discern the
difference between right and wrong.

Looking at the present situation of the Philippine society, Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons is
a relevant piece. Despite being set in the 16th century, it is fascinating how the same situations
mirror those of 21st century controversies. It just goes to show that history has a way of
repeating itself. There will always be corruption, and there will always be people who will
succumb to it for personal advances or because of their twisted sense of what is good. However,
as future lawyers, it is our duty to uphold the law. We must do so with integrity and with our
conscience.

Garcia, Ezekiel Manuel

Heroes are usually defined as people who are admired for great brave acts or fine qualities.
These people are usually seen in the limelight for facing adversities and overcoming them for a
group of people or for the common good. But the main question is why do we still need heroes
at this time if we always seek the protection of the law?

In reading the article by Randy Lee, I was enlightened by the fact that the Law is not a perfect
concept. Neither can pure justice or fairness can be attained by any society. Maybe this is
because of the fact that the law, justice or fairness are concepts merely made by the minds of
people and as beings with fault, we always set standards so high to remind us of an ideal
society or system that must be attained. Unfortunately, since we are not faultless beings,
attaining such noble concepts could take us so much time and effort before one can really
embody the tenets of Law.
The article serves as a timely reminder about who we are in the face of the law; how we are as
servants of its rule. Robert Bolt describes the characters in the life of St. Thomas More and
makes an accurate depiction of what kind of people there are in our society. If we were to trace
back the roots of the good saint, his story heroic story began in 1534 when he refused to take the
oath required under the Act of Succession. However, the characters in such story still continue
to be relevant in these days on how people in our current society tackle the law. To reiterate,
there are those who follow the law for convenience, for self-laudation, to appease the boss, to
advance self-interests, who follow the word but not the intent of the law, and finally that who
follows by serving his selfhood.

In the further reading of the article, the author tells us about the variance of integrity with
regard to the other factors that may affect the same. Integrity in itself may be deemed to be a
subjective term. A person’s integrity is built upon his beliefs with the perception by others if
such beliefs are worthy of being termed to be such. However, when other people would think
otherwise, one can justify one’s integrity by the means of why he stands where he stands.
Which will return to the principle of one’s self determination, one’s selfhood.

This brings me to my conclusion: that a person determines one’s own integrity by determining
who he or she wants to become. If a person wants to become someone who is a hero in
government service, then one can establish his or her integrity there. If an individual want to be
a hero in private practice, then he or she can establish her integrity there. By reading the article,
I was encouraged to be someone who can serve the true meaning of integrity, and that is, for
me, being of service to other people guided by the spirit of the law through the gifts given to me
by the almighty. It is impossible to tell where one can end up, neither can we predict what
would happen to us next. At the most, we can only plan on where we want to be and determine
the path where we will take. But, it is inevitable that at the journey, there will always be
unexpected obstacles and contingencies. We may not know what to do at time but at the end of
the day St. Thomas More reminds us that as long as you know your goals and your purpose in
life, what and who you would want to become, by selfhood, then the road to being that person
with integrity will not really be that difficult. Heroes are not always called to fight for others
and all the more die for other people. The article teaches us, that just like St. Thomas More, we
must champion our selfhood but first offer ourselves to something higher or grater in cause.
Then we can say that we are men and women for all seasons, heroes for ourselves and integrity.

Regado, Aleezah Gertrude

Despite of today’s situation where there are a lot of issues surrounding the society, I still am
hopeful that perhaps, through practicing good virtues, my generation may somehow resolve
the problem of injustice and oppression prevalent among the current set up in the society. Just
opening the television, we’re bombarded by lawyers, filing cases against the other, the members
of the legal profession, being dragged to the spotlight for exposure of possible issues of graft
and corruption, previous political tycoons closely related, turning against each other, and
politicians that despite living into a humble appreciation of public trust, disregards it for the
sake of personal benefit. Like Thomas More, with great integrity, we must learn to exit a
clouded system when burdened by our conscience as to feeling that we are taking part into an
act wrongful upon the society and upon our very selves. We must never be afraid to gratefully
do the right things, even if it takes bumping ourselves into the toughest walls. Like a bamboo,
we must not be easily swayed by the whims of the majority. Zealous faith upon the Lord, needs
to reflect upon how we carry ourselves in the society.

As an aspiring lawyer, I aspire a just and fair society. I aspire to make myself an instrument to
tilt justice back into its balance. To do so, like Thomas More, we must be a man of conscience, a
man who remains true to himself and his beliefs while adapting through circumstances and
time despite external pressure and influence. A persons character, like the beautiful pyramids of
Egypt, requires time, effort, devotion and a strong foundation in order to last despite of all
forces that comes along its way. At this early stage, we can do simple things to exercise self-
discipline. Self-discipline may be as simple as waking up in the morning to study, and sleeping
the night, believing that the doctrines, annotations and provisions that we learn, if taken
seriously, would pave way in granting justice upon an oppressed man. . It may be as simple as
uploading a verse of the Lord upon a Facebook group, in order to inspire people we know by
the words of God. It may be as simple as remaining firm to finishing the full text of a case
despite the temptation of just reading a case digest It may be as simple as practicing humility
upon our relationship with the people around despite a day of great pride. It may be as simple
as recognizing the faults we made today, and striving to make such faults a lesson of
tomorrow.The lawyering is a noble profession, to aspire to be a part of it requires making
ourselves deserving of being called noble men of justice. How do we assure that justice is
served, it may be as simple as not partaking in an act of injustice itself. If we truly develop a
strong sense of self-discipline, being incorporated in our daily lives, we’d easily be able to turn
our backs, when temptations arise. A lawyers mind must be strong, but a lawyer’s character
imbued with a soul of purest intentions must be the strongest of all.

SUMMARY OF REFLECTION WITH CALL TO ACTION: