Robert Bolt’s historical drama follows Sir Thomas More’s refusal to endorse Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church.

More’s resistance is grounded not only in faith, but in the belief that conscience must contain some territory beyond the reach of the state. Through compressed scenes and the recurring figure of the Common Man, Bolt turns the conflict into a study of survival, compromise and institutional power. The play borrows from Brecht while resisting easy moral arithmetic: More’s integrity is real, but so are his severity, pride and attraction to martyrdom.

First staged in 1960, A Man for All Seasons remains a sharp political play about law, obedience and the point at which accommodation becomes self-erasure.

Heinemann Educational Books, 1969 reprint. Paperback with moderate rubbing, edge wear and light age-toning; binding sound.