More's Foil Character

In the play “A Man for All Seasons” by Robert Bolt the character Sir Thomas Mores characteristics are brought out by a couple of other characters in the play. Thomas More encounters characters in situations that really bring out the personality of Thomas More. One of these characters is Richard Rich. This character clearly helps the reader with understanding Thomas More better and better as they interact with each other in the play. This character contrasts from Thomas More by the way More believes his morals and his down fall at the end. In the very beginning of the play Rich is talking to More asking him to give a high ranked position but turns him down telling him that politics wasn’t for him and suggests him to become a teacher. Rich highlights More’s superior character in this scene. Also this scene shows that More, himself wants to be a teacher and he shows this throughout the play with other characters. He believes that Rich becoming a teacher is a good moral thing for him to do. More had the right to give rich the position or not and he decided not to. Rich Throughout the play it is obvious that as Rich gets higher and getting more success for what he wants More is losing power and is falling. More listens to his conscience which hinders him form living his life and getting out of the situation that he is in. More listens to his conscience and doesn’t want to from a reputed man who has a reputation of being honest to a man of ignominy because of his switch of opinion. Everyone is hounding him to change his mind and go along with everyone else because everyone knows if he goes along with the king, then the situation has to be ok or moral. More is a strong believer in his values and will not budge, “And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?” He asks this question to Norfolk at the meeting they had.
In the play