A Man for All Seasons- Ethics
A Man For All Seasons Questions
1) Synopsis of the film.
The film is set in England during the reign of Henry the VIII. Sir Thomas More is a very religious man who was recently appointed Chancellor. He got this position because of his good morals and honesty. When the King visits More, he says that he wants to divorce his wife, Catherine, because she has not given him any male heirs. More does not believe that he should get the divorce because he had already been granted two in the past and it goes against his religion. Rather than say this, More resigns as Chancellor. In England, silence is the same as compliance. More makes sure that he tells no one, not even his wife, about his opinions on the matter. He does this so she will not perjure herself if a trial was held. He believed that if she lied under oath that she would go to hell. Even though silence was supposed to mean agreement, the King demands that More say it is ok for him to declare himself Head of the Church. More refuses to do this because it goes against hid religion and he doesn’t want to go to hell. Because of this, More is imprisoned as a traitor for years. After a while, his family is allowed to visit. They try to convince him to save himself but he refuses. His old friends try to convince him as well, but all attempts are futile. His trial is held and he is convicted because of Richard’s testimony. Although More had been kind to him before, Richard lied under oath so he would be convicted. More finally states his opinion on the matter, saying that it goes against England’s and God’s law to declare himself head of the Church of England. More is executed after his trial.
2) What did Henry say was the reason for divorcing his wife in terms of duty ethics and teleological ethics? The King claimed that it was his duty to leave a male heir to inherit the throne. His wife, Catherine, had not yet produced any male children. He said this when divorcing his first two wives as well. Kind
1) Synopsis of the film.
The film is set in England during the reign of Henry the VIII. Sir Thomas More is a very religious man who was recently appointed Chancellor. He got this position because of his good morals and honesty. When the King visits More, he says that he wants to divorce his wife, Catherine, because she has not given him any male heirs. More does not believe that he should get the divorce because he had already been granted two in the past and it goes against his religion. Rather than say this, More resigns as Chancellor. In England, silence is the same as compliance. More makes sure that he tells no one, not even his wife, about his opinions on the matter. He does this so she will not perjure herself if a trial was held. He believed that if she lied under oath that she would go to hell. Even though silence was supposed to mean agreement, the King demands that More say it is ok for him to declare himself Head of the Church. More refuses to do this because it goes against hid religion and he doesn’t want to go to hell. Because of this, More is imprisoned as a traitor for years. After a while, his family is allowed to visit. They try to convince him to save himself but he refuses. His old friends try to convince him as well, but all attempts are futile. His trial is held and he is convicted because of Richard’s testimony. Although More had been kind to him before, Richard lied under oath so he would be convicted. More finally states his opinion on the matter, saying that it goes against England’s and God’s law to declare himself head of the Church of England. More is executed after his trial.
2) What did Henry say was the reason for divorcing his wife in terms of duty ethics and teleological ethics? The King claimed that it was his duty to leave a male heir to inherit the throne. His wife, Catherine, had not yet produced any male children. He said this when divorcing his first two wives as well. Kind