Role of the Common Man in a Ma

In most books, small roles are never very significant, but in A Man For All Seasons one of the characters proves this wrong. The common Man is an ordinary person who the audience can relate to. This ties in with one of the main idea of the play, human nature. The audience learns that the Common Man can jump into different roles and assume that characters identity. The roles he plays although modest, are still very important to the development of the plot. The speeches that he delivers help keep the audience informed on past events and upcoming conflicts. In addition, the personality of the characters gives the audience insight into the story. The common Mans roles however minor still contribute greatly to the development of the story and, prove the importance of this character. As the audience discovers in the beginning of the play, the Common Man can change roles at will. The characters he takes on usually have very short parts. The characters are used to foreshadow future events and help in plot development. In the introduction of the play, the audience meets the Common Man. He is dressed from head to toe in black tights, which shows off his pot-bellied figure. The black clothes he wears suggest darkness and death. Next, the audience meets Steward, Thomas Mores butler. He is a humble character but has some extremely important lines that foreshadow Thomas Mores future. “… My master Thomas More would give anything away to anyone. …I say that’s bad …because some day someone’s going to ask him for something that he wants to keep; and he’ll be out of practice. There must be something he wants to keep its only common sense.” (Bolt 17) This quote foreshadows Thomas More not wanting to go against his conscience and swear to the King Henrys’ oath. The audience also meets the Boatman, who seems to be quite ordinary and poor. In the short conversation that he has with Thomas More, an additional line

Cited: Bolt, Robert. A Man For All Seasons. United States: Random House, 1962