a man for all seasons monologue
Uploaded by jmelee88 on Mar 25, 2005
Scene: After the trial, hours before his execution
Oh this wretched place, it leaks…I suppose that’s the least of my worries (thinks for a few brief seconds) particularly after that farce of a trial. Oh, poor Richard. To perjure himself to acquire possession over a land that is as filthy and worthless as Wales (laughs) not a soul in their reasonable mind would want that forsaken burden! It doesn’t tolerate thinking about. However, that’s where Richard and I differ, I have a conscience. Oh, I’m sure he has one, buried deep down along with his innocence. Oh well, he will have his reckoning with God. May He have mercy on Richard’s soul.
It is such a misfortune that clever Cromwell got a hold of him. Richard is much like a puppet; he is too weak to perform on his own yet, with the guidance of Cromwell he is easily led to power and evil. Oh, the young man should have listened to me…he should have become a respectable teacher!
However, I shouldn’t be criticizing young Richard; I was foolish enough to assume I could hide behind the law. It was absurd to believe my silence would be a virtue. I was… I am a huntsman in the forest when it comes to the law. Yes, well it seems the hunter has been hunted, and now they shall feast upon me. Oh, make no mistake. If I could have found my way to sign the Act I would have, but I couldn’t, I simply couldn’t take the oath. Taking the oath would have compromised not only my love for God, but also my integrity as a man, and to be honest, I believe execution would be less tortuous on my soul. God knows I wanted to please Henry. He, after all is my king, and I am but his humble servant. But there is a part of me, no bigger than a dew pond to him, which I must allow myself to rule. I can allow only God or myself to rule there, no other. If not for that, I would have signed the Act; but if it’s God’s will that I join him in heaven, then who am I to question?
Oh, I know my lady Alice would question that claim strongly! Alice is such simple soul. Of course, that just means that she is so often troubled by society, and...