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Cromwell has not become Mantel's flawed moral exemplar because he softens Henry's harsh policies. On the other hand, Thomas More, Bolt's hero, becomes a religious fanatic under Mantel's pen who refers to opponents in harsh, scatological language and who also tortures those whose religious views differ from his.
There are obviously different interpretations of history at play in the different portrayals of Bolt and Mantel. But more importantly, both seem to have different views of what is morally exemplary. Bolt's More defines himself in terms of core beliefs and commitments and then remains true to these even in the face of overwhelming external challenge. His claim to being a moral exemplar is based on his commitments and his giving up his life to remain true to these. Mantel's Cromwell is a bit more complicated. He is less committed to principle and more to compromise, to integrating differing and contending individuals and their positions, and to making the world a better place by gradually humanizing government and business.
| Hilary Mantel--Wolf Hall | Robert Bolt--A Man for All Seasons | |
| Thomas More | Mantel portrays More as a religious fanatic. His refusal to respect those who disagree with him and his use of torture to convert them to his own religious views betray, for Mantel, his own unacknowledged self-doubts. | Bolt portrays More as a saint of selfhood. More's religious beliefs penetrate to his core self and arise out of a constellation of values, principles, and commitments that define his identity. More holds strongly to these identity-conferring beliefs and keeps them in-tact even in the face of extreme pressure to deny them. |
| Thomas Cromwell | Mantel provides an unflinching yet humanistic portrayal of Cromwell. In order to do good in a corrupt political environment, Cromwell makes considerable concessions to expediency. But his overall aim is to humanize England through the personal influence he exercises on its king and through the civilizing influence of international business. | Bolt sees Cromwell as Machiavellian. We see Cromwell through More's eyes as one who will sacrifice basic religious and moral truths for short-term political gain. Cromwell will undertake a course of action with double effects if the good consequences outweigh the bad. However, once Cromwell sacrifices principle and commitment, he loses his moral compass and sense of identity. |
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