A Man for All Seasons

by

Robert Bolt

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on A Man for All Seasons makes teaching easy.

Cardinal Wolsey Character Analysis

Thomas Wolsey is a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Lord Chancellor, an adviser to the King. When England was a part of the Catholic Church he served as a liaison between the King and the Pope. He likes Thomas More, but finds his refusal to cooperate with the King frustrating. Bolt describes Wolsey as being incredibly smart, incredibly ambitious, and incredibly unhappy. Although he was eventually accused of treason, he died before he could be tried and executed.

Cardinal Wolsey Quotes in A Man for All Seasons

The A Man for All Seasons quotes below are all either spoken by Cardinal Wolsey or refer to Cardinal Wolsey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Financial vs. Moral Richness Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Wolsey: It’s a devious situation.
More: There must be something simple in the middle of it. (Again this is not a moral dictum; it is said rather wistfully, as of something he is beginning to doubt)
Wolsey: I believe you believe that. You’re a constant regret to me, Thomas. If you could just see the facts flat on, without that horrible moral squint; with just a little common sense, you could have been a statesman.

Related Characters: Sir Thomas More (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey (speaker)
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:

Well…I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties…they lead their country by a short route to chaos.

Related Characters: Sir Thomas More (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire A Man for All Seasons LitChart as a printable PDF.
A Man for All Seasons PDF

Cardinal Wolsey Quotes in A Man for All Seasons

The A Man for All Seasons quotes below are all either spoken by Cardinal Wolsey or refer to Cardinal Wolsey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Financial vs. Moral Richness Theme Icon
).
Act 1 Quotes

Wolsey: It’s a devious situation.
More: There must be something simple in the middle of it. (Again this is not a moral dictum; it is said rather wistfully, as of something he is beginning to doubt)
Wolsey: I believe you believe that. You’re a constant regret to me, Thomas. If you could just see the facts flat on, without that horrible moral squint; with just a little common sense, you could have been a statesman.

Related Characters: Sir Thomas More (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey (speaker)
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:

Well…I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties…they lead their country by a short route to chaos.

Related Characters: Sir Thomas More (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis: