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Richard Rich
A friend of Thomas More, and a member of the government under the King. In the Second Act he is forced to collaborate with Cromwell to try to convince More to approve the Act of Supremacy, but while Cromwell has malicious intentions, Norfolk is genuinely concerned for More’s wellbeing. He is not particularly smart or thoughtful.
Duke of Norfolk Quotes in A Man for All Seasons
The A Man for All Seasons quotes below are all either spoken by Duke of Norfolk or refer to Duke of Norfolk. 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:
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Act 1 Quotes
Norfolk:…d’you propose to meet the King disguised as a parish clerk? A parish clerk, my Lord Chancellor! You dishonor the King and his office!
More: The service of God is not a dishonor to any office. Believe me, my friend, I do not belittle the honor his Majesty is doing me.
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More is almost late to a meeting with the King because he has been praying. Norfolk doesn’t understand how prayer could be more important than a meeting with the King, and generally believes More should stop splitting his loyalty between religion and the King himself. More disagrees with Norfolk. As he argues earlier in the play, “when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties…they lead their country by a short route to chaos.” For More, loyalty to one’s conscience, loyalty to God, and loyalty to the King can and should happily coexist. The King, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia
The Apostolic Success of the Pope is—….Why it’s a theory, yes; you can’t see it; can’t touch it; it’s a theory. But what matters to me is not whether it’s true or not but that I believe it to be true, or rather, not that I believe it, but that I believe it…I trust I make myself obscure?
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Thomas More and Norfolk have gotten into an argument regarding More’s reluctance to sign the King’s Act of Supremacy. After the law passed through Parliament, More resigned from his position as Chancellor, as he would rather be unemployed than work in a government he feels is behaving immorally. Norfolk is concerned for his friend, and tries to convince him to change his mind. Norfolk is less religious and less committed to his conscience than More, and argues that More is throwing his life away for what is essentially a theory of religion—one that sees the Pope as the head of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
Norfolk: But he makes no noise, Mr. Secretary; he’s silent, why not leave him silent?
Cromwell: Not being a man of letters, Your Grace, you perhaps don’t realize the extent of his reputation. This “silence” of his is bellowing up and down Europe!
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The Duke of Norfolk has been enlisted by Cromwell to convince More to sign the Act of Supremacy. More’s silence is a threat to the King and his power, as it is embarrassing for a high-ranking formal official to publically denounce his ruler. Although More intended his silence to be neutral and hoped to prevent anyone from making any assumptions about his motivations, his silence has been interpreted as a rejection of the King and his new role in the Church of England. More believes his silence will protect him, but because it has been misinterpreted it instead incriminates him. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus te
Norfolk: …The one fixed point in a world of changing friendships is that Thomas More will not give in!
More: To me it has to be, for that’s myself! Affection goes as deep in me as you think, but only God is love right through, Howard; and that’s my self.
Norfolk: And who are you? Goddammit, man, it’s disproportionate! We’re supposed to be the arrogant ones, the proud, splenetic ones—and we’ve all given in! Why must you stand out? You’ll break my heart.
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Norfolk meets More on the banks of the river. The King has recently told Thomas Cromwell, who has passed the information on to Norfolk, that his loyalty to Thomas More makes it seem as though his loyalty to the King is split. Although some, like More, have argued it is possible to be both loyal to the King and to another person or set of moral values, the King wants devotion to him to be absolute. Norfolk cannot separate his concern for More from their friendship, and doesn’t think he can simply turn off his feelings for More like a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque o
More: The nobility of England, my lord, would have snored through the Sermon on the Mount. But you’ll labor like Thomas Aquinas over a rat-dog’s pedigree. Now what’s the name of those distorted creatures you’re all breeding at the moment?
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Norfolk: Water spaniels!
More: And what would you do with a water spaniel that was afraid of water? You’d hang it! Well, as a spaniel is to water, so is a man to his own self. I will not give in because I oppose it—I do—not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but I do—I! Is there no single sinew in the midst of this that serves no appetite of Norfolk’s but is just Norfolk? There is! Give that some exercise, my lord!
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The King has told Norfolk that he worries Norfolk’s friendship with Thomas More has compromised Norfolk’s loyalty. Thomas More understands that his friendship is dangerous, and so picks a fight with Norfolk to try and break them apart. More starts with a general criticism of the noble class in England. Because they care about their status, heritage, and inheritance, More argues that they care more about earthly luxury than about religion and morality. More argues that the nobility have traded their morality for their elite social positions, and they have forgotten what makes them human. By living their lives in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus e
Norfolk: Oh, confound all this…I’m not a scholar, as Master Cromwell never tires of pointing out, and frankly I don’t know whether the marriage was lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at those names…You know those men! Can’t you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?
More: And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?
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Thomas Cromwell, Cranmer, and Norfolk come to visit Thomas More in his prison cell. A new Act of Succession has gone through Parliament, and the King wants More to sign it. More has continued to refuse to approve the Act, but also has remained silent instead of publicly denouncing it. Cromwell has tried various strategies to get More to cave in and publically approve the Act. He has bribed him and imprisoned him, but nothing has worked. In this exchange Norfolk tries another strategy to convince More to sign the Act. Norfolk reminds More of their friendship, and argues that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Molliti
Act 2 Quotes
Norfolk: Have you anything to say?
More: Yes. To avoid this I have taken every path my winding wits would find. Now that the court has determined to condemn me, God knoweth how, I will discharge my mind…concerning my indictment and the King’s title. The indictment is grounded in an Act of Parliament which is directly repugnant to the Law of God. The King in Parliament cannot bestow the Supremacy of the Church because it is a Spiritual Supremacy! And more to this the immunity of the Church is promised both in Magna Carta and the King’s own Coronation Oath!
Cromwell: Now we plainly see that you are malicious!
More: Not so, Master Secretary! I am the King’s true subject, and pray for him and all the realm…I do none harm, I say none harm, I think none harm. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live…I have, since I came into prison, been several times in such a case that I thought to die within the hour, and I thank Our Lord I was never sorry for it, but rather sorry when it passed. And therefore, my poor body is at the King’s pleasure. Would God my death might do him some good…Nevertheless, it is not for the Supremacy that you have sought my blood—but because I would not bend to the marriage!
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After More has been found guilty by the court, he is finally given the opportunity to defend himself. He breaks his silence, and explains that he refused to sign the Act of Supremacy because he believed the Act went against God’s law. Because More believes God bestows religious supremacy, he morally could not sign an Act that said the King could bestow religious supremacy upon himself. More was not a disloyal subject, and still believed in the power of the King—he just didn’t think the King could rightly call himself the head of the Church. Once he has heard More’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis.
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Duke of Norfolk Character Timeline in A Man for All Seasons
The timeline below shows where the character Duke of Norfolk appears in A Man for All Seasons. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1
The Duke of Norfolk, More’s wife Alice, and More’s daughter Margaret enter arguing about Norfolk’s recent hunting trip. Norfolk...
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Now that they are on the topic of Thomas Cromwell, Norfolk reveals to the group that Cromwell has been promoted to the Cardinal’s Secretary. Everyone is...
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...eleven at night. As More leaves he sees that Rich is unhappy. More suggests that Norfolk employ Rich in some clerical position. Rich thanks More, and More once again tells him,...
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...two women want to know why Wolsey called More to meet. They tell More that Norfolk thinks More will be Chancellor if Wolsey dies. More tells them he doesn’t want to...
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...what Rich is doing in Hampton, and Rich explains that he is currently working for Norfolk, who came to the castle to hunt with the King. Cromwell comments on changing fortunes;...
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The scene transitions to More’s house. Alice, Margaret, and Norfolk are looking for More. The King is arriving soon on an unofficial visit (that everyone...
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...is. He then asks Margaret if she can dance, and praises her legs, while mocking Norfolk’s “wrestler’s leg.” Despite this, the King argues that he could beat Norfolk in a fight....
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...of his followers lie to him because he is king and they respect him, like Norfolk, or else because they see the ways that he can benefit them, like Cromwell. But...
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Act 2
Roper enters excitedly, announcing that Norfolk has arrived with news. Chapuys quietly pretends to leave, but stays onstage, listening. Norfolk announces...
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More refuses to answer whether or not he sees Catherine as the legitimate queen. Norfolk is confused as to why More would give up everything—money and power and “the respect...
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More asks Norfolk if he will repeat what More has said. Norfolk says no, and More points out...
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Later, presumably in the palace (although it is not stated), Norfolk and Cromwell talk in a private corner. Norfolk wants to leave More to his silence,...
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Cromwell believes More can be blackmailed for once taking a bribe. Norfolk believes that More is too upstanding to have ever accepted a bribe, but Cromwell brings...
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Before Norfolk leaves, he tells Cromwell that he isn’t interested in persecuting More. Cromwell tells Norfolk that...
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Once Norfolk has left, Cromwell and Rich begin to scheme. Rich explains he is “only anxious to...
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...is upset that he cannot get a boat to take him home. He runs into Norfolk, who criticizes his behavior. Norfolk thinks it is fine for More to put himself in...
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More begins to insult Norfolk, in an attempt to end their friendship. He begins with mild insults, but eventually accuses...
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...the play. Cromwell will be found guilty of High Treason and executed in 1540, and Norfolk will be found guilty of High Treason in 1547, although he will not be executed...
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At one o’clock in the morning, the Jailer wakes More up. Cromwell, Norfolk, and Thomas Cranmer have come to visit. Cromwell presents More with the Act of Succession,...
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Norfolk is frustrated by More’s silence. He argues that he, along with many others, have already...
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Frustrated, Cromwell, Norfolk, and Cranmer eventually leave. Cromwell asks the Jailer if he has heard More say anything...
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Norfolk begins the trial by charging More with High Treason. However, he makes it clear that...
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