NON-AFRICAN DRAMA ROBERT BOLT: A Man For All Seasons Examine the contribution of Richard Rich to the development of the plot

Richard Rich and the Development of the Plot

Richard Rich is one of the most important minor characters in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. Although he is not a powerful man at the beginning of the play, his ambition, greed and betrayal make him a major instrument in the destruction of Sir Thomas More. Through Rich, Bolt develops the action towards More’s trial and execution.

At the beginning, Rich is presented as an unemployed Cambridge graduate who seeks More’s help in obtaining a government appointment. More, however, advises him to become a teacher, because he believes that Rich does not have the moral strength needed for public life. Rich rejects this honest advice because he desires wealth, influence and rapid advancement. This incident introduces Rich’s ambition and establishes the contrast between More’s integrity and Rich’s willingness to sacrifice principle for success.

Rich subsequently becomes a useful tool in the hands of Thomas Cromwell, More’s chief enemy. Cromwell recognises Rich’s weakness and exploits his hunger for office. Rich supplies information which can be used against More, including the matter of the silver cup which More had given him after receiving it from a female litigant. Cromwell attempts to use the cup as evidence that More accepted bribes. Thus, Rich helps to move the plot from private suspicion and political pressure to an organised attempt to destroy More.

Furthermore, Rich serves as a foil to More. While More insists that a man must preserve his conscience and remain faithful to the law, Rich believes that “every man has his price.” Their contrasting attitudes deepen the central conflict of the play: the conflict between moral integrity and worldly ambition. More’s trust in Rich also makes Rich’s betrayal more painful and significant.

Rich’s greatest contribution occurs at More’s trial, which is the climax of the play. Since More’s silence has made it difficult for Cromwell to secure a conviction, Rich gives false evidence. He swears that More denied the King’s supremacy during a private conversation in the Tower. This perjured testimony provides the evidence needed to condemn More. Rich is therefore the immediate agent whose lie leads directly to More’s sentence of death.

The irony of Rich’s role is made clear when it is revealed that he has been rewarded with the office of Attorney-General for Wales. More’s response, “But for Wales!”, shows the smallness of the reward for which Rich has sold his conscience and destroyed his former friend. Rich’s advancement is therefore set against More’s fall: Rich gains office dishonourably, while More loses his life honourably.

In conclusion, Richard Rich develops the plot by introducing the theme of ambition, assisting Cromwell’s campaign against More, providing material for the accusation against him, and finally giving the false testimony that secures More’s conviction. He is a foil to More and an embodiment of the corruption which the play condemns.