"If we should bump into one another, recognize me."

- Common Man, to the audience.

In my attempt at narrowing my research topic (the common man of the Rennaissance) I couldn't help but go back to one of my all-time favorite plays- "A Man For All Seasons" by Robert Bolt. The play covers Sir Thomas More's last years and chronicles the events surrounding his appointment as Lord Chancellor, refusal to endorse Henry VIII's divorce, and finally his execution.


The most interesting character in "A Man For All Seasons" is Common Man. Common Man is in nearly every scene, playing various background characters. Common Man is More's servant in the first scene but with the change of a hat and jacket Common Man becomes a boatman, a jailer, and even More's executioner. Common Man represents the common rennaissance player, insignificant in royal eyes, yet the backbone of nations.


As I research the common man and his life and influence on the grander picture, Robert Bolt's Common Man will be my starting point. I am going to look at each of Common Man's roles, exploring the servant, the boatman, the jailer, etc... We know what the kings and queens of England did. We have documented their every move. I want to know what filled the life of the common man.

(to be approved by Professor Kilgore.)