Sir Thomas More (play) - Characters

Characters

Sir Thomas More would have been an extraordinary play, apart from the questions involving its revision. It has an unusually high total of 59 speaking parts, including 22 in the first 500 lines of the play; this, plus crowd scenes, would have taxed the ability of any playing company of the time to stage it. The job could only be managed through complex doubling and more-than-doubling of roles by the actors. Out of necessity, the play is structured to allow for this multiple doubling of roles: it is set up in three phases—More's rise; More's Chancellorship; More's fall—with very limited overlap between the thirds. Only three characters, More himself and the Earls of Shrewsbury and Surrey, appear in all three portions; six other characters—Lady More, Palmer, Roper, Sergeant Downes, the Lord Mayor, and a sheriff—appear in two of the three segments.

  • Thomas More–English lawyer, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was undersheriff of the City of London 1510-18, an important Councillor to Henry VIII of England, appointed under-treasurer of the Exchequer in 1521, elected the Speaker of the House of Commons in 1523, and served as Lord Chancellor 1529–1532.
  • Earl of Shrewsbury
  • Earl of Surrey–Characterised as Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, but historically his father, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
  • John Lincoln–a broker (the only executed rioter named by Holinshed)
  • Williamson–a carpenter (a conflation of two citizens mentioned in Holinshed)
  • Doll–wife to Williamson
  • George Betts–a citizen
  • Clown Betts–Ralph, his brother (Holinshed mentions two brothers named "Bets" who were sentenced to death but pardoned)
  • Sherwin–a goldsmith (mentioned in Holinshed as sentenced to death but pardoned)
  • Francis de Barde–a Lombard (Lombards were known as bankers and pawnbrokers in London)
  • Cavaler–a Lombard or a Frenchman, associated with de Barde
  • Lord Mayor of London–historically John Rest
  • Justice Suresby–a magistrate, described by Thomas Stapleton as "an old and grave man"
  • Lifter–a cutpurse
  • Smart–a plaintiff to Cutpurse in court (non-speaking role)
  • Recorder–a court clerk who delivers the sentences to those convicted by the court
  • Sir Thomas Palmer–soldier and friend to King Henry VIII
  • Sir Roger Chomley–historically the Lieutenant of the Tower of London, but portrayed in the play as a member of the Council
  • Sir John Munday–an alderman
  • Downes–a Sergeant-at-Arms to the King who is injured in the riots and whose life was saved by More
  • Apprentices–Harry, Robin, Kit
  • Croftes–a messenger
  • Randall–Servant to More
  • Morris–secretary to the Bishop of Winchester
  • Jack Falconer–servant to Morris and a ruffian
  • Erasmus–a Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and classical scholar
  • The Lord Cardinal's Players stage The Marriage of Wit and Wisdom–Inclination, Prologue, Wit, Lady Vanity–played by a boy, and Luggins–a player cast as Good Counsel who arrives too late to act in the play
  • William Roper–More's son-in-law
  • Roper's wife–Margaret, More's daughter
  • Her sister–either Elizabeth (b. 1506), Cicely (b. 1507), or his stepdaughter, Alice
  • Lady More–More's second wife, Alice
  • Catesby–More's household steward
  • Gough–More's secretary
  • Dr. Fisher, Bishop of Rochester
  • Lieutenant of the Tower of London
  • Gentleman Porter of the Tower
  • Three Warders of the Tower
  • Hangman
  • A poor woman–a client of More
  • Servants to More–Ned Butler, Robin Brewer, Giles Porter, and Ralph HorseKeeper
  • Two Sheriffs
  • Messengers
  • Clerk of the Council
  • Officers, justices, rioters, citizens, City Guard, attendants, serving-men, aldermen, ladies, Lords of the Council

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