(c) by Mark Dempsey
The BBC's show Wolf Hall (WH) chronicles the turbulent times of Henry VIII's rule and his relationship with his consiglieri, Thomas Cromwell. It's a more detailed look at the history than, A Man For All Seasons (AMFAS), which covers the same historical period, focusing on Thomas More, not Cromwell. AMFAS is a movie, WH is a two-season multi-episode drama that more time for a more detailed history.
AMFAS presents Thomas More across as a beacon of moral probity, refusing to compromise his religious principles about divorce when Henry VIII wants to divorce a wife who has not produced a son. Henry executes More when this uncompromising attitude threatens Henry's authority.
Wolf Hall, on the other hand, discloses that More's morality was much more ambiguous. For example, he tortured at least one of Henry's opponents. For Cromwell, carrying out Henry's wishes is full of compromises and calculations, just as More's was, even though More drew the line at endorsing Henry's divorce, while Cromwell enabled it.
One historical side note: I've read that before antibiotics and modern medicine, childbirth was fraught with peril for women. So marriages in that dark time lasted, on average, six years. Meanwhile, in modern, healthier times, marriage lasts, on average, six years. The difference: The women get to live!
The political problem of how far to go into the territory of immorality, how to administer a state, is something we struggle with even today. Comments condemning Senators and Congresspeople for compromise are endemic in political discussions.
But what is representative government if not a negotiation that, of necessity, must include compromise? Was Thomas More a prig, worthy of scorn, or was he an upright man, clear about his moral compass? Intolerance of ambiguity and compromise might produce a more moral state, or it might produce the rigid torture of Vlad the Impaler's terrified population.
Should we compromise, or hold out for moral consistency? The current setup systemically requires the former, if any public policy is to occur at all.
Update: A related story about how pursuing perfect justice degrades the pursuer.
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