More and Galileo

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the characters Galileo and Sir Thomas More in these dramatic plays. The paper explains how these protagonists offer a sense of the individual conscience that must escape the limitations of human law that are imposed upon society. The paper demonstrates how in both cases, More and Galileo must contend with the severe religious domination that the Church of Rome imposed on science, as well as those placed upon marriage laws in regards to Henry VIII. The paper notes, however, that the absolutism that Galileo offers is different than More's, in that he is willing to suffer and be punished for his heresy against the Biblical foundation of science in astronomy.

From the Paper:

"The aim of this historical and philosophical study will be to evaluate the protagonists Galileo and Sir Thomas More in the plays "Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht and "A Man for All Seasons" by Robert Bolt. By understanding the characterizations given to these characters by these playwrights, one can evaluate the similarities and differences in their individual conscience and societal values they impart on culture. In this manner, the individual self takes precedence in historical aspects of science and politics, but the societal values conflict with this behavior throughout the evolution of plot within these dramatic formats."

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