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This comment I am posting is a request for an answer that is quite important to me. So I would really appreciate an answer from Professor John Guy, who is, in my opinion the right person to anyone who has doubts about Sir Thomas More and the Tudors Era.
I have become more and more interested in Sir Thomas More. I have read about him, I have seen films about him, I have read articles and opinions from all kinds of people. And therefore, I have developed an opinion of Sir Thomas.
In my opinion, Sir Thomas More wasn´t perfect. By any means. I often define him as being a hero with a dark side. He was a man. A deeply religious man who had flaws, who wasn´t as naïve as people think. He had fears, weaknesses. He complex and contradictory. And the fact that he was a very religious man, made him, sometimes, contradict his condition as a humanist and contradict some ideals that he should defend. But I sincerely think that he was an honest, integrate, humble, and honourable man in a corrupt Court. He had the guts, the courage to stand against a King. He ignored the pleas of his family. For me, I think that it wasn´t just a matter of going to Heaven or Hell as some people argue. Besides that, it was a matter of not betraying his beliefs, of not bending according to the circumstances. I think that calling him "a man for all seasons" it´s not wrong. This doesn t mean that he is perfect; it simply means that he didn´t bent, that he didn´t change his principles and beliefs for almost anything.
This is how I see More. And I want to know what is your actual and real opinion of Thomas More. Of the private and public man. Of his character. I don´t want you to tell me that he is a Saint and completely demoted of flaws because that´s not true. But I refuse to believe that he was a “particularly nasty sadomasochistic pervert” as Jasper Ridley defined him.
I know this is a difficult question. There are so many aspects of More´s life that we still don´t know. And it may seem reducing to ask such a plain question but I assure that it´s very important to me. Unfortunately I am the kind of student that when has something in her mind cant forget it until receive an answer. And I consider Professor Guy the right person to answer my question.
I don´t know if this comment is ever going to be read by Professor Guy and I don´t know if I am ever going to receive an answer but I must accentuate how I would appreciate an answer in this matter.
I also must apologize for any grammar mistakes that this comment may contain. English is not my mother language. And I also would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this answer may cause.
Daniela Major
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