THOMAS CROMWELL AND RICHARD RICH

THOMAS CROMWELL AND RICHARD RICH
ANALYSIS OF THE TWO CHARACTERS- Cromwell is a foil for Sir Thomas More's inviolable self. As the successor of Cardinal Wolsey, who died in disgrace for having failed the King, Thomas Cromwell has the duty of being the "keeper" of the King's "ravenous" conscience. Cromwell has the responsibility of ensuring that the King can live life according to his personal desires, comfort, and convenience, and then refer to these as his conscience. If a hypocritical king wants to inhabit the moral high ground, he needs an amoral ally like Cromwell to do his dirty work.
In a sense, Cromwell shares traits with the Common Man. He is a lower-class man who makes it big and ends up following only his own interests. As opposed to the Common Man and Rich, however, Cromwell shows no indication that he might overcome his narrow perspective. He is not tormented by his conscience, because he does not seem to have one. He is not "just doing his job," l...