This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)Cardinal Wolsey, the Lord Chancellor of England, summons Sir Thomas More to Hampton Court, one of the principal royal palaces in the vicinity of London, for a private, late-night meeting. As both men know, King Henry VIII wishes to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. Saying that England needs a male heir to prevent another period of dynastic wars like the Wars of the Roses and that Henry's present queen cannot provide one, Wolsey chastises More for being the only member of the Privy Council to oppose Wolsey's policies to obtain a divorce from the Vatican. More states that it is appropriate to try to persuade the Pope to grant a divorce by argument, but that he can never go along with Wolsey's suggestion that they apply "pressure" on Church property and revenue in England to force the issue. To Wolsey's fury, More responds, "No, Your Grace. I am not going to help you." Unknown to More, the conversation is overheard by Wolsey's aide, Thomas Cromwell.Returning by a River Thames ferry to his home at Chelsea at dawn, More finds Richard Rich, a young acquaintance from Cambridge, waiting by the dock for his return. An ambitious young man who is drawn to political power, Rich pleads with More for a position at Court. More, citing the many corruptions there, refuses and urges Rich to become a teacher at Cambridge instead.More enters his house to find his daughter Meg chatting with a brilliant young lawyer named William Roper, who announces his desire to marry her. The devoutly Catholic More states that he respects Roper but that his answer will remain, "No," as long as Roper remains a Lutheran.When Wolsey's measures to obtain a divorce from the Pope fail, he is deprived of his office and banished from Court by the King. The King proposes to imprison Wolsey and try him for treason, but before that can happen Wolsey dies. King Henry appoints More as Lord Chancellor of England.Soon after, the King makes an "impromptu" visit to the More estate to inquire about his divorce. Sir Thomas, not wishing to admit that his conscience forbids him to use unethical means to get the results the King demands, remains unmoved as Henry alternates between threats, tantrums, and promises of unbounded Royal favour. More finally refers to Catherine of Aragon as "the Queen," and the King screams that those who call her that are liars and traitors. Enraged, King Henry returns to his barge and orders the oarsmen to cast off. At the embankment, Rich is asked by Cromwell whether he has information that could damage More's reputation. In exchange, Cromwell promises him a position at Court.Roper, learning of More's quarrel with the King, reveals that his religious opinions have altered considerably. He declares that by attacking the Church, the King has become "the Devil's minister." A horrified More admonishes him to be more guarded as Rich arrives, pleading again for a position at Court. When More again refuses, Rich denounces More's steward as a spy for Cromwell. An unmoved More responds, "Of course, that's one of my servants."Humiliated, Rich joins Cromwell in attempting to bring down More. Meanwhile, the King tires of Papal refusals and has Parliament declare him "Supreme Head of the Church of England." He demands that both the bishops and Parliament renounce all allegiance to the Pope. More quietly resigns as Lord Chancellor rather than accept the new order. As he does so, his close friend, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, attempts to draw his opinions out as part of a friendly chat with no witnesses present. More, however, knows that the time for speaking openly of such matters is over.Cromwell, in a meeting with Norfolk, implies that More's troubles would be alleviated were he to attend the King's wedding to Anne Boleyn. When More declines to appear, he is summoned again to Hampton Court, now occupied by Cromwell. More is interrogated on his opinions but refuses to answer. Infuriated, Cromwell declares that the King views him as a traitor, but allows him to return home.Upon returning home, Meg informs her father that a new oath is being circulated and that all must take it or face charges of high treason. Initially, More says he would be willing to take the oath, provided it refers only to the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn. Upon learning that it names the King as Supreme Head of the Church, More refuses to take it and is subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London.Despite the coercive tactics of Cromwell, the subtle manipulations of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and the pleadings of both the Duke of Norfolk and his own family, More remains steadfast in his refusal to take the Oath. He refuses to explain his objections, knowing that he cannot be convicted without a stated reason. A request for new books to read backfires, resulting in confiscation of the books he has, and Richard Rich removes them from More's cell.More is finally brought to trial, but refuses to speak about the marriage or why he will not take the Oath, and cites his silence in defense. Rich then testifies that when he came to take away More's books, More told him he would not take the Oath because the King could not be Head of the Church, thus committing treason by contradicting the Act of Supremacy. More is convicted of treason on the perjured testimony of Rich, who has been made Attorney General for Wales as a reward.Now having nothing left to lose, More denounces the King's actions as illegal. As grounds, he cites the Biblical basis for the authority of the Papacy over Christendom. He further declares that the Church's immunity to State interference is guaranteed both in Magna Carta and in the King's own Coronation Oath. As the audience screams in protest, More is condemned to death by beheading. Before his execution on Tower Hill, More pardons the executioner, and says, "I die His Majesty's good servant, but God's first."A narrator (voiced by Colin Blakely, who also played the part of More's servant Matthew) intones the epilogue:"Thomas More's head was stuck on Traitors' Gate for a month. Then his daughter, Margaret, removed it and kept it 'til her death. Cromwell was beheaded for high treason five years after More. The Archbishop was burned at the stake. The Duke of Norfolk should have been executed for high treason, but the King died of syphilis the night before. Richard Rich became Chancellor of England and died in his bed."
Output: Question: What does More determine is best to do after he refuses to grant the King's divorce?, Answer: He resigns as Lord Chancellor.