Yes, the change in Cromwell - my concept of the change was he gets too close to the wives and seeing the death of Anne I think was an assault on his moral character - when he answers his son about her keep looking at the tower hoping for a last minuet reprieve I thought that is a key that in reality he was also hoping for but realized none would be coming and they were going head long into the atrocity he had to witness. Seeing someone you helped and advised and saw vulnerable and even realizing her stubbornness was in face of palace intrigue as well as wanting a life - seeing her beheaded you would have to do something with your feelings that would be beyond raw.
I'm thinking the assault on his emotions would be greater than he could allow to wash over him and accept especially knowing the reason for her death to satisfy the king's desire for a son and so Cromwell no longer does his job from a place of logic and feelings but hides in his role with all its elevated power to the point he overestimates his position and power by sharing with those he thinks if not friends at least beholden to him his secret support made to Kathrine to take care of Mary.
This new personality, drunk with power is how I would describe it, will be his downfall - I think he now finally understands that Henry is actually a weak and little man who uses his power ruthlessly for his own ends and his, Cromwell's role is an extension - he, Cromwell is only there to make happen the king's wishes and the King is a selfish little man and so Cromwell starts to see an avenue to use independently the power he realizes he has without covering his independent acts
I'm thinking we know the story and can accept Anne's beheading coming - although showing some of the brutality of the beheading it would not be the same as knowing the person and although knowing what was coming actually witnessing the brutal death of this young woman. To my way of thinking to Cromwell her beheading stripped something away like humanity and so, he has to close off his own humanity because I'm thinking he has no words or feelings to describe what he just witnessed, that was even greater knowing why this brutal act. That to me is the light - the light of realization and the mirror my guess will be he, Cromwell will sink into cutting himself off from his own humanity and becomes a pawn to power, mirroring the King who is nothing but a tub of power. Only this tub has greater power than Cromwell.
This line of thinking could bite me but I had not read the book and just from watching Sunday night this was my take away...
Frybabe yes, I too bristled at the concept of not worrying over things you can change - what helped me understand where he is coming from is someplace among these many post-its there is one about how not to complain - it suggests you either do something about the problem or forget it since complaining is simply looking for attention and so, in this post-it I leaped past the words about not worrying about what I can control to the concept you do something about it and part of 'doing' is understanding the issue which can look like unnecessarily worry or - as many call pondering - the looking at all sides to come up with a good solution - some call that process worry - some cultures even have worry beads and so to my way of thinking there can be two sides to worry - the pondering or the agitation that comes with anxiety developing no plan to alter the situation. I've also experienced a few times to my shock and amazement, left alone some things take care of themselves and here I got into a stew over nothing.
Words are funny - I've been hit in the face recently how we use words to convey meaning based on our own history with words - I was talking with Katha last week about my concern that I had things on the old computer that still runs on Word 7 that I really need to transfer so I don't loose it to the newer computer and how someone we both know had set a link on both computers so I can easily transfer word documents from one to the other and I forgot how to use the link - and she was coming up with ideas that made no sense to me - we went on like this for minimum 5 minutes but more like 10- I kept saying how if a loose the old computer then I would still have the documents - well we laughed it was my use of the word loose - she knew I don't use an iphone or a tablet but these large computers - she is thinking how on earth could I loose something that large - and of course I am thinking of loosing as the computer dying never to come back on again - after all it has to be at least 15 years old if not older.
That is why I've always loved posting and reading on Senior Learn - when everyone chips in their ideas there is always for me an aha or another way to look at something
Which by the way Ginny, Wolsey is a figure in his imagination isn't he? It took two of his appearances and the way the wording was acted before it hit that Wolsey had already died and so this would be Cromwell's memory of how he thinks Wolsey would speak to him. Hmmm I probably need to follow your lead and watch this again - don't know now if Wolsey is saying the words that is the 'right' conscious of Cromwell and that this exchange is acknowledging that Cromwell knows he is now not the man he was where as Wolsey was staying true to his convictions even on his way to his trial.
And yes, the movie the Conclave - have it on my list but have not watched it yet. I understand all those present at the Pope's called Conclave did watch the movie - from what I gather reading the various reports it was a lot of time that helped cement the bishops to Frances but nothing of value for the laity came out of the conclave - there is a book I have on my list to read titled Conclave - don't know if it is the book that was made into the movie or another story of a conclave -
