Murder in the Cathedral

What Does Thomas Resolve At the End of Act I

My teacher is asking this question, and to be honest I'm quite confused. She gave me the page number (46) but I don't know if you have the same book as me, so I'll tell you the part. "And you, must all be punished. So must you. I shall no longer act or suffer, to the sword's end. etc (read all the way until the end of Act1).

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Thomas has made up his mind. He announces that the "way [is] clear" and "the meaning plain." He acknowledges the danger of the Fourth Tempter, who begged him "to do the right deed for the wrong reason." He tells how he once sought only pleasure and fame in life and never wanted to devote his life to God. In fact, he always feared that by devoting his life to the highest purpose of God, he might be more inclined to use that power and authority corruptly. He acknowledges that by accepting martyrdom, he might be judged harshly by history, but that nobody can control such things. He announces his decision: he will "no longer act or suffer," and will instead face `his martyrdom not as something he wants, but as something he is willing to accept (196-197). He has accepted his fate.