1. In the novel Wolf Hall, characters make negative opinions about lawyers, viewing them as corrupt thieves who use words to deceive people and amass wealth and land.
2. When introduced to Princess Mary, Thomas Cromwell is described by Queen Katherine as a former money-lender who now writes all the laws, showing a misunderstanding of lawyers' roles.
3. While these negative stereotypes were valid during Cromwell's time, today lawyers are highly respected and have clear duties to interpret rather than write laws, though some still damage the profession's image.
1. In the novel Wolf Hall, characters make negative opinions about lawyers, viewing them as corrupt thieves who use words to deceive people and amass wealth and land.
2. When introduced to Princess Mary, Thomas Cromwell is described by Queen Katherine as a former money-lender who now writes all the laws, showing a misunderstanding of lawyers' roles.
3. While these negative stereotypes were valid during Cromwell's time, today lawyers are highly respected and have clear duties to interpret rather than write laws, though some still damage the profession's image.
1. In the novel Wolf Hall, characters make negative opinions about lawyers, viewing them as corrupt thieves who use words to deceive people and amass wealth and land.
2. When introduced to Princess Mary, Thomas Cromwell is described by Queen Katherine as a former money-lender who now writes all the laws, showing a misunderstanding of lawyers' roles.
3. While these negative stereotypes were valid during Cromwell's time, today lawyers are highly respected and have clear duties to interpret rather than write laws, though some still damage the profession's image.
Wolf Hall Reaction Paper One instance wherein a character from Wolf Hall made an opinion about the legal profession was the scene wherein Thomas Cromwell returned to his childhood home and had a confrontation with his father, Walter Cromwell. In this scene, Walter Cromwell’s dialogue is “Lawyer is it? You were always a talker. A slap in the mouth couldn’t cure it… Law. If it weren’t for the so called law I’d be a lord. Cromwells had money. We had estates. Thieved off us. By lawyers.” As clearly stated in Walter Cromwell’s dialogue, his opinion about lawyers is that they are the kind of people who are verbose and corrupt by nature. He considers them as thieves who are capable of deceiving people through their convincing yet fraudulent words. Another scene in which a character made an opinion about the legal profession was when Thomas Cromwell went to Queen Katherine and Princess Mary as ordered by the King. Queen Katherine introduced Thomas Cromwell to Princess Mary by stating that, “This is Master Cromwell. He used to be a money-lender. Now he writes all the laws.” The understanding of Queen Katherine as to what a lawyer does is that he basically writes the law which is to be approved by the King and to be applied by the people. During Cromwell’s time, these opinions remain valid and true. There wasn’t much laws passed during this era and most of the laws were ordered by the King. Because of this, the King was given great importance and a lot of people tried to get in the close circle of the King so that they would be given wealth and power in the society. Since the King’s trusted advisors and close friends are mostly lawyers, they have the power to amass vast lands and great amount of wealth. This is in relation to how Cromwell’s father depicts lawyers as land grabbers and cunning thieves. Well of course, such stereotyping does not apply to all. There are also others who remain dignified through their good deeds and principles. On the other hand, in relation to the opinion of Queen Katherine as to what lawyers are during that era, it is true that Cromwell was writing laws even if he is a lawyer whose duty was to interpret laws rather than making them but since he is part of parliamentary, they were tasked to pass laws to be approved by the King. Moreover, there is a sarcastic side as to how the queen depicted Cromwell as a commoner who suddenly rose to position because of his profession. The opinions of the characters in the series however, does not apply to the current times. It is because lawyers are limited as to their powers in acquiring real and personal property. This is mostly the case for judges of the court wherein they cannot acquire property that is the subject of litigation. Due process must first be undergone before they can obtain such property. Nowadays, lawyers in general, are highly respected because of the nobility of their profession and the principles that are continuously being upheld. However, it cannot be denied that there are still others that defame such respectable image. The duty of a lawyer in our country is not to write or pass laws since that is the duty of the legislative. In some circumstances however, a lawyer may also join the legislative (as a member of the Congress) which would allow him the capacity to pass laws. But basically, the main objective of lawyers are to interpret the laws and to acquire fundamental knowledge in learning the intent of the lawmakers so that they may clearly apply these laws in certain cases. Indeed, Wolf Hall has highlighted a lot of insights regarding the legal profession but in my opinion, what makes a good lawyer is not because of his current standing in society or his intelligent mind rather it is the reasonableness of the principle which he stands by and valiantly defends with all his honor and dignity.