Welcome back to Court and to the final episode of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”
We have come to episode six, Light, and this may be my favorite of the entire two seasons. This episode did something I did not think was possible – make me feel sympathy for Thomas Cromwell. This series did what I feel the books did not do – show that Cromwell did feel remorse or at least questioned the actions he took to stay at the top of Henry’s good graces. As someone who is an “Anne Stan” I will always have a negative opinion of the real Cromwell. The absolute horrible lies he created to take Anne Boleyn down are unforgiveable. Yes, Henry tasked him to help him put Anne aside, but to manufacture the tales of her sleeping with basically every man at Court (and an incestuous relationship with her brother George) was overkill. He had to know that this was going to lead to the death of six innocent people. One can only imagine that is exactly what he wanted.
All that being said, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” is historical fiction. Hilary Mantel’s trilogy is written to tell the story of the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, and to try and see things from his perspective. I appreciate this point of view, even if I do not necessarily agree with it. What I think the series has done that the books did not is humanize Cromwell in a way I did not expect. That may be down to the amazing acting by Mark Rylance and the remarkable adaptation of the books into a literal Masterpiece of a series. I felt in The Mirror and the Light book Cromwell never had any regret about the role he played in the downfall of Anne Boleyn. In the book he never realized the rumors and innuendo he used to take her and 5 others to their death were now being used to do the same to him. The episode Light I think rectifies that. I think we see (literally) Cromwell is haunted by some of the choices he has made while climbing the ladder to become one of the most powerful men in England, and right-hand man of the King. The real Thomas Cromwell was (in my opinion) a brut – the Thomas Cromwell on our screens is a man who did what he need to do to stay alive and to keep the Reformation moving forward. I have empathy for the character of Cromwell that I do not have for the actual man.
This series was remarkable in so many ways – the acting, the writing, the costumes, the music; but it was the little details that really made it special.
The parallel scene of Anne Boleyn being brought by barge and looking up at the Tower in Episode 1 Wreckage by Cromwell, then 4 years later it’s Cromwell being brought and looking at that same Tower was perfect. Also, like Anne, Cromwell was imprisoned in the Royal Apartments of the Tower, perhaps giving him hope that Henry would reconsider. Fun Fact: The Tower of London was not always a grim, forbidding prison. It was used as a royal residence and was the place where a King or Queen would stay the night before their coronation.
There is not much I can add about the scenes of the sham interrogation of Cromwell by Norfolk, Gardiner, Riche and Wriothesley. This is acting at its finest. The way Cromwell volleys every accusation and indictment is beautiful to watch – even Roger Federer would be impressed. He calls out Wriothesley and Riche like the weasels they are, and they can’t even look at him.
I believe Cromwell knew that no matter what he said, his fate was cast. False claims and words taken out of context were how he doomed Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston; Sir William Brereton, George and Anne Boleyn; now the tide had turned.
Even Cromwell’s letter to Henry begging for “mercy, mercy, mercy” is to no avail. He gets the news that he will be executed by the axe, instead of the more gruesome traitor’s death of being hanged, drawn and quartered.
We see Cromwell escorted to the scaffold at Tower Hill where he will have a very public execution. I have always found it disturbing that so many people would choose to watch an execution. Damianista, in her wonderful recap of the episode found it most bizarre that Cromwell paid the executioner for their services. However, this was a common practice. The executioner in turn would often ask for forgiveness of the condemned.
Paying the executioner was a practical and self-preserving act. The convicted would often give money to ensure a swift and clean execution. Executioners were skilled, but accidents or “mistakes” could happen—sometimes intentionally—if the executioner was dissatisfied or poorly compensated. A botched execution could lead to prolonged suffering, so paying the executioner was seen as a way to secure a more merciful end.
As for forgiveness, it was customary for the executioner to ask for it before carrying out the sentence. This was both a moral and religious gesture, acknowledging the severity of taking a life, even under legal orders. Many condemned individuals granted forgiveness, seeing it as a final act of grace or a way to ensure their own spiritual peace.
We do not see (or hear) Cromwell’s slaying. Instead, we see him walking through the peaceful grounds of Laudne Abbey. At the beginning of the series, I will freely admit I was looking forward to his end. I have such a dislike for Cromwell that I thought his beheading would feel like it was correct. But this series made me feel understanding for the character of Thomas Cromwell that Hilary Mantel, Peter Straughan, Peter Kosminsky and Mark Rylance created.
I think we see Cromwell, Henry, Anne, etc. as these static historical figures and sometimes forget that they were human beings that are complicated and have many facets. “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” did a tremendous job in highlighting the complexities of Thomas Cromwell. I’ll still never forgive him for Anne though!
And with that, we come to an end of Lady Tudor’s Fun Facts. I hope you enjoyed reading these posts as much as I enjoyed writing them. To be honest, my posts could have been double in length most weeks as there was so much info and background I could have added.
If you are interested in continuing to read about Tudor times, both fictional and non-fictional, below I have listed some of my favorite authors. The links below will take you to each author’s Amazon page and lists their many works. Also, David Starkey has a YouTube channel where his many talks about the Tudors are available for viewing.
| Historical | Historical Fiction |
| Peter Ackroyd | Philippa Gregory |
| Tracy Borman | G. Lawrence |
| Anne Somerset | Alison Weir |
| Dan Jones | Margaret George |
| David Starkey | Judith Arnopp |
| Alison Weir | Laura Andersen |
| Abigail Archer |
If there are any other Tudor Junkies out there like me, please reach out! I’d love to chat about this most unique and interesting time in English history.
If you are interested in Elizabeth I please see my biography of ‘Blanche Parry, Queen Elizabeth I’s Confidante’. Also my free website: http://www.blancheparry.com
I absolutely adore Elizabeth I, and I know how important Blanche Parry (and Kat Ashley) were to her. I would love to read your book! Thank you so much for recommending it!
The Tudor period in English history was like a soap opera with King Henry VIII’s six marriages, Lady Jane Grey’s execution as her supporters try to make her queen over Catholic, Bloody Mary, and the 45 year reign of Elizabeth I. The stories of this royal family never grow old.
This is so true! Even 500 years later we are still intrigued by this period in English history. It really is one of my favorite times to read and learn about. Thank you for reading!
Excellent adaptation of Hilary Ms books. I found the 3rd one so hard to get into but the TV show was epic! Mark Rylance is my fave actor! He made me cry! He made Crom human. Even ho he was brutish … to be in Henry’s good graces seemed impossible…he was a coward too having others do his evil deeds.
Thank you for reading! I agree 100% with you. This series was so well done on every level. Hilary Mantel certainly made Cromwell a much more sympathetic character in the book, but this series really made you feel empathy for him and what he went through.
Enjoyed the series and found it to be informative about a complicated and gruesome Era.
I would have liked a scene of Henry meeting Anne of Cleves in his ill-conceived plan and costume.
Thank you for reading. I would have loved that scene as well. I think Damian would have been amazing in that scene!
I agree. That would be epic. The thing is that the meeting scene was also only narrated by Gregory to Cromwell in the book. So I think they just stick to Mantel’s work.