Content Warning: The novel and the guide reference pregnancy loss and domestic abuse.

Thomas Cromwell is the protagonist of the novel and of the Wolf Hall trilogy. Most of the action is presented from his point of view, and the narrative provides access to his thoughts and inner world. When the plot of Bring Up the Bodies is unfolding, Thomas is about 50 years old, with “a labourer’s body, stocky, useful, running to fat” (6). He is not particularly handsome, but he is charismatic. Cromwell is extremely intelligent, shrewd, and psychologically astute. He can quickly understand the motivations, needs, and vulnerabilities of other people, which is a key factor in his success. Cromwell’s father was a blacksmith, and this working-class background makes his rise to prominence at the Tudor court even more notable.

Cromwell focuses relentlessly on the future and compartmentalizes his past, so that he “is starting afresh, always new thoughts, new feelings” (30). This focus on the future allows him to adjust his perception and not be hampered by loyalties or sentimentality; he is also extremely pragmatic. However, the narrative reveals that Cromwell is capable of deep feeling; he has strong affection for his son, his nephew Richard, and other members of his household.