Essay on Thomas Mores Utopia and His Context - 3405 Words

Utopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas with the chaotic politics of his own country. It is important to note that More did not intend to provide an exact blueprint for a perfect society, rather he merely presents his ideas in the form of a political satire, revealing the evils of his time. More wrote his novel in 1516,†¦show more content†¦As in Platos Republic, a work from which More drew while writing Utopia, Mores work In Book 1 presents his ideas through a dialogue between two characters, Raphael Hythloday and More himself. Hythloday is a fictional character who describes his recent voyage in Book 2 to the paradise of Utopia. Throughout the work, Hythloday describes the laws, customs, system of government, and way of life that exist in Utopia to an incredulous and somewhat condescending More. The letters at the beginning of the novel raise questions about the reality or the verisimilitude of Utopia, as well as the accuracy of More’s reporting. More asks Gilles to ‘check if [he] has left anything out’. More also questions the accuracy of ‘the distance of the bridge across the river Nowater at Aircastle’, which he believes to be 500 yards, but his assistant believes it was 200 yards. He admits that ‘if you say I’m wrong, I’ll assume that I’ve made a mistake’. This shows More’s indecisiveness of getting the facts right. Ironically, More uses paradoxes in regards to his naming of places and characters. Utopia, can mean both â€Å"no place† and â€Å"good place†. The name of his protagonist, Raphael Hythloday roughly translates to: â€Å"the speaker of nonsense†. The name of the river in Utopia’s capital, Aircastle is â€Å"Nowater†. These paradoxes show that although More thought this to be his ideal society, he knew that there would never be a place that couldShow MoreRelatedThe Paradox Of Thomas Mores Utopia As An Adjective?1441 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Thomas More penned Utopia in 1535, he not only created a new genre in fiction, he also created a new adjective.   Miriam-Webster defines Utopia as: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions. An alternate definition given by the same dictionary is: an impractical scheme for social improvement.(Miriam-Webster) For the purpose of this essay we will be focusing on the latt er; Utopia as an adjective. The paradox of the paradigm of Mores Utopia is that allRead MoreThe Society Of England During The 19th Century1696 Words   |  7 Pagesproblems, Thomas More in 1516 wrote the treatise Utopia. In Utopia, More writes to address the issues of vagrancy, religious unrest, and societal disharmony in English society during his time, a goal he achieves (in the context of Utopian society), but at a cost. Vagrancy and idleness was a prevalent issue in 16th century. Due to the shortage of work available, many a man would sit about being unproductive (which often lead to committing crimes when combined with poverty). The island of Utopia fixesRead MoreThe Background Of Sir Thomas Mores Utopia2005 Words   |  9 PagesUtopia can easily be called Sir Thomas More’s most prominent and prestigious piece of writing. It tackled complex issues of religion, social status, and politics within the made up island of Utopia. To see why Sir Thomas More had such insight into these issues we must first know a bit about his background. Sir Thomas More lived from February 7, 1478 to July 6, 1535. He served as a counselor to Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England during his life. He was notably opposed to reformation, especiallyRead More Comparing Mores Utopia, Machiavellis The Discourses, and Hobbes The Leviathan2608 Words   |  11 PagesRelationship Between the Sovereign and the Subje cts in  Mores Utopia, Machiavellis The Discourses, and Hobbes The Leviathan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Thomas More, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes offer models for the relationship between the sovereign and the people in their works Utopia, The Discourses, and The Leviathan. Each argues that ensuring the common good of the people should be the primary goal of the sovereign. 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The two members of this group-Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey were the chieftains of the new literary movement. Wyatt abandoned the conventions of the long poem and the allegory which had hampered the late medieval po ets and produced the monstrosities of Lydgate and Hawes. He impartedRead MoreLiterary Review of Sexuality and Gender in Science Fiction Literature3057 Words   |  13 Pagesand texts to back up the arguments made. The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction- Edward James This book combines essays by academics and writers of SF, which examine the genre from diverse perspectives. It inspects the beginnings of SF from Thomas More to the present day, and presents significant critical approaches such as Marxism, feminism and queer theory. There is an overlap of themes throughout which provides a chance to read about interrelated subjects from different angles written by