Topic > The Utopia of Thomas More and its Context - 3393

The Utopia is the seminal work of Sir Thomas More, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the problems of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, court ostentation, abuse of power by absolute monarchs and the mistreatment of the poor. . As a result, 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 simply presents his ideas in the form of political satire, revealing the evils of his time. More wrote his novel in 1516, a time when the first phase of the Renaissance was over and the Reformation was about to break out. The pioneer architects, Brunelleschi, Alberti and Bramante were dead, Michelangelo had just completed the Sistine Chapel and while he worked on the completion of St. Peter's, Leonardo da Vinci had only three years to live and Raphael four. Machiavelli had completed The Prince in 1513 and the Medici had just returned to Florence after 20 years of exile under the reign of Savonarola. More was directly linked to the Italian humanist tradition through his teacher at Oxford University, Grocyn, who had studied in Florence and Rome. But he was also a close friend of Erasmus, whose outspoken criticism of the church had been described as "the egg that Luther hatched when he launched the Reformation." In 1517, a year after the completion of Utopia, Luther published his 95 Theses, and the subsequent movement ended the hopes of men like More and Erasmus that reform in the church could be achieved. paper... under his rule, and was a fierce critic of Luther, behavior that would lead to his expulsion from Utopia. This is covered by Hythloday's comment "because human nature is subject to change". Thomas More's Utopia describes his thoughts on the quality of leadership of the royal family and government, social justice through the institution of the family, healthcare and slavery, as well as religion, in a time that was both oppressive and tyrannical. Governments controlled how people led their lives and Utopia reflects his passion for his ideas, morals, values ​​and ethics. His passion for the art of writing is demonstrated by More's encouragement of Raphael's service to the king. More combines letters, a critique of society, and a portrait of his ideal society, to offer the audience challenges and therefore solutions to what he believed were society's flaws..