UTOPIA

(AN IMAGINARY PLACE

OR
A STATE IN WHICH EVERYTHING IS PERFECT)
- Thomas More

V. FRANCIS
 THOMAS MORE

 Born in London on 6th Feb. 1478

 Studied at Oxford
 Studied law & practised
 In 1504 became the Member of Parliament
 “Beardless M. P.” (at the age of 26)
 Later became the Speaker of the House of
Commons
 A good friend of King Henry VIII
 THOMAS MORE
 Misunderstanding between King Henry VIII and
Thomas More
 King Henry VIII divorced Catherine Aragon and
married Anne Boleyn
 Church Law did not allow divorce
 King Henry VIII established his own church –
The Church of England
 More refused to take oath as Anglican –
imprisoned in the Tower
 Beheaded on 6th July, 1535
 THOMAS MORE

Pope Pious XI canonized More in 1935

Good friend of Erasmus (a Danish scholar &
Priest
“ Did nature ever create milder, sweeter or
happier than the genius of Thomas More?” –
Erasmus
“ In More’s death I seem to have died my: we
had but one soul between us” - Erasmus
 UTOPIA: THE PURPOSE
 Utopia gives direction to rulers how to govern their states
 The main theme of Utopia is the best state and the best
structure for a society in which man may live happily with
his fellow beings
 It presents a picture of an ideal society and also a
dramatic portrayal of contemporary society
 “Sparta, Athens and Rome would not now be lying in
ruins if they had known and followed the laws expounded
in Utopia” – Jerome Busleyden
 Inspiration was Plato’s Republic & Laws
 UTOPIA: CHARACTERS
• More – the narrator, an ambassador of
England (Henry VIII) to Flanders to mend the
relationship with Charles of Castile (More is
identified with Thomas More)
• Cuthbert Tunstall – another ambassador who
travels along with More
• Peter Giles – More befriends him during his
travel. Giles Introduces Hythloday to More
(Giles is a real figure, an intellectual friend of
More, who helped More to publish Utopia)
 UTOPIA: CHARACTERS
• Raphael Hythloday – a philosopher and world
traveller – lived 5 years in Utopia – he narrates his
Utopian experience – Hythlody (Greek) means ‘talker
of nonsense’
• Cardinal John Morton – Hythloday met Marton and
shared his views on the condition of England (Morton
was a real figure who was the actual Chancellor to
Henry VIII & helped More to further his education)
• Lawyer – Hythloday meets him in England
• General Utopus – founder of Utopia
 BOOK I
• More’s Travel
- More and Huthbert Tunstall are sent by Henry VIII
to Flanders to mend the relation with Charles of
Castile
- More visits Antwerp & befriends Peter Giles
- Giles introduces Hythloday to More
• Hythloday
- a mariner – a Portuguese
- knows Latin and Greek
- travelled with Amerigo Vespucci
- had various adventures & experience
HYTHLODAY’S REFUSAL TO JOIN THE
GOVERNMENT
- Giles & More request Hythloday’s service to the
king
- Most of the king’s like flatterers & sycophants
- The interests of the king’s are different from his
- Bitter memories of his meeting with Cardinal
Morton and a Lawyer
- The French king’s ambitious plan to expand his
kingdom & the privy council’s approval
- increasing king’s coffers from people’s property
HYTHLODAY’S VIEWS ON GOVERNMENTS
Capital Punishment
- against killing of thieves
- causes for theft
- jobs to people will stop death
- arable lands becoming pasture cause theft
- men become idle & thieves when they have no
job
- revival of husbandry, tillage & wool industry
- banning gambling (dice, cards, etc)
BOOK II
 GEOGRAPHY OF UTOPIA
- A crescent shaped island with a large bay
- A huge harbour
- Submerged sharp rocks
- Good for internal shipping & bad for external
- Utopians remain isolated in the island
- Earlier name – Abraxa – with rude people
- Utopus conquered & changed
- At present 54 cities with same structure,
architecture, language, customs and law
- Oneday’s walk to the nearest neighbour
- Amaurot is the political centre – every year 3
representatives from each city meet here
AGRICULTURE & CITIES IN UTOPIA
- Farmland around each city
- Everyone does 2 years agricultural work
- Surplus is shared with neighbouring cities
- Extra men are sent from cities for harvesting
- All the cities are connected to Amaurot by
water
- All the cities have good source of drinking water
- Thick walls around every city
- Well planned & well maintained cities
- 2 doors in every house but no locks – 3 stories
 GOVERNMENT IN UTOPIA

- Houses are split into groups of thirty

- these 30 houses choose a phylarch
- every 10 phylarch operate under a senior
phylarch
- senior phylarchs meet in a committee
chaired by chief executive to make decision
- Never take any haste action
 OCCUPATIONS & WORKLOAD IN
UTOPIA
- A work in farm – theory in school practical in
farm
- other trades are spinning, weaving, masonry,
blacksmithing and carpentry
- young learn the trade from fathers
- no forced occupation of the father
- work only for 6 hrs – 3 before lunch 3 after
- 8 hrs average sleep
- rest of the time intellectual pursuits & hobbies
 EDUCATION & BELIEF IN UTOPIA
- thorough education for all the children
- education for molding
- they do not believe in astrology
- Utopian philosophy is the nature of happiness
- belief in the existence of soul afterlife
- distinction between true & counterfeit pleasure
- true pleasure – knowledge, exercise, eating well
- counterfeit pleasure – pride, appearance, wealth,
titles
 PRACTICES

1. SLAVES
- never bought
- captured by the Utopians in battle
- people committed horrible crime
- slaves were forced to work constantly
- their children were treated well
2. SICK & ILL
- sick receive tremendous care
- seriously ill are visited by priests, doctors &
government officers
- if they are a burden – euthanasia was
recommended
- those who wanted to live were permitted
- treated kindly & tenderly
3. MARRIAGE
- woman at 18 – men at 22
- premarital sex not allowed
- bride & groom shown naked to each other
before the marriage
- no divorce except for adultery
- cosmetics & tools of enhancement were
prohibited
4. LAWS

- no campaign for public office

- officials should be seen as fathers
- no lawyers in Utopia
- no bribery because money does not exist
5. WAR
- Utopians avoid war at all costs
- They find no glory in killing
- Engage in warfare only to protect
themselves
- Strength belongs to animals & intelligent to
humans
- Propaganda in other countries
- While fighting careful about enemy
countries property
6. RELIGION
- A number of religions exist in Utopia
- Worship of animals, ancient hero, the sun, etc
- Hythloday’s preaching of Christ
- No atheism
- Different religious people meet in the same
church
- Priests were of high moral & religious caliber
- Priests had the highest power
CONCLUSION
- Utopia show the greatest social order in the
world
- No private property
- Richer than European countries
- Next meeting among the 3 to discuss the
merits
- More’s desire to employ Utopian rules in
Europe