Utopia (1516), by Thomas More, was written at the beginning of Renaissance England and is an ironic critique of English society. More contrasts the dystopic nature he sees of his society with Utopia, offering solutions to the problems plaguing Europe through a description of Utopia’s social, educational and judicial structure. It is unclear which elements of these structures More is endorsing, and which elements he is criticising. Against the context of his society, the ideas and values of Utopia are explored with the assistance of several satirical techniques.
Utopia is a reflection of this context, providing a critique of political, social and religious problems he saw in his society through a radical presentation of a completely new society. These problems …show more content…
The conversation with Raphael in Book 1 reflects the historical context, with Raphael’s insistence that any attempt to directly resolve the problems were futile, an argument which was valid in reality during More’s time, and so Utopia is an effort to indirectly do so.
There are several ideas More presents in Utopia, some of which he supported and others that he makes a mockery of, with the most significant being about leadership and social equality. The first idea discussed is the issue of leadership in Book 1 during the conversation between More and Raphael. Raphael describes the ineffectiveness of attempting to present useful peacetime policies in a court that seeks to only please a king bent on acquiring new kingdoms and riches. He explains that when a person of high authority disagreed with a policy, those around with also disagree. But if that person should change his mind, everyone else would immediately as well, emphasising the sycophantic nature of decision making. He then moves onto the ineffectiveness of the legal system in preventing and punishing crime through extremely harsh penalties. Book 2 presents
Utopia is a reflection of this context, providing a critique of political, social and religious problems he saw in his society through a radical presentation of a completely new society. These problems …show more content…
The conversation with Raphael in Book 1 reflects the historical context, with Raphael’s insistence that any attempt to directly resolve the problems were futile, an argument which was valid in reality during More’s time, and so Utopia is an effort to indirectly do so.
There are several ideas More presents in Utopia, some of which he supported and others that he makes a mockery of, with the most significant being about leadership and social equality. The first idea discussed is the issue of leadership in Book 1 during the conversation between More and Raphael. Raphael describes the ineffectiveness of attempting to present useful peacetime policies in a court that seeks to only please a king bent on acquiring new kingdoms and riches. He explains that when a person of high authority disagreed with a policy, those around with also disagree. But if that person should change his mind, everyone else would immediately as well, emphasising the sycophantic nature of decision making. He then moves onto the ineffectiveness of the legal system in preventing and punishing crime through extremely harsh penalties. Book 2 presents