Sir Thomas More (Morus) (1478-1535)
The son of a London judge, Sir Thomas More
was educaed a !"ford, where he #earned o $ecome a
%ries $u hen he decided u%on a secu#ar career,
$ecoming a #aw&er' (e hen sa in )ar#iamen in 15*4,
$ecame undersheriff of London in 151* and hen s%ea+er
of he (ouse of ,ommons (15-3) and Lord ,hance##or of
he rea#m (15-.) succeeding ,ardina# /o#se& (14750-
153*)' 1isa%%ro2ing of (enr& 34445s (15*.-1547)
inended di2orce from ,aherine of 6ragon he resigned in
153-' 7e", a#hough he was inner#& faihfu# o he +ing,
Thomas More refused o su$scri$e o he 6c of
Su%remac& of 1534 which wou#d den& he )o%e5s
s%iriua# auhori& and a#so wou#d ha2e %#edged him o
consen o he +ing5s marriage o 6nne 8o#e&n' (e was
$eheaded for high reason on 9u#& 7, 1535' 4n 1.35,
e"ac#& four cenuries #aer, he was canoni:ed as a sain of
he ;oman ,aho#ic ,hurch'
6#hough 2er& $us& as saesman, Thomas More
dedicaed much of his ime o #earning, rans#aing from
)ico de##a Mirando#a (14<3=14.4), eaching or wriing a
History of Richard I'
4n 1515 Thomas More $egan wriing in Lain his
Utopia, on#& rans#aed ino >ng#ish in 1551, he firs
grea humanisic wor+ wrien in >ng#and' Thomas More
coined he i#e of his $oo+ from wo ?ree+ words, ou no
@ topos %#ace, i'e' Ano %#aceB, o descri$e an imaginar&
is#and re%resening he %erfec socie&'
Cundamena##&, Utopia was ins%ired from )#ao5s
dia#ogues and es%ecia##& from he Republic, in which he
?ree+ auhor descri$ed an idea# sae, and a#so from
More5s own ine##ecua# reacion agains he rigid agnosic
conce%ion of socie& which had dominaed for cenuries'
The wor+ is di2ided in wo 8oo+s, Duie differen
from each oher'
Book I conains a descri%ion of he grim rea#iies
of ear#& 1<
h
cenur& >ng#and' 6 )oruguese seaman
recouns his ad2enures a sea whi#e accom%an&ing
6merigo 3es%ucci on his hird 2o&age o he new wor#d'
The Eo%ia descri$ed $& More5s mariner is se in
conras wih he sad rea#iies of >ng#and and >uro%e,
dominaed $& %o#iica# corru%ion, war and wase, $ad
faih, %o2er& and crime, as we## as immora#i& a a##
socia# #e2e#s'
4n Book II, Hythloday, his hero descri$es an idea#
sae wih a ru#& re%resenai2e go2ernmen' The
econom& is communisic and acDuisiion of %ro%er& is
for$idden' Eo%ian houses are of eDua# comfor and are
e"changed regu#ar#& $& drawing #os' >ach house has a
garden and sands on a wen&-fee wide sree' ?o#d is
oa##& discredied and is on#& used for 2esse#s and he
feers of crimina#s' 4d#eness is for$idden, and a nine-hour
wor+ing da& is com%u#sor& for a## men' Sea#ing is
ine"isen in Eo%ia and here is no need for a%%#&ing he
hard %ena# #aws of >ng#and' The %ursui of ha%%iness is
he highes socia# goa#, $u he we#fare of he $od& %o#iic
is a#wa&s %#aced a$o2e ha of he indi2idua#'
6 humaniarian and a humanis a he same ime,
More e"%ressed hrough his hero his conem% for war as
a re2o# agains he romanic s%iri of chi2a#r&, so much
e"o##ed in %re2ious #ieraure' The Eo%ians dees war
and find i jusifia$#e on#& in se#f-defense and for he
re#ief of ohers from o%%ression'
4ronica##& enough, es%ionage and reacher& are
considered jusified means of dea#ing wih enemies, a
sand which is jus $eing a+en a#mos a he same ime
$& 7icco#o Machia2e##i in his Il Principe (1513)'
6## re#igions are auhori:ed $u here is no ido#
worshi%ing' >2en he ,hrisian re#igion enjo&s no s%ecia#
%ri2i#eges'
(owe2er, his Utopia is raher a seri#e,
ine##ecua# e"ercise for he mind, ha2ing no %racica#
a%%#icaion of is unsusained heor&' More himse#f, a
dedicaed ,hrisian and a su$missi2e ,aho#ic was no as
good as his word when, as ,hance##or of he ;ea#m,
se2ere#& %ersecued he firs )roesans and hen ended
himse#f a mar&r o his rigid faih' 8u in s%ie of a##
%ossi$#e criicism, Utopia sands a#one as he grea
conri$uion of >ng#ish #ieraure o humanism'
