The Idea Of A Perfect Society, Or Utopia, By Sir Thomas More

The idea of a perfect society, or â€Å"utopia,† was first introduced in Sir Thomas More’s book Utopia, written in 1516. In the book, More described a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean through the character Raphael. On the island everything and everyone has a specific place and purpose. There is no private property, all of the houses on the island are the same; you can walk in the front door, through the house, and out the back door. All necessary items are stored in warehouses, where people only request what they need. The people on the island manufacture the items in the warehouse, everyone that can work does, which means little to no unemployment. Since the introduction of these ideas many people have contested them, as well as driven them to find or create their own utopias. Some of these include historians, philosophers, and even playwrights. One of the playwrights that showed elements of utopian society in his plays was none other than William Shakespeare. Both More and Shakespeare described their utopias through other characters, More through Raphael in Utopia and Shakespeare through Gonzalo in The Tempest. In The Tempest Gonzalo began to imagine what it would be like if he colonized the remote island they had shipwrecked on. GONZALO I’ th’ commonwealth I would by contraries Execute all things. For no kind of traffic Would I admit. No name of magistrate. Letters should not be known. Riches, poverty, And use of service – none. Contract,Show MoreRelatedUtopia Study Guide864 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿English 4, Unit 2: Utopia and Dystopia Sir Thomas More’s Utopia Study Guide Directions: As you read, complete each question below. Type your answers in the appropriate spaces provided. 1. In Book I, who is the narrator? What point of view is this? Thomas More, first person view 2. More and Giles strike up a conversation with someone. Who is this? What does he do? Why are they interested in him? Giles introduces More to Raphael Hythloday. More thought that Hythloday was aRead More Utopian Dreams Essay1391 Words   |  6 Pagesages, man has come to idealize a word that is most commonly related to ‘heavenly’ or ‘perfect’ without actually picking up the book and realizing for themselves that there is no such thing. A Utopian society could never exist because man is made to want, to desire success. Man is competitive by nature and would never be happy in a society where everyone is equal and there is no chance of advancement. Sir Thomas More dreamt of a land that was much like England but could never surpass time. He openedRead More Analysis of Mores The Prince and Utopia Essay1545 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Sir Thomas More was born in London to Agnes and John More a lawyer in 1477. Tomas after being a page in the Morton Household was sent to Oxford University and became a successful lawyer. After becoming an MP for the Under-Sheriff of London he started writing the book Utopia and finishing it 1516. After writing the book he was appointed as the privy councilor to King Henry VIII in 1518. He was latter executed in 1535 for refusing King Henry VIII to be the head of the church. Utopia is aRead MoreA Utopian Society By Sir Thomas More1608 Words   |  7 Pagesperfection, or utopias, have been attempted. Bound by politics, societal and economic factors, and personal endeavors, they perish under the exact terms that sparked their creation. Sir Thomas More, a renowned Renaissance humanist, attempts to defy that stigma through his recollection of an island called Utopia. His ideas, however, are incapable of maintaining a flawless state of content between the expectations and desires of both its residents and government. In reality, More’s â€Å"perfect† Utopian societyRead More Utopia - The Impossibility of Perfection Essay example1686 Words   |  7 PagesUtopia - The Impossibility of Perfection The latter end of [this] commonwealth forgets the beginning. ?William Shakespeare, The Tempest From Platos The Republic to Karl Marxs Communist Manifesto, the search for a perfect social state has never stopped; its ultimate goal of achieving a human society that exists in absolute harmony with all due social justice, however, has proved to be woefully elusive. The pure concept of a utopia can be theoretically visualized as a perfect geometricRead MoreUtopi An Island Shaped Like A Crescent1081 Words   |  5 Pages1. Utopia is an island shaped like a crescent, with eleven miles of sea in-between the top and bottom point that doesn’t have any currents. This sea allows for everyone that lives in Utopia to be able to trade. Entering the bay that surrounds Utopia is dangerous because of the hidden rocks, which are known by the locals, but not by strangers so it is hard for them to enter. There are fifty-four cities, all having the same customs and laws, and all large. The city of Amaurot is near the center ofRead MoreUtopia, by Thomas More: Your Wost Nightmare Essay1419 W ords   |  6 PagesUtopia is a brilliant novel written by Thomas More. The idea of a utopia seems impossible, how can anyone live in a perfect place when perfection is in the eyes of the beholder? The Utopia in this novel is nothing more than abundant of already established ideas therefore it can’t not truly be a Utopia. The abolition of private property is one of Mores chief criticisms of Utopia; it seems to mimic the common understandings of communism, which Thomas More’s character Raphael has been accused of protectingRead More`` Utopia `` By John De Mol1719 Words   |  7 Pagessince humans have existed on this earth the idea of a perfect world has been experimented with. Some examples are Brook Farm in Massachusetts, Fruitland also in Massachusetts, and one of the biggest â€Å"perfect world† is Jonestown in Guyana. All these â€Å"perfect societies† was attempted, but never succeeded. A positive perfect world, where every single member living in it joyfully and without worries is a Utopia. Dutch media tycoon John de Mol once said, â€Å" Utopia is a positive and constructive program thatRead MoreA Utopian Society By Russel Jacoby1129 Words   |  5 PagesA utopian society is fictional society in which everything from social standards and political ideas are done in such a way that leads everyone to live in a harmonious state. Russel Jacoby, a historian, noted two forms of utopias; â€Å"blueprint utopianism,† which more along the lines of a model or outline of a utopia in which a government could follow, this is the one Thomas Mores book is more likely to fall under, the other type is â€Å"iconoclastic utopianism,† is the one that is much more idealized andRead MoreA Utopia Sounds Like A Wonderful Thing1433 Words   |  6 PagesFinal A utopia sounds like a wonderful thing. The Oxford English Dictionary defines â€Å"utopia† as an â€Å"imagined or hypothetical place, system, or state of existence in which everything is perfect, esp. in respect of social structure, laws, and politics.† (OED, 2015, entry 2) But what happens when someone tries to bring this imagined land of perfection into reality? Both in fictional literature and in real life applications, utopian dreams destroy societies. The word utopia originates from Sir Thomas