Sir Thomas More Essay - 861 Words

Thomas More was born in Milk Street, London on February 7, 1478, son Sir John More, a prominent judge. He was educated at St Anthonys School in London. As a youth he served as a page in the household of Archbishop Morton, who predecited he would be a quot;marvellous man.quot;1. More went on to study at Oxford under Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn. During this time, he wrote comedies and studied Greek and Latin literature. One of his first works was an English translation of a Latin biography of the Italian humanist Pico della Mirandola. It was printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1510. Around 1494 More returned to London to study law, was admitted to Lincolns Inn in 1496, and became a barrister in 1501. Yet More did not automatically†¦show more content†¦On Erasmus third visit, in 1509, he wrote Encomium Moriae, or Praise of Folly, (1509), dedicating it to More. One of Mores first acts in Parliament had been to urge a decrease in a proposed appropriation for King Henry VII. In revenge, the king had imprisoned Mores father and not released him until a fine was paid and More himself had withdrawn from public life. After the death of the king in 1509, More became active once more. In 1510, he was appointed one of the two undersheriffs of London. In this capacity, he gained a reputation for being impartial, and a patron to the poor. In 1511, Mores first wife died in childbirth. More was soon married again, to Dame Alice. During the next decade, More attracted the attention of King Henry VIII. In 1515 he accompanied a delegation to Flanders to help clear disputes about the wool trade. Utopia opens with a reference to this very delegation. More was also instrumental in quelling a 1517 London uprising against foreigners, portrayed in the play Sir Thomas More, possibly by Shakespeare. More accompanied the King and court to the Field of the Cloth of Gold. In 1518 he became a member of the Privy Council, and was knighted in 1521. More helped Henry VIII in writing his Defence of the Seven Sacraments, a repudiation of Luther, and wrote an answer to Luthers reply under a pseudonym. More had garnered Henrys favor, and was made Speaker of the House of Commons in 1523 and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1525. AsShow MoreRelatedSir Thomas More : Who Is Sir Thomas More1209 Words   |  5 PagesWho is Sir Thomas More? Thomas More is known for his 1516 book Utopia and for his untimely death in 1535, after refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935.Thomas More wrote Utopia in 1516, which was the forerunner of the utopian literary genre. More served as an important counselor to King Henry VIII of England, serving as his key counselor in the early 1500s, but after he refused to accept the king as headRead MoreA Utopian Society By Sir Thomas More1608 Words   |  7 Pagesmen from vast lands of diverse cultures, these paradig ms of perfection, 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 residentsRead MoreEssay about sir thomas more692 Words   |  3 Pages A utopian community would be a world without oppression, discrimination or social hierarchy—essentially, an ideal place to live. However, does a perfect society really exist? In Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, More flirts with the concept of a utopian community with regard to geography, city structure, labor, government and religion. Considering these aspects, the community depicted in Utopia is primarily a success, with limited failures. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Book II of Utopia, Raphael HythlodayRead MoreSir Thomas More And Michel De Montaigne930 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause everyone has different ideas. Sir Thomas More and Michel de Montaigne are prime examples of how they may seem to have totally different ideas, but they do indeed have some similarities. Although Sir Thomas More and Michel de Montaigne both believe human nature is best in a simpler form; More argues in order to have a simpler life they must be governed through a utopian society, where Montaigne argues the barbaric lifestyle is superior. According to Thomas More, he feels through a utopian societyRead MoreEssay about Sir Thomas More the Martyr867 Words   |  4 Pagesperson who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion. When Sir Thomas More died in July of 1535, he became a martyr. In the play A Man for All Seasons, author Robert Bolt shows us his views on how More came to his death . In this play, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, King Henry VIII, and Sir Thomas More himself are responsible for his death. Although it could be argued that many more people in Sir Thomas More’s life had a part in contributing to his death, these four characters hadRead MoreThe Idea Of A Perfect Society, Or Utopia, By Sir Thomas More880 Words   |  4 PagesThe 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 eve rything 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 onlyRead MoreSir Thomas More Contributed On The 19th Century And Future Generations1698 Words   |  7 PagesSir Thomas More contributed immensely to political thought in both the 16th century and future generations in his complex novel Utopia. Influenced by Plato’s Republic, More describes the concept of one potential state of a perfect commonwealth which has led to much speculation and debate. The fictional island of the Utopians is argued to have heavily influenced communism and brings to the fore both the concepts of idealism and pragmatism and the difficulty of balancing them. The novel largely focusesRead MoreUtopia By Sir Thomas More, Is Utopia The Best State Of Commonwealth?1799 Words   |  8 PagesAccor ding to More, Is Utopia the Best State of Commonwealth? Utopia, by Sir Thomas More, is a socio-political commentary on the state of 16th century English society. Originally published in 1516, More’s work has divided scholars on his intentions; whether he wanted for readers to seriously consider his ideas as a blueprint for society, or whether Utopia was merely an avenue for satire on his country. By examining how the text is presented, as well as features of Utopian society, including communalRead MoreSir Thomas More s Utopia And Edmund Spenser s The Faerie Queene1178 Words   |  5 PagesThe sixteenth century brought many to focus more abundantly on the internal trials rather than the outward appearances of individuals. This caused various writers and philosophers to begin evaluating the importance of every person. Because of this, the idea of renaissance humanism was inevitably created. In simple terms, humanism is the belief that every individual, putting aside his or her rank, is of equal importance. A better understanding of renaissance humanism can be reached after reviewingRead MoreThe s Dramatic Presentation Of Sir Thomas More As A Common, Heroic Man For All Seasons1273 Words   |  6 PagesCourse Date Bolt’s Dramatic Presentation of Sir Thomas More as a Common, yet Heroic Man Robert Oxton Bolt was an English teacher at a prestigious private school and wrote plays and scripts for radio dramas. The success came in 1957 with the play â€Å"Cherry Blossom† and allowed the young playwright to leave the teaching profession and to concentrate on work. His next play, â€Å"Man for All Seasons,† dedicated to the life of the famous statesman Sir Thomas More became very popular in the theatrical world