Book One

Book One Summary:

In Book One, Thomas More describes the circumstances surrounding his trip to Flanders where
he has the privilege o meeting !aphael "ythloday# This irst part o $topia chronicles the early
conversations between More, %eter &iles, and "ythloday# The three men discuss a wide range
o civil, religious and philosophical issues# "ythloday is renegade and iconoclastic on certain
issues but he is a skilled orator# Both More and &iles think there is considerable merit in much
o what "ythloday has to say# Book Two is the continuation o the conversation during which
"ythloday e'plains the details o $topia in ull#
More visited Flanders as an ambassador o"enry (III# )longside a man named *uthbert
Tunstall, More toured the cities o Bruges, Brussels, and )ntwerp +all in present,day Belgium-#
Once in )ntwerp, More inds his riend &iles# )ter attending a Mass at the *hurch o St# Mary,
&iles introduces Thomas More to !aphael "ythloday# !aphael is not a native $topian. he is
%ortuguese# %eter e'plains that !aphael accompanied )merigo (espucci on a voyage to the
/ew 0orld but !aphael remained oversees when (espucci returned to 1urope# "ythloday and
his companions en2oyed their continued travels and aterwards, they were reconnected with a
leet o %ortuguese ships near the island o *eylon +present,day Sri 3anka, due south o India-#
"ythloday made his way home with these sailors# )pparently, "ythloday4s visit to $topia
occurred in between his voluntary separation rom (espucci and his arrival at *eylon#
)ter this rather lengthy introduction, "ythloday and More e'change greetings and the three
men continue their discussion in the garden attached to More4s lodging place# 0hen he visited
various regions, !aphael beriended the native inhabitants and gained their sincere riendship
and trust# )ccording to !aphael, the e5uatorial regions are e'cessively hot and there are
monsters in the /ew 0orld# 0hen one continues urther south, however, the climate becomes
temperate again. populous cities and commercial areas emerge# Because !aphael4s
comparative analysis o the regions is so precise and intelligent, %eter suggests that !aphael
become an advisor or counselor or a king# !aphael re2ects the idea and celebrates the degree
o reedom that he currently en2oys6reedom !aphael would oreit should he enter politics#
"e argues urther that the other royal counselors would become 2ealous and would create
unbearable complications# More agrees with &iles, but !aphael is resolute in his belie that he
could ultimately do little in a political position#
"ythloday mentions that he has e'tensively traveled through 1urope, encountering 7arrogant,
absurd, and captious 2udgments6 once even in 1ngland#7 More is eager to hear "ythloday4s
impressions o 1ngland because the traveler spent several months there# "ythloday spent
some time with the *ardinal )rchbishop o *anterbury, !ev# Father 8ohn Morton6an
ac5uaintance o More4s# The traveler recounts a dinner conversation with Morton and several o
Morton4s assistants: "ythloday ocuses more on political issues and less on the usual traveler4s
cultural interests# It is not long beore "ythloday is engaged in a spirited albeit respectul
debate on British legal practices# "ythloday learns o 7the rigorous 2ustice applied to thieves in
1ngland76hanging# "e argues that the crime is too harsh and un2ustly severe or such a small
crime# "e also says that the punishment will not deter thieves is they are poor and have no
way to make a living# The *ardinal argues that the thieves could have become tradesmen or
armers but !aphael disputes this: there are many wounded veterans o the 9ing4s wars who
can no longer become armers or learn a new trade# The government provides no avenue o
opportunity or these veterans# !aphael also argues that the British noble class enorces a
system o economic eiciency# /obles keep their tenants in poverty and reserve much o the
land or non,agrarian purposes +private gardens, hunting grounds-# !aphael also mentions that
once a noble lord has died, the lord4s retainers oten become armed beggars and thieves#
!aphael continues his argument with a lawyer and their debate touches upon the military valor
o retainers, 1ngland4s 7sheep7 problem, and the moral ha:ard o merchants who seek to
develop monopolies#
The *ardinal inally interrupts !aphael and stops him rom rambling# The *ardinal returns to
the original topic +capital punishment- and asks what punishment !aphael would propose in
place o hanging thieves# !aphael argues that *hristianity has evolved rom 7the law o Moses7
to the 7new law o mercy7 and that killing one another is orbidden# !aphael argues that
murder and thet should not be punished in the same way. otherwise, a thie may be more
inclined to kill, there being no additional penalty# !aphael suggests hard labor restoring the
public works +roads, bridges- and that the thie pay restitution to the owner o the stolen
property# The lawyer disagrees with this idea and says it would endanger the commonwealth,
but the *ardinal says that it would make sense to try the idea as the present system has
ailed# The *ardinal4s associates then applaud the idea as the *ardinal4s own#
!aphael apologi:es to More and &iles or his lengthy discourse only to draw attention to the
ickle and 2ealous character o the *ardinal4s crowd# !aphael takes this as evidence that he
would not are well with the 9ing4s courtiers# More is pleased with !aphael4s story and
reminded o his own education in the *ardinal4s household#
!esuming his attempts to persuade !aphael to consider public service, More mentions %lato4s
!epublic and the idea o a 7philosopher,king#7 Since !aphael cannot be king, he should bring
his philosophy to the court# !aphael cites the act o common property in $topia, as opposed to
private property# This dierence makes it diicult to enact $topian policies in Britain# !aphael4s
inal argument is that wise men, perceiving the olly o those in government, do well to stay
clear o politics and 7remain in saety themselves#7 !aphael does not convince More o the
superiority o common property nor does the abolition o private property strike More as a
good idea# !aphael reminds More that the $topians adopted the best practices o every culture
with which they came in contact# 0ithin a short period o time, $topians interview their
guests6travelers like "ythloday6and learn o advances in science, nautical engineering, law
and culture# )t this point, More is eager to hear o the $topians and ater lunch, !aphael
begins his discourse describing $topia# This is ound in Book Two#
)nalysis:
!aphael4s discourse with More and &iles is philosophical and abstract# It is also very ideali:ed#
The conversation begins in a church, continues in a garden, and pauses or lunch# This
philosophi:ing is a leisure activity en2oyed by three well,educated men o means# "ow do we
reconcile this with More4s conession to &iles that he has been so busy working that he has not
had time to write $topia; Indeed, More has had time to write and to invent 7$topia#7 The
theme o public service appears in More and "ythloday4s debate on the utility o philosophy# Is
!aphael morally obligated to put his philosophy and knowledge to good use in the service o
the 9ing; <oes royal service or political work even count as a worthy application o philosophy
and knowledge;
This thematic 5uestion applies to More4s career in the broadest sense# More was a lawyer who
served in a variety o roles: undersheri, ambassador, member o the 9ing4s *ouncil, Master o
!e5uests, Speaker o the "ouse o *ommons, "igh Steward o O'ord and *ambridge, and,
eventually, 3ord *hancellor o 1ngland# *oncurrently, More wrote a number a number o
philosophical works besides $topia, contributing to the discourse o his era#
Thomas More wrote $topia early in his career and this underscores the importance o More4s
argument with the ictional !aphael# )ter a lie o public service, More was convicted o
treason +on per2ured evidence- and beheaded by the very king whom he deended ourteen
years earlier in a work called !esponsio ad 3utherum +=>?@-# There is a strange unintended
irony in Book One# )t least on one point, More4s ictional character proves wiser than More
himsel#
!aphael "ythloday is hal,sage, hal,ool and Book One develops both literary traditions#
!aphael is clearly a man o intellect with more than a ew good ideas# /onetheless, !aphael4s
stories o ar,o $topia are laughably naAve and innocent# "is ideas or policy are unrealistic#
The account o the *ardinal4s dinner parallels the courts scenes later made amous in
1li:abethan drama# "ythloday has some interesting ideas but he is so wordy, so verbose that
the *ardinal must interrupt him# !aphael is unable to answer a raised 5uestion without irst
answering other unanswered peripheral 5uestions#
7!aphael7 is the name o a guardian angel# 7"ythloday7 is a compound o &reek words
translating to 7peddler o nonsense#7 Thomas More does not intend or us to take !aphael or
$topia at ace value# Book One is written in a style resembling the ancient <ialogues#7 In
these <ialogues, intermingled real and ictional characters discussed philosophical ideas# The
written work is essentially a transcript o the discussion# !aphael is so wordy that Book One
hardly seems like a discussion or dialogue# It is not hard to argue that More concentrates on
presenting ideas and constructing comple' sentences +the original 3atin work was praised as
much or its synta' as or its narrative-# More is less interested in telling a very good story#
Modern readers accustomed to reading novels might interpret Book One as a narrative device
to build suspense# 0e must read through nearly hal o $topia beore we reach the ull
description o the island# More is interested in the philosophical contemplation o 1uropean and
*hristian legal customs# Book One provides the conte't wherein More can criti5ue the $topian
society# The abolition o private property has already become a point o contention between
more and "ythloday# *onveniently, "ythloday4s visit to 1ngland 2ustiies and enables More4s
desire to discuss 1ngland4s problems +and also pay tribute to his dearly beloved, dearly
inluential riend, the *ardinal )rchbishop-# !aphael is a ictional character and a mask# More
shields himsel behind !aphael and gains the saety to discuss a number o controversial ideas#
!aphael presents land reorm, capital punishment, and the distribution o property# On these
issues, either More is silent or he takes the traditional position# More does not create !aphael
as a mouthpiece or his own secret and unpopular belies. rather, More uses !aphael to create
a discussion on issues that clearly need resolution# More may not accept !aphael4s e'treme
and divergent opinions, but More does imply that some reorm is needed#
Much like the island o $topia, !aphael is a piece o iction inserted in the real world# )merigo
(espucci did travel to the /ew 0orld, but it remains unclear how !aphael would have ound his
way rom 7the /ew 0orld7 to *eylon, o the coast o India# The Spanish e'plorer (asco /uBe:
de Balboa did not reach the %aciic Ocean until =>=@# In =>=C, More and his contemporaries
had not yet grasped the enormity o the 7)merican continent7 and so, "ythloday4s story
seemed geographically plausible# This same lack o precise inormation bespeaks the
1uropeans4 ascination with 7$topia7 and the /ew 0orld# Somewhere in between India and
%ortugal4s )tlantic coast there is more than enough room or More to invent a $topia# This
e'panse o the land is an answer to the problems o property and land discussed in Book One#
Book Two +First "al- Summary:
In the irst hal o Book Two, !aphael describes the natural geography o $topia and then
addresses the ma2or cities, the system o government, the social distribution o labor and
responsibility, and 7how the $topians travel#7 Throughout Book Two, "ythloday praises the
$topian customs and ails to oer any negative criticism#
In $topia4s Introduction, the 5uatrain mentions that $topia was made into an island# In book
Two, "ythloday e'plains that the general $topus dug through the narrow isthmus that
connected $topia to the mainland# The neighboring villagers mocked $topus because his
ambitious pro2ect seemed doomed to ail# 0hat $topus and his men achieved in a relatively
short period o time astonished these naysayers#
The island is roughly circular in shape and its natural harbors are navigable# The straits o
$topia are dangerous with shallows and rocks# The $topians have mapped and mastered these
waters but the shallows and rocks successully deter oreign invaders# The island has ity,our
cities sharing 7e'actly the same language, customs, institutions, and laws#7 The cities also
have the same planned layout# Much o this is due to the civili:ing inluence o $topus who
transormed a 7crude and rustic mob7 into a culture o note# )maurot, the capital city, is
located at the center o the island and every year, each city sends three delegates to )maurot
to discuss common problems#
The $topians regulate the si:e o each household, organi:ing the households into governable
units# In addition to its cities, $topia has a wealth o rural arming land# 1ach citi:en serves a
two,year stint in the country and then returns homes# )s a result, the hard labor o arming is
distributed across the population and everyone learns the necessary agricultural skills# $topia
en2oys a surplus o goods and the country villages and cities reely give to each other without
receiving anything in e'change#
)maurot sits on the banks o the )nyder !iver, the largest river in $topia# The )nyder is pure,
water near )maurot# $pstream, the )nyder becomes salty and lows into the ocean# The
$topians built a stonework bridge and ortiied the area# The houses and streets are planned in
design, aesthetics, and dimensions and the model is duplicated across the island# 1ach house
has a garden and $topians take great pride in their gardens# There are no locks on the ront
doors and these doors 7open easily with a push o the hand#7 )s a result, 7there is nothing
private anywhere#7 $topians e'change houses every ten years#
Stretching back =DCE years, the history o $topia is well preserved# Magistrates are elected
rom groups o amilies and the highest o these magistrates serve in the Senate and elect the
ruler o the people# $nless he is 7suspected o trying to become a tyrant,7 the ruler serves or
lie# Most other positions are yearlong# )ll public business must be conducted within the public
assemblies and it is a capital crime to hold such discussions elsewhere# Furthermore, in the
Senate, no point is discussed on the same day during which it is introduced# These measures
aim to prevent conspiracy and prevent shortsighted decision,making#
In terms o occupation, all o the $topians +both males and emales- are trained in arming,
though everyone learns another trade# *hildren generally learn their ather4s trade# I a child
wishes to learn another trade, the child is adopted into a dierent household# Individuals are
also permitted to learn two trades in this manner and they can then practice whichever trade
they preer unless the city has a greater need or the other skill#
The $topians believe in working smart, rather than simply working hard# They work only si'
hours each day, sleeping or eight hours, and devoting the remainder to meals and leisure#
Most o the $topian leisure activities are ediying or intellectual# They have morning
lectures6mandatory or those selected to pursue intellectual activities as a trade, but regularly
attended by a good number o 7ordinary7 people# The e5uitable distribution o labor enables
$topia to produce a surplus o goods# There is no leisure class. there are no beggars,
swashbucklers, religious orders, or malingerers, nor is one se' e'empted rom +or orbidden
to- work# There are no guilds to deliberately keep the supply o goods i'ed and scarce#
!aphael suggests that Britain would do well by eliminating idleness# The $topians are vigilant
against the spread o vice and in their leisure time, they play a game resembling chess in
which the 7virtues7 are lined up in battle against the 7vices#7 The game shows how vices and
virtues interact and attack one another, and how one side ultimately overpowers the other#
From this game, $topians learn how to use their virtues to overcome their vices# The $topians
select their ambassadors, priests, tranibors +highest magistrates- and the ruler himsel rom
the order o scholars# Scholars are selected based upon their intellectual promise at an early
age# Sometimes an artisan makes great progress in his own leisurely intellectual pursuits and
he is promoted to 2oin the scholars#
!aphael devotes a good amount o time to e'plaining the social relations o $topians in greater
detail# $topians create large households that are e'tended amilies# Sons and grandsons oten
start their amilies within the household o their youth# The oldest parent rules each household#
The amily structure is not inviolable, however. when cities are over, or under,populated or
when a household has ewer than =E or more than =C adults, persons are moved rom one
household to another# I the city is overpopulated, the e'cess population moves to under,
populated cities# 1ach city has si' thousand households# 0hen the island is over,populated as
a whole, the government recruits citi:ens to coloni:e nearby areas o the continent where the
natives have plenty o uncultivated land# 1ither the natives adopt the $topians4 laws and
customs, or they are driven o the land, by orce i necessary# I any city is under,populated,
colonists return to replenish the island#
1ach city is divided into our e5ual districts and the marketplace occupies the center o the city#
The head o each household oers his goods and obtains whatever his household needs# There
is no e'change o money and no direct e'change o goods or 7there is plenty o everything7
and no reason to hoard goods or deny them to others# In the city, each block o houses has a
dining hall in which the households eat together# Stewards rom each hall go to the market to
get ood or the meals# "ence, in the cities, the $topians eat their meals in large communal
groups and not as isolated amilies as is the case in the countryside# )s always, the $topians
seek to advance the moral education o their people6especially the youth# The common dining
halls eature brie lectures or readings ollowed by discussion# Foung people are seated with
their elders to prevent the youth rom misbehaving#
In $topia, there is no problem o traveling bands o rogues, nor is it possible or an individual
to escape his civic obligations by traveling to another city# 0hen $topians travel, they must
2oin in the labor o the resident citi:ens, otherwise they are not ed# *iti:ens must irst get the
permission o the magistrate to travel and husbands must have their wives4 consent# "ythloday
concludes that these traveling individuals remain 2ust as proitable and useul to the state as i
they never let# )nd 7with the eyes o everyone upon them,7 the $topians have 7no wine
taverns, no alehouses, no brothels, no occasion to be corrupted, no hideouts, no hangouts#7
The $topians have slaves, including prisoners o war captured in battle# The children o slaves
are not held in slavery# $topians also travel to oreign countries to purchase and enslave
criminals condemned to die# $topians who commit serious crimes are also held as slaves and
they are treated most harshly# These slaves are a disgrace to the $topians because these
slaves had been given an e'cellent moral education but they became criminals nonetheless#
!aphael discusses a ew other customs o the $topians# They are skilled in medicine and they
devote considerable time to attending to the sick# The $topian priests also encourage
euthanasia when a patient is terminally ill and suering pain +but this can only be done o the
patient consents-#
!aphael discusses the marriage customs o the utopians# 0omen may not marry until they
reach age =G and men may not marry until they reach age ??# Because $topians believe that
se'ual promiscuity makes it diicult or an individual to live a happily married lie, premarital
se' is illegal and severely punished# Beore the marriage, the intended bride and groom are
presented to one another naked, so that any 7sores7 or deects will be e'posed and 7no one is
duped or deceived#7 The $topian marriages last until death and divorces are rare, re5uiring the
permission o the ruler# )dultery is grounds or divorce and is punished with harsh servitude# I
an adulterer repeats the oense, the punishment is death#
The senate has no penal code and punishments are determined on a case,by,case basis# The
most serious crimes are usually punished with servitude, rather than death because the society
can beneit rom the prisoners4 labor# I these slaves are patient and i, ater a long period o
labor, they show that 7they regret the sin more than the punishment,7 they are sometimes
released# In ad2udicating a case, the attempt to commit a crime is not distinguished rom the
criminal act itsel6a criminal is not redeemed by his inability to successully complete the
attempted act#
)t this point, !aphael4s narrative becomes somewhat rambling and he discusses a number o
issues in rapid succession# The $topians have ools and 2esters to keep them entertained, but
they abhor the practice o mocking people who are crippled or disigured# It is important to be
well groomed, but the $topians consider cosmetics to be disgraceul# In the marketplaces
$topians erect statues o virtuous men who have done good things or the commonwealth#
This serves as an inspiration or the citi:ens to live up to the standards established by their
ancestors# )nyone who campaigns or public oice dis5ualiies himsel rom holding any oice
at all, and lawyers are banned rom $topia# In court, each citi:en represents himsel and tells
his story without legal counsel# The $topians believe it is easier this way or the 2udge to
determine the truth in a given case# The $topians do not make treaties with other nations
because treaties are regularly broken# $topians consider themselves riends with a oreign
people unless some harm has been done#
!egarding war, the $topians are peaceul but they are not paciists# 0hen necessary, $topians
will ight to deend their interests as well as the interests o their allies# Both women and men
are trained in regular military e'ercises so that the island is well protected# $topians also go to
war i one o their citi:ens is un2ustly disabled or killed in a oreign nation and the guilty
persons are not turned over to the $topian authorities# !ather than ight in wars, $topians rely
upon strategy whenever possible# They oten oer large rewards or the death o the enemy
rulers, intending to head o a conlict beore it begins6or at the very least, sow the seeds o
distrust within the enemy camp#
The $topians oten hire a nearby tribe, the Hapoletes, as mercenaries to ight in place o
$topian citi:ens# The Hapoletes are perversely bloodthirsty and they are eager to ight or the
$topians because the $topians pay high wages# Oten times, the Hapoletes die in war and so
the $topians do not have to pay the high rewards promised# )t the same time, the $topians
regard the Hapoletes as a moral scourge and they are only too happy to 7enlist these wicked
men in order to use them up#7 $topians will only use their own citi:ens as a last resort and
even then, only as volunteers i it is a oreign war# But i the island should be invaded, men and
women in good physical health ight to protect the commonwealth# Oten times, amilies go to
the battle lines together +only the adults, o course- or the $topians reason that he soldiers
ight harder to protect one another6especially in hand,to,hand combat6when amily
members become especially protective o one another#
The last ma2or topic discussed concerns the religions o the $topians# Throughout the various
regions, there are a ew sects devoted to ancestor worship or the worship o some celestial
body# The 7vast ma2ority7 o $topians are monotheists who believe e'clusively in one god as
creator# The smaller sects also agree that there is one Supreme Being and they all call him
Mythras, though the $topians do not all worship Mythras in the same way#
The $topians were very interested in what they learned o *hristianity# "ythloday e'plains that
the $topian concept o Mythras and many o the belies o the $topian religion were similar to
tenets o *hristianity# "ythloday also adds that the $topians eagerly awaited the arrival o a
*hristian Bishop and they were debating whether they might simply appoint a bishop on their
own# The *hristians among the $topians mostly remained very tolerant o the other religions
and religious tolerance had long been en2oyed by the $topians# "ythloday recounts that an
over:ealous *hristian minister was arrested because his incendiary speech e'cited 7riots
among the people#7 $topus, the con5uering general, began the legacy o religious toleration#
The over:ealous minister was not arrested or advocating or his own religion6he had ree
speech6but when the minister began endangering the saety o others, he was arrested, tried,
convicted, and sentenced to e'ile# $topus established the policy 7that no one should come to
any harm because o his religion7 and the $topians work hard to allow or debate and
discussion# The caveat to the $topian policy o religious toleration is that it is orbidden that
anyone disbelieve in the immortality o the soul or deny that the world is ruled by providence,
arguing instead that the 7world is ruled by mere chance#7