Chapter Commentary of Utopia - Study Guide by Thomas More

modifications. We can see that the narrative persona of More himself learns this lesson. Instead of immediately contradicting and picking on absurdities at the end of Hythloday’s account of Utopia, he recalls what he had said about "certain counsellors". Perhaps then we could see that Utopia is rather promoting a state of mind than a set of systems and rules for life. Johnson saw it as "a fantasy with substantive meaning" and important not because of the ends it envisages, but it discloses the means by which a man may mediate between the real and the ideal, practice and precept.

Systems and Values overturned

All clothing is simple and plain and designed only for practicality and utility. Hythloday points out that even if someone was dressed in finer material he would not be better protected against the cold, nor would he appear better dressed to the Utopians. The humorous example of the Anemolian ambassadors who come dressed in finery, covered in gold are laughed at and mocked by the Utopians as a little boy turns to his mother and says he looks like a little kid. The mother in all seriousness turns to her son and says, "quiet son, I think he is one of the ambassador’s fools". Our value system of prizing gold is shown as irrational. They are "precious because they are rare" and not because they are useful. The account of the golden chamber pots and the slaves decked in gold not only scorns our value system, but through what appears as ridiculous to us also serves to show up the arbitrary nature of such a system: "gold has no intrinsic value … Money like language is a system of arbitrary signs". Where iron is valued by the Utopians because it is useful it is scorned in literary tradition and antiquity – the Golden age is equated with perfection, innocence and harmony. The Iron Age is associated with a fallen world, "Evil at once broke forth; from such coarse stuff/ Modesty, truth, faith withdrew"(Ovid). Plato makes his guardians gold whereas the Utopians reserve their gold for their criminals who are "forced to wear golden rings in their ears… even gold crowns on their heads". The farcical misunderstanding with the little boy and the ambassador serves both to highlight and destabilise abstract systemisation (as Saussure does to language in his Course in General Linguistics). Values are shown as socially conditioned and not intrinsic; the rationale of Europe comes under scrutiny and amused scorn.

In addition, to prevent ostentation, the Utopians exchange homes every ten years. Hereditary distinctions do not exist because children are easily moved from household to household, depending on which occupation he/she would like to learn. Since there is very little distinction in occupation, lodging, riches or use of free time, pride is almost non-existent in Utopia. It is a premise finding close ties with the monastic life: "Let all things be common to all, nor let anyone say that anything is his own". This is hardly a surprising ideal considering More’s deeply religious and ascetic background. He trained to be a monk and wore a hairshirt throughout the time of his marriage as if to make amends for his decision to marry. The Utopians are seen to follow monastic principles in modesty of dress (they all wear the standard robe) and the dignity of labour is stressed to create a paradigm of Christian society where all are workers. So heathens living without theology are shown to be better than some Christians and More is enabled to further his criticism of sixteenth century England.

Religion and Worship – the noble heathens

There are very different varieties of religion, but their public worship is of such a general nature that they are able to worship together. All beliefs except Atheism are tolerated,

"The only exception was a positive and strict law against anyone who should sink so far below the dignity of human nature as to think that the soul perishes with the body, or that the universe is ruled by blind chance, not divine providence"

The Utopian’s basic religious beliefs are similar to those of Christianity. The "first principle" of their belief of the immortality of the soul and belief that we will be rewarded or punished according to our behaviour in this world aligns the heathen with the main tenets of the Christian faith. R.W. Chambers describes how More bases his Utopia on four cardinal virtues – wisdom, fortitude, temperance and justice. Through following this medieval stricture of behaviour and the Platonic tradition, More is enabled to make his