How did Thomas More’s religious attitudes differ from religious attitudes in England during his lifetime? During his times Thomas More would have been considered a Renaissance man¬¬ because he did not limit himself to one exact area in life. He was a politician, a member of the Catholic Church, a writer, and held many other positions. Thomas More, altered the world during his time. In his writing, his faith, and his work in politics. He became an example for others, a lot of which are still followed today. Thomas More went into politics in 1504. He clearly made his mark in this arena as he was appointed Under-Sheriff in the city of London. Thomas More not only developed a reputation in both law and politics, he was also known in Western Europe …show more content…
as a Humanist intellectual. Thomas More was a politician, a member of the Catholic Church, and a writer who changes the flaws of his society and explains what changes could be made to redeem society. More believed in Utopia Utopia would be a fictional country where there was no private property. More believed that men and women would see each other naked before marriage. This would show others that they were physically sound. To eliminate the ill those who were incurably ill were encouraged to take their own lives. Thomas More did not actually advocate for these practices. His intentions were to amuse readers and to unmask the stupidity and greed of society. During this time Thomas More would have been considered a Renaissance man because he did not limit himself to one exact area in life. Through his book Utopia, “Thomas More is called 'the father of ‘Utopia'.” In his book, he develops the defects of his society, he then explains what changes could be made to change society. He was a politician, a member of the Catholic Church, a writer, and held many other positions. Freeman 3 Thomas More's rise to political prominence rose very steadily. Henry VIII announcement to the English throne was no hurdle to More's ambition. “It’s important to know because in the 16th century, there were a few dark clouds on More's political and domestic horizons.” Thomas More, altered the world during his time. In his writing, his faith, and his work in politics. Thomas More was one of the leading English scholars and statesman who opposed the king's separation from England and from the spiritual authority of the Roman Catholic Church. In his writing, his faith, and his work in politics. He even went through a period of intense religious awakening. But, he threw himself into the secular world. And became a successful lawyer but remained a religious person. He became an example for others, a lot of which are still followed today. This is all done by many individuals today. Everyone is seeking the develop of the 'perfect' society. “Utopian literature is based on society.” People seek the structure of society and how could it be improved. They question most are faced with is can society be improved at all? Protects others by his authority He finds pleasure in intellectual converse.
He was a judge of civil causes. More was the public patron of all poor men. He thought it a gain to himself to relieve the oppressed. With his friends he talks about the life of the world to come. Learning about who Thomas More was as a person helps to understand why he did many of things that he did. Thomas More was a humanitarian. He worked to make things better for others. He didn’t like it when others tried to take advantage of other people. He was for the people no matter what it meant for him. He could have been a modern-day activist that actively engages in promoting human welfare. From what is described about More he falls under the category of humanitarian. He was someone who was for the people. He did what he could to help other people. Thomas More was an English …show more content…
lawyer, Freeman 4 whose life is reflected in his numerous titles. He was knighted by King Henry VIII in 1521 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935. Thomas More was a man who believed in working to help his follow man and promote human welfare. Thomas More was a major figure in the reign of Henry VIII. A leading Roman Catholic, and a strong supporter of the Humanist movement. Thomas More opposed the move to what was termed the Reformation in England, a stance that led to More being executed. Thomas More was a man for all purposes who fought against the state and church to ensure the people were rightly defended. “Described as a man for all ‘seasons’ his belief that no lay has jurisdiction over the Church of Christ cost him his life” Thomas More is a man for all purposes He was the most innovative worker of humanist moral philosophy north of the Alps. He was one of the crowning achievers of the Renaissance. “More was a man of `singular virtue'.” He was a man of genuine integrity. More was a worthy and uncorrupt civil officer and he won international fame as the person who challenged Henry VIII¬¬¬¬. He was even canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in May 1935. “So many who have wrote about Thomas More compare him to others like Socrates and Abraham Lincoln.” More could have been compared to be like Abraham Lincoln because of what he did to help people. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he guided the nation through the Civil War and saw the abolishment of slavery. More was also for the people, a man who defended the people when the King wanted things that weren’t right. He had to go against the king at times to fight for what’s right. What makes Thomas More historically important is his critical view of king Henry VII. Because he recognized that people seldom had any choice in Freeman 5 the government that ruled them.
More was faced with the King's demands to swear an oath to the Act of Succession and to support the power of the King's title as Supreme Head of the Church of England. He was arrested for his refusal to sign the oath attached to the Act of Succession, an oath that confirmed all Henry's moves against the Catholic Church. More had little influence as lord chancellor because he did not support Henry's method. Defending the cause against the State More defended the cause of ethics against the State. He had followed his integrity to the death. He always remained `a man of honor'. He was not a rebel. He did not oppose or resist Henry VIII. He became the victim of a law which he had violated. Thomas More was a man for all purposes who fought against the state and church to ensure the people were rightly
defended. “Sir Thomas was one of the most highly regarded lawyers of his day, an historian, and a philosopher who gave the first known defense of free speech.” Thomas More was very critical of King Henry and would not follow how he wanted to rule which caused an upset between the two. He wrote a tactful reminder to his monarch that law and citizen support were of greater importance than hereditary power and privilege. More is the first English person how was known to present a defense of political elements adopted by the United States. The elements were rule of law for all, division of power, separation of church and state, elected representation, and protected forms of free and public debate. More was also well known for his care for the poor, his impartial justice to all and for his dedication to peace. Freeman 6 Conclusion Sir Thomas More, was sometimes called by others, Saint Thomas More. He born on February 7, 1478, in London, England. He died July 6, 1535, in London. He was also the chancellor of England. An person who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. He believed that not all, but a few areas of the Catholic Church did deserve to be reformed. But More believed that any change to the church would have to come from the Catholic Church. He saw the Protestants as being unruly in their practices. Probably due to the push for their own variety of Protestantism with many differences within each of them. Thomas More believed that the Catholic Church had a far stricter discipline in practice, although he truly believed some reform was needed.
William Clark was ½ of the genius team that made their way through miles of unknown land, unknown nature, unknown natives, and came home with all but one voyager, who was killed of natural causes. William Clark and Meriwether Lewis were the first Americans to try and map the Louisiana Purchase area, and not only did they map it, they discovered allies, new plants and animals, and discovered new land and water routes that could be useful for future travelers.
...and, “I don’t believe this had to happen”(144). At least twice Sir Thomas More made poor choices and put himself into bad situations in the play, which ultimately took him closer and closer to his death.
Reason to defend Sir Thomas More: More is just thinks that his private conscience is more important than his public duties and will do what he thinks is right, not what is convenient. This is not considered High Treason as More is not attempting to betray his country in any way.
Some might say he’s a hypocrite. Others may adopt a Christian perspective to his moral struggle. Robert Bolt, however, would describe him as a man who exemplified an “adamantine sense of his own self” (Bolt xii). A Man for All Seasons, although non-theological in its scope, nevertheless presents a dramatic hero of no small interest to the contemporary Christian, but whose significance does not end there. Sir Thomas More, a well-known martyr and inspiration to those “moral” among us, is a man of inexorable integrity, whose steadfast adherence to his religious and ethical beliefs led to his tragic demise, and to the expanding popularity of his character. More’s struggle presents a morally blatant — and historical — example of man’s struggle to assert his spiritual self in a secular society.
When one reads the story, initially they would consider More as a wise and religious man, who wouldn’t even harm a fly. He was deeply respected for he was quite intelligent, in the aspect that he was a lawyer and knew the business of politics well. More was considered wise. He had his own ideas of things, and he seems to know what is best for everyone. However, it was his philosophies and his strong faith in the Church, the King, and in God that got him prosecuted.
Jokinen, Anniina. "The Life of Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) [Biography for the Tudor Writer, Statesman, Philosopher, and Advisor to King Henry VIII]." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .
...nnot do any further damage to More than lifelong imprisonment as long as More remains silent. Cromwell confiscates More’s books but allows his family to pay him a visit by making Margaret take an oath to convince her father to change his mind. More does not relent and Alice finally sympathises her husband. They reconcile and depart when the jailer insists that the time is up for the visit.
A few years after More published Utopia his own life was far from the Utopia he wrote about, he had conflicting views of the protestant reformation led by Martin Luther, and was eventually beheaded by King Henry VII after refusing to acknowledge the King as Supreme Head of the Church of England. More was considered a humanist, or someone that cares greatly about the wellbeing of humans, many of the topics that More emphasized in Utopia were conceived from facets that he felt could be improved. These topics included family life, population control, healthcare, educational systems, and well established trading
This clearly demonstrates the fact that More knew what he was on about and wasn’t going to go against his beliefs for the sake of living. More strongly believed in the church and the Head of the Church, the Pope. He sustained in doing what you feel right in your heart, not what people tell you. More knew that if he stayed alive, it would have been sufferable, living in jail for the rest of his life, no job and little sight of family. He did what he thought was right. “ I do no harm, I say none harm, I think none harm. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live”(pg. 97)
are the basis for More’s invention, make it impossible for him to do anything but claim power as
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 a fictional book about Mores talk with Raphael Nonsenso and his travels to Utopia.
In Thomas More’s Utopia, an ideal society is presented, and several of this society’s different institutions are detailed. I will compare More’s version of an ideal society with Marx’s vision of what a conflict free communist society would be. I will examine the societal system as a whole focusing on the hierarchy of Utopia, the process of production, distribution of resources, and money.
He is a man of complete integrity and strength. More has an extremely brave mind, loyalty to his king, and a love of his religion. He is a man of strong faith and deep trust in himself when dealing with one of the many difficult situations he is placed in. One of the biggest political issues dealt with by King Henry the 8th is that he needed a son. After nearly twenty years of marriage to Queen Catherine, Henry never got a son and therefore, had a divorce.
Thomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that More did intend Utopia to be the “best state of the commonwealth.” The detailed description of Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of human nature and the importance of reason and natural law while gracefully combining the two seemingly conflicting ideals of communism and liberalism.
Sir Thomas More was a character who was faced with a number of difficult choices. The major one being, when Henry VIII's first wife was unable to produce an heir to the throne, he used that as an excuse for the pope to grant him a divorce, so he could marry a new wife. The King is backed by everyone on this request except the highly regarded and religious Sir Thomas More. When the old Chancellor of England, named More his successor, it became important for Henry to get More's support, but More could not be swayed. He made his decision to oppose the marriage early on, but even though it was something he did not waver from, he still had trouble with it. More made a very difficult decision in opposing the King and his family, but regardless of the consequences, he felt that he was morally correct and for him to choose any other path would have been impossible for he could not oppose the church and God.