Thomas More by Joanne Paul

Author:Joanne Paul
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2016-11-21T05:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

Given More's forays into translation, poetry and satire, it is perhaps no surprise that his History of King Richard the Third also presents the reader with a unique synthesis of sources and a reflection on his recurrent central themes. By bringing together different methods of writing history, More plays with the concepts of fiction and reality, just as he had in Utopia. And, just as in Utopia, public opinion is at the centre of this discussion of artificiality and truth. Richard the Third, however, goes much further into interrogating the role of reputation in the formation of public opinion and the ways in which individual self-interest can damage a commonwealth. It also goes further in the creation of an archetype of the educated and active citizen. John Morton fulfils the role sketched out in Utopia; he works within the pageantry of politics while retaining the knowledge of essential truths and resisting the temptations of pride. He plays instead upon the pride of others, knowing full well that it cannot be uprooted and turning it to the benefit of the commonwealth. It is by Morton that the commonwealth is healed, through the union of the warring roses.

The discord and division portrayed in Richard the Third probably reflects accurately the context in which More grew up, even if More fabricates some elements of his history. He makes clear that the disunity that threatens the commonwealth is based on the ambition and pride of the nobility, whose members refuse to heed entreaties that they focus on their common humanity and Christianity and place these values over and above their private interests. At its worst, such disunity spreads to the people as well, threatening its place as the source of the consensus and consent foundational to the commonwealth. Richard III disregards or manipulates this important element of consent and, although we do not see this in the unfinished text, the idea may well be that his fall has come about in large measure because he did not truly gain the necessary consent of a united people.

More's context changed dramatically after 1517; however, this focus on the need for consensus and union, expressed through what is held in common, remained central to his thought. He continued to be dedicated to these central principles and firm in his rejection of what he saw as proud self-interest, be it in scholastics, in nobles, or in ‘heretics’.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.