"The Prince" and "Utopia"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how although Thomas More and Niccolo Machiavelli lived at approximately the same time, the radical differences in the cultures they lived in created in each man a unique perspective of the world. In order to understand why Machiavelli wrote "The Prince" and Sir Thomas More wrote "Utopia", it looks at the time and place these pieces were written and also attempts to understand the basic psychology of the authors.

Outline
Introduction
When the Books Were Written
Where the Books Were Written
An Analysis of the Approach to Subject
Societies - Real or Fictitious
Nature of the Comparative States
Views of Human Nature
Role of Organized Religion
Nature of Military Affairs
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Prince was written in 1513 in the middle of a series of revolutions in Renaissance Italy. Utopia was written in 1516 at the beginning of the Rule of King Henry VIII. If the Renaissance brought greater glory to the churches and cathedrals of Italy and reinforced the absolute rule of the Pope, it also brought a sense of enlightenment to the middle class both in Europe and England. Education was no longer under control of the church. The sons of wealthy parents were sent to university. Sons of the less affluent but ambitious parents were tutored privately in the classics. Both Thomas More and Niccolo Machiavelli came from well-educated families with little money. Both families were ambitious for their sons and educated them to the extent of their finances. Both More and Machiavelli were innately brilliant. More's genius was in law and relationships and Machiavelli's was in organization and military strategy."

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