Erasmus+vs+Machiavelli+vs+More

Imad Pasha


 * //Analyze how the writings of Machiavelli, Erasumus, and Thomas More all follow the Renaissance Ideal.//**

Part one: The Writings of Machiavelli
 * 1) Wrote the "discourses", on the roman republic
 * 2) Wrote "The Prince", on the role of dictators.
 * 3) Lived in Florence in the heart of the Renaissance.
 * 4) Was disgusted by the political situation in Italy (Motivation for writing //The Prince//)
 * 5) Italy was not united, a collection of states that distrusted each other, leading to Italy being used by France and Spain as a convenient spit of land for battle.
 * 6) Machiavelli wrote //The Prince// not to say dictators are good, but as a gift to a family in a position to take power and unify Italy, hoping they would do so.

Part two: The Writings of Erasmus
 * 1) Erasmus was a Northern Renaissance writer.
 * 2) Interested in the old Latin Christian writings, he believed that the Church over the years in its dogma had lost the simpler, essence of Christianity.
 * 3) Used his writings such as "In Praise of Folly" to highlight problems in the church, hoping to Purify the church and restore it to its roots.
 * 4) Seen as a front runner to the Reformation though he did not want to split with the church.

Part Three: the writings of Thomas More The Renaissance Ideal:
 * 1) Lived in England and was an advisor to the king (until he was hanged)
 * 2) Wrote Utopia, a book about a mythical place where society was perfect.
 * 3) Was a close friend of Erasmus.
 * 4) In Utopia, More uses many scenes to bring to light problems in the British system, from taxes to education to prisons.
 * 5) The actions of the Utopian people also serves as a "lesson" to england, The Utopians did not interfere in foreign affairs, something Briton did often and accumulated great debt from.
 * 6) The Utopian society borders on socialism, there is at least a lack of stress on wealth and the material. \
 * 1) Renaissance writers often looked back to the ancient people for answers to problems in society.
 * 2) The Ideal of their writings was the ability to make cries for social change through it, (Machiavelli the unification of Italy, Erasmus the purification of the church, and More the reform of English society)