Sir Thomas More's Utopia and Aphra Behn's The Rover are two very different works of literature that focus on different subjects: the work of More is a political document, while Behn's can be categorized as more of a social issue. Although the two works themselves are entirely different, these two authors employ a similar form to shape their work to promote serious issues in their respective writings. More used the fantasy trope of utopia to propose evocative themes of socialism, and Behn used a similar fantasy structure of Carnival to question the social role of women at the time. By using these fantasy genres, More and Behn are able to test the accepted political and social realities of the time and replace them with extremely radical concepts, all without their work being perceived as threatening due to the "rift" created by the fantasy genre. Through an analysis of the two works, it is clear that the two authors could not have posed these ideas without using the field of fantasy to mask the seriousness and controversy of these unpublished questions. Utopia is an early socialist document that presents a propertyless, classless society in one of the most centralized and hierarchical political situations in history, while The Rover significantly upends the status of women by allowing its female characters to choosing their destiny, also presented at a time when women had virtually no political rights and little social freedom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the days of a more composed utopia, European political systems were rooted in monarchical tendencies, or slight deviations from These and class systems were very hierarchical and immobile. . Generally, a person's social and political status depended on the class they were born into and the amount of property they owned. The fantasy island of utopia presented in More's book, however, completely abandons these political realities and replaces them with concepts evoking a socialist society - shared land and no private property, no social class lines and shared labor - completely radical ideas at one time. when monarchies still dominated political Europe. However, because More presents these radical ideas within the framework of a description of a fantasy island, the seriousness and danger they could potentially pose is diminished. For example, with terms such as "aircastle", "happiland" and "nowater", used to refer to locations found in Utopia, it is evident that the utopia is presented in a fantasy realm and not as political commentary scathing. , communist ideas are nestled between Raphael's elaborate descriptions of the fantastical island of utopia. But again, because the book is structured around the concept of a fantasy-type location, and is therefore seen as a hypothetical "this is how it could be", rather than a blatant declaration by More that "this is how it should be.” “The socialist tone is therefore strongly toned down and is not considered dangerous for the political structure of the time. For example, while describing the working conditions in Utopia, the character of Raphael simultaneously highlights the socialist principle of shared work. Raphael states: “…Each year, twenty people from each house return to the city, after having spent two years in the countryside, and arereplaced by twenty others. These new recruits then learn agriculture from those who have already spent a year on the land and therefore know the profession better. . . This system reduces the risk of food shortages. . . Two years is the normal length of work on the land so that no one has to brutalize it for too long. . .” (More, 51) and later when he says: “…wherever you are, you must always work” (More, 65). This concept of an entire population sharing the same work tasks is very characteristic of a government.rooted in socialism, and although More's book was written at a time of political turmoil, the dominant tendency was still that of 'a strict division of labor and classes. Again, however, because these concepts are brought forward in the context of discussing a fantasy island, they are technically not meant to be considered suggestive, but rather simply descriptions of a "perfect" place, away from the reader. The concept The theme of shared work is brought forward again when Raphaël explains that all utopians have a six-hour working day, and also when he says: “And now, their working conditions. Well, there’s one job that they all do, regardless of gender, and that’s farming” (More, 55). This idea that each person not only worked, but performed the same type of work, was radically different from the current policies of More's Europe, as agricultural work relied solely on peasants and the noble and ruling classes of the time participated in it. with little or no work at all. Raphaël also speaks of this reality in these lines: “But they don't exhaust people... it's just slavery, and yet this is what the life of the working classes looks like almost everywhere else in the world. world” (More 56). Although Raphael's descriptions seem socialist in theory, because they are applied to describe another place, and not presented as a potential system for the current place, readers can see how the trope of More's utopia is relevant. is successful in that his book is able to offer these radical ideas without making More himself seem radical and/or dangerous. In addition to the idea of ​​shared labor, Utopia also presents the concept of the abolition of private property and rather the concept of land shared between the nation and the abolition of the division of social classes. For example, when describing utopian houses, Raphael says: “In both cases, they are double, swinging doors, which open with a simple touch and close automatically behind you. Everyone can therefore enter and leave, because private property does not exist. The houses themselves are allocated by drawing lots and changed every ten years” (More 53). At a time in history when a man was essentially nothing without property, this was an extremely radical idea used to categorize a nation. Once again, the concept of shared land and lack of class division is brought to the fore when Raphael describes a typical Utopia dining experience: everyone eats together and shares food. According to Raphael, it is in fact “considered rather bad form” (More 62) not to eat in the refectory with the rest of society. This notion of sharing which binds utopia is particularly present in the descriptions of social classes. For example, this idea is expressed unequivocally by Raphael when he says: "In such a system, there will necessarily be an abundance of everything, and since everything is shared equally among the entire population, there obviously cannot be poor or poor. beggars” (More 65). Once again, Raphaël focuses on thefact that utopians are not divided by social class and that no one has more or seems richer than another – a defining characteristic of European society of the time. Raphael says: “You see, from the utopian point of view, apart from the few who had the opportunity to go abroad, all this splendor was nothing but degrading. . . . The utopians don't understand. . . how can anyone be so stupid as to think himself better than others, because his clothes are made of finer woolen thread than theirs” (More 68-69). The idea of ​​a classless society was something that Europeans of the time would not have known at all, as it was customary for the nobility to behave and dress as such, and for the peasants to act as such. even for their respective roles. Social classes were very hierarchical and immobile in the 1500s, which is another reason why the concepts of a classless society reflected in More's Utopia might seem controversial. More's decision to present these ideas, whether he approves of them or not, within the framework of a fantasy island, however, is a key tactic in successfully having an effect on readers. While on the outside More's document appears nothing more than an optimistic science fiction novel, the fact that it is considered "only fantasy" allows it to simultaneously reveal serious political issues, issues so radical at the time that they could not have been published outside. from the realm of “utopia”. The Rover is quite similar to More's Utopia in its use of a fantasy-type setting – in Behn's case, the carnival – to enable discussion of a radical idea. Through Behn's use of the carnival setting in her play, her female characters are both empowered and granted a wish unheard of at the time: a woman's ability to choose her own marital destiny, rather than let it be determined by a man. At the time Behn's play was composed, women not only had no political rights, but were also unable to make personal decisions, such as who they wanted to marry, because this was predetermined by a figure paternal. This situation was no different for two of the women in The Rover; Hellena was assigned to enter a convent, in accordance with her brother's wishes, and her sister Florinda was also arranged to marry a man she was not interested in rather than one she loved, again based on her wishes. his brother and his father. In the play, these two outspoken women both express their strong desire to decide for themselves what they want and who they want to be with, rather than being victimized by the voice of a male figure. Florinda expresses her disgust at the idea of ​​following her brother's orders and marrying the man he or her father had chosen for her, stating: “With indignation; and as near as my father thinks that I marry this hated object, I will show him that I understand better what is due to my beauty, my birth, and my fortune, and more to my soul, than to obey these unjust commandments » (Behn II 20-24). ). This line allows readers to immediately see that Florinda is strong-willed, but is at the mercy of a patriarchal social structure of the time. Likewise, her sister Hellena also expresses this same desire in her resistance to entering a convent as her brother had ordered and her sympathy for her sister's similar situation. Hellena said, "It's not enough that you make me a nun, but you must also cast out my sister, exposing her to detention worse than a religious life?" (Behn II90-92). The exchange between Hellena, Florinda and their brother Pedro at the beginning of theThe play demonstrates the social hierarchy accepted at the time regarding women, but also the extraordinary desire that Hellena and Florinda possess to defy it. For example, when Hellena manifests her brother's plans to make her become a nun, he becomes irritated by her indignation and tells the servant to "lock her up for this whole carnival, and at Lent she will begin her eternal penance in a monastery” (Behn Ii 136-137). However, with this comment, Hellena has an equally strong reaction, stating, “I don’t care; I would rather be a nun than be obliged to marry as you would have me if I were designed for that” (Behn Ii137-138). Pedro reaffirms his command, insisting that Hellena will become a nun as he had planned, but once again Hellena objects and exposes her personality and voluntary wishes, saying sarcastically: "Shall I [become a nun ] ? You might be mistaken about my manner of devotion. A nun! I would like to make a good nun! I have an excellent mood for a grid” (Behn Ii 140-143). By witnessing this exchange at the beginning of the play, readers can not only see the typical social structure of the time, in which one man's word prevails, but also see Hellena and Florinda's willingness to rebel against her. the introduction of Carnival and the ability to walk the streets in masquerade, however, this key plot technique introduced by Behn allows Hellena and Florinda to escape and temporarily reverse this social hierarchy. “What, putting on a charade?” “It will be a nice farewell to the world, I suppose...” (Behn II171-172), exclaims the servant. Through Behn's use of Carnival, both women are indeed able to say goodbye to the world as they see it and, more importantly, this radical social reversal is also seen as a situation that is equally plausible under this fantasy trope. For example, as soon as Florinda and Hellena put on their carnival masks, both girls are able to escape their social realities, while Hellena playfully flirts with men on the street, and Florinda is finally able to act and to find Belville, the man she wants to marry, against her brother's wishes. Disguised, Florinda is able to write to Belville, in the hope that they can escape undetected and escape. Belville says: “See with what kindness she invites me to deliver her from her brother's threats of violence. . .” (Behn I.ii. 249-250). These disguised transactions between Florinda and Belville and between Hellena and any male figure could not have taken place without the setting of Carnival; not only does this contribute significantly to the plot of the play, but it is also an agent of Behn's overthrow of accepted social patterns. For example, since Florinda's brother did not approve of Belville, in a normal situation she would not have been able to communicate with him. But with Carnival and the masquerade, it becomes possible for these two characters to avoid social realities and, for the first time, they are able to act on their own. Although most of The Rover consists of comedic actions and mask consequences mixed together. with male hormones following the celebration of Carnival, the most significant and serious problem of the play, that of this interrupted social hierarchy which had allowed Hellena and Florinda to be with men of their choosing , is resolved quite interestingly at the end of the play when the Carnival has ended and the masks have been removed. Using Carnival as an agent, Florinda and Belville are finally able to get married, albeit behind Pedro's back, but the fact that for the first time Florinda is able to take a.