Friendship and Tyranny in the Writings of Sir Thomas More

The essay analyzes the themes of friendship and tyranny in Thomas More’s writings. The essay begins with a consideration of three major classical sources on friendship and tyranny, and then examines More’s writings in light of these sources. The essay proposes that More’s writings manifest both his understanding of tyranny and his understanding of the author as prospective friend of the reader, the two potentially united in a common project to bring about the renascence of learning, friendship, and especially wise and virtuous citizenship in England. More’s lifelong opposition to tyranny, then, stands revealed as surprisingly yet naturally connected to his understanding and presentation of himself as author and potential friend of the reader.