Sir Thomas More's Utopia and Aphra Behn's The Rover are two very different literary works that focus on different issues: More's work is a document political, while Behn's can be classified as more social. While the two works themselves are completely different, both of these authors use a similar form to shape their work to advance serious issues in their respective writings. More used the fantasy trope of utopia to offer themes evocative of socialism, and Behn used a similar fantasy structure of Carnival to challenge 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 "loophole" created by the fantasy genre . Through an analysis of both works, it is clear that both authors would not have been able to propose these ideas without using the realm of fantasy to mask the seriousness and controversy of these new issues. Utopia is an early socialist document that presents a propertyless and classless society during one of the most centralized and hierarchical political situations in history, while The Rover greatly shakes up the status of women by allowing its female characters to choose their own destiny, which also presented during a time when women essentially had no political rights and little social freedom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the time, a more composed Utopia, European political systems were rooted in monarchical tendencies, or small deviations thereof, and class systems were highly hierarchical and immobile. Generally, a person's social and political status was based 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 suggestive concepts of a socialist society - shared land and no private property, no social class lines and shared labor - completely radical ideas in a period when monarchies still dominated political Europe. However, because More presents these radical ideas within the context of describing a fantasy island, the seriousness and danger they could potentially pose is tempered. For example, with terms such as “aircastle”, “happiland” and “nowater” used to name places within Utopia, it is evident that Utopia is presented within a fantasy realm, not as a ferocious political commentary. Throughout Utopia. , communist ideas are nestled among Raphael's elaborate descriptions of the fantastical island of Utopia. Once again, though, because the book is structured around the concept of a fictional place, and thus is perceived as a hypothetical “this is how it could be,” rather than More's overt statement of “this is how it should be, ” the socialist tone is therefore much alleviated and not considered dangerous for the political structure of the time. For example, while describing the working conditions in Utopia, the character Raphael simultaneously highlights the socialist principle of shared labor. Raphael states: “... Every year twenty people from each house return to the city, after spending two years in the countryside, and are replaced by another twenty. These new recruits are then taught farming by those who have already spent a year on the land and therefore know the work best. . . This system reduces the risk of shortagesfood. . . Two years is the normal period for working the land so that no one is forced to work it for too long. . .” (Maggiori, 51) and later when he says “… wherever you are, you always have to work” (Maggiori 65). This concept of an entire population sharing the same job tasks is highly characteristic of a government rooted in socialism, and although More's book was written during a time of political turmoil, the general trend was still one of a strict division of labor and the class. Once again, however, as these concepts are brought to light within the discussion of a fantasy island, they are technically not to be taken as suggestive, but rather as simple descriptions of a "perfect" place, far from the reader. The concept of shared labor is highlighted again when Raphael explains how all utopians have a six-hour working day, and further when he says: “And now we come to their working conditions. Well, there is a job that everyone does, regardless of gender, and that is agriculture” (More, 55). This idea that every person not only worked, but did the same type of work was radically different from the current policies of Moro's Europe, since agricultural work was entrusted only to peasants, and the noble and ruling classes of the time participated with little or no work. Raphael actually speaks to this reality in the lines: “They don't wear people out though…this is just slavery, and yet this is what life is like for the working classes almost everywhere in the world” (More 56). Although Raphael's descriptions appear socialist in theory, because they are applied to describe another place and not as a potential system for the current place, readers can see how More's utopia trope is a success in that his book is able to offer these radical ideas without More himself seeming radical and/or dangerous. In addition to the idea of ​​shared labor, Utopia also presents the concept of the abolition of private property and instead the concept of land shared between the nation and the abolition of division into social classes. For example, when describing utopian homes, Raphael states: “In both cases, they are single double doors, which open with a simple touch and close automatically behind you. So anyone can come and go, because there is no such thing as private property. The houses themselves are assigned by lot and changed every ten years” (More 53). In 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 no class division is highlighted when Raphael describes a typical dining experience in Utopia: everyone eats together and shares food. According to Raphael, it is actually “considered bad form” (More 62) not to eat in the dining room with the rest of society. This concept of sharing that binds Utopia is particularly widespread in descriptions of social classes. For example, this idea is expressed quite unambiguously by Raphael when he says: "With such a system, there will certainly be plenty of everything, and since everything is divided equally among the entire population, obviously there can be no poor people or beggars ” (More 65) Once again Raphael focuses on the fact that utopians are not divided by social classes and that no one has more or seems richer than another – a defining characteristic of European society of the time: “ You see, from the utopian point of view, apart from the few who had the opportunity to go abroad, all that splendor was simply degradingbetter than the others, because his clothes are made of finer woolen thread than theirs” (Walls 68-69). The idea of ​​a classless society was something that Europeans of the time were completely unfamiliar with, as it was customary for nobility to act and dress as such, and for peasants to do the same for their respective roles. In the sixteenth century, social class was highly hierarchical and immobile, which is another reason why the concepts of a classless society reflected in More's Utopia could appear controversial. More's decision to present these ideas, whether he supported them or not, in the context of a fantasy island, however, is a key tactic in their success in having an effect on readers. While on the outside More's document appears to be nothing more than an optimistic science fiction novel, the fact that it is seen as "just fantasy" means that serious political questions emerge at the same time, questions so radical at the time that they could not have been published at the same time. 'abroad. of the kingdom of “utopia”. The Rover is quite similar to More's Utopia in its use of a fantasy setting – in Behn's case, the carnival – to allow discussion of a radical idea. Through Behn's use of the carnival setting in her play, her female characters are enabled and a wish unheard of at the time is fulfilled: a woman's ability to choose her own marital destiny, rather than leaving it determined by a male. During the period in which Behn's work was composed, women not only had no political rights but were also unable to make personal decisions, such as who they wanted to marry, as it was predetermined by a father figure. This situation was no different for two of the women in The Rover; Hellena was assigned to enter the convent, according to her brother's wishes, and her sister Florinda was also assigned to marry a man in whom she had no interest rather than the one she loved, again according to her brother's wishes. brother and his father. In the show, these two outspoken women both express their strong will to make the decision for themselves about what they want and who they want to be with, rather than falling victim to the voice of a male figure. Florinda expresses her disgust at following her brother's orders and marrying the man he or her father had chosen for her by stating, “With indignation; and however much my father thinks I am about to marry that hated object, I will show him that I understand better what is due to my beauty, birth, and fortune, and more to my soul, than to obey those unjust commands" (Behn Ii20- 24 ).This sentence allows readers to immediately see that Florinda has a strong will, but is at the mercy of a patriarchal social structure at the time. Likewise, her sister Ellena also expresses the same will in her resistance to entering the convent as her brother had commanded and in her sympathy for her sister's similar situation Hellena says: "It is not enough to make me a nun, but you must also cast out my sister, exposing her to an imprisonment worse than a religious life?" -92).The exchange between Hellena, Florinda and their brother Pedro at the beginning of the play helps demonstrate the accepted social hierarchy regarding women at the time, but also the extraordinary willingness that Hellena and Florinda possess to challenge it. For example, when Hellena protests Despite her brother's plans to make her a nun, she becomes irritated by her indignation and tells the maid to "lock her up all this Carnival, and in Lent she will begin her eternal penance in a monastery" (Behn Ii136 -137). With this comment, however, Hellena has an equally strong reaction, stating: “I don't care; I would preferto be a nun rather than be forced to marry me as you would have me if I had been designed for it” (Behn Ii137-138). Pedro reaffirms his command, insisting that Hellena will become a nun as he had planned, but once again Hellena resists and exposes her stubborn personality and desires, sarcastically saying, “Should I [become a nun]? You may be mistaken in my way of devotion. A nun! I would like to become a good nun! I'm in a great mood for nothing” (Behn Ii 140-143). Witnessing this exchange at the beginning of the work, readers are not only able to see the typical social structure of the time, one in which one man's word prevails, but they can also see Hellena and Florinda's willingness to rebel against it. the introduction of Carnival and the ability to wander the streets in masquerade, however, this key plot technique introduced by Behn allows both Hellena and Florinda to escape and temporarily reverse this social hierarchy. “What, go in costume? It will be a nice farewell to the world, I suppose...” (Behn Ii171-172), exclaims the maid. Through Behn's use of Carnival, both women are effectively able to say goodbye to the world as they see it, and more importantly, this radical social reversal is also considered a situation that is actually plausible even under this fantasy trope . .For example, the moment 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 find Belville, the man who wants to marry, against his brother's wishes. In disguise, Florinda is able to write to Belville, in the hope that they can slip away unnoticed and escape. Belville states: “See how kindly she invites me to free her from the threatened violence of her brother. . .” (Behn I.ii. 249-250). These disguised transactions between Florinda and Belville and between Hellena and any male figure could not have occurred without the Carnival setting; he not only contributes significantly to the play's plot, but is also an agent of Behn's reversal of accepted social models. For example, because 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 ball, however, it becomes possible to avoid social reality for these two characters, and for the first time they are able to act autonomously. Although the majority of The Rover consists of comic actions and consequences of masks mixed with male hormones as a result of the Carnival celebration, the most significant and serious problem of the play, namely this broken social hierarchy that had allowed Hellena and Florinda to being with men of their choosing, is resolved quite interestingly at the end of the opera, when Carnival has come to an end 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 make a decision based on what she wants, rather than what he wants her brother, even in the absence of Carnival, is highly significant. Although Carnival took into account the circumstances in which this marriage might have taken place, the success of the marriage ultimately makes permanent what was initially perceived as a "temporary" reversal of this social order, sending a quite radical message in the success that comes through a woman's freedom to choose her own destiny. Florinda highlights this freedom in offering advice to another man,.