# Raphael Hythloday — The Story of Utopias character guide

> Raphael Hythloday in The Story of Utopias by Lewis Mumford.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Hythloday, Raphael

**First appearance:** 0003-the-story-of-utopias

## Who they are

Well-traveled sailor-scholar whose account of an island commonwealth gives More's Utopia its voice and its unsettling edge.

## Relationships

### [Plato](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/characters/plato)

_professional_

Hythloday's descriptions of Utopia are often compared to Plato's ideal state, establishing a direct philosophical dialogue across texts.

## In the story

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/v)

Mentioned as the scholar and sailor who described the mysterious island of Utopia to Sir Thomas More.

### [How something happened to utopia between Plato and Sir Thomas More; and how utopia was discovered again, along with the New World.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/iii)

Hythloday is the fictional traveler in More's Utopia who describes the ideal island society.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/ii)

Portuguese scholar, learned in Greek, who abandoned Aristotle and traveled with Americus Vesputius, discovering the commonwealth of Utopia.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/iii)

The errant intellectual who condemns the greed of the rich, the oppression of the poor, and the corruption of princes, advocating for Utopian reforms.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/iv)

The fictional traveler who recounts the details of Utopia's layout and governance.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/v)

Narrator of Utopian customs, including the rotation of farm workers and the six-hour workday.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/vi)

The narrator who describes the Utopian distribution system, though he did not detail all regulations.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/vii)

Raphael is the source of the description of Amaurot and its customs.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/viii)

The narrator who criticizes English government in the Introduction; his criticisms are compared to the flaws in Utopia.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/ix)

Implied narrator of the Utopian philosophy, as the traveler who reported these customs.

### [The Utopian Way of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/x)

Fictional narrator who describes Utopian values and way of life.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/chapters/ii)

Referenced indirectly through the comparison of Icarian gardens to those in Utopia.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/characters/raphael_hythloday
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_utopias_se/characters