Parasite
When Hythloday describes the Fool at the Cardinal's dinner party, he says, "There was a parasite standing around, who liked to play the fool, and was so good at it that you could hardly tell him from the real thing" (1.26). Here, Hythloday uses a metaphor to compare the Fool to a parasite, or something that lives off of something else. While derogatory, Hythloday explains that the success of the Fool is determined by how well he can critique, mock, and entertain those around him.
Kingship
In a rumination on kingship, Hythloday says, "it is the king's duty to take more care of his people's welfare than of his own, just as it is the duty of a shepherd who cares about his job to feed the sheep rather than himself" (1.34). Here, Hythloday relies on a not uncommon simile for kings by comparing rulers to shepherds who tend to flocks of sheep. As such, Hythloday both elevates kings to a Christ-like status (Christ was known as the "shepherd" of Christians) and implies that kingship should be a selfless rather than self-serving occupation.
Beast of Burden
Hythloday critiques European aristocracy for idleness, but also notes that people in Utopia have a moderate approach to labor. He says, "But no one [in Utopia] has to exhaust himself with endless toil ... as if he were a beast of burden" (1.51). Here, Hythloday uses a simile to compare overworked citizens (like those he sees in Europe) to animals valued only for their productivity.
Pride
Of course, pride is the ultimate sin for Hythloday, and he condemns it throughout the text. At one point, he says, "Pride is a serpent from hell that twines itself around the hearts of men […] to hold them back from choosing a better way of life" (2.110). Here, Hythloday compares pride to a deadly serpent, aligning the sin with Satan himself and suggesting that pride leads to suffocation even if it seems to provide opportunity.
Idleness
One of Hythloday's primary targets is the European aristocracy, or gentry. About this social group, he says, "What's more, these gentry drag around with them a great train of idle servants, who have never learned any trade by which they could make a living" (1.17). Here, Hythloday uses a metaphor to refer to the servants as a "train," suggesting that they are obedient but useless, more like objects than people.
