Baldassare Castiglione's The Book Of The Courtier

During the Middle Ages, except for those in religious positions, women were only seen as three things, which were daughter, wife, and mother. But in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, new opportunities in learning humanism arose for only those in the higher class families. Even though they started to educate themselves, the majority had no rights whatsoever in money matters as well as estate. From the 17th century and up to the scientific revolution, women’s rights had consistently been improving. However, during the revolution, the study of the human body brought to attention that the male brain is quite larger than that of a female. This revelation set back the female race back to a limited role, but this time this setback was

“The Courtier” was a step by step guide intended to instruct the noble-born young lessons in manners, learning, sport and conduct. This was a handbook, written in 1528, on how to be a proper individual in society. In this book, Castiglione not old included a perfect courtier, he also gives the description of the ideal Court Lady. Castiglione believe that courtiers and court ladies must possess the same virtues: education, courage, social, discretion, loyalty, humility, and physically.

The three major categories that have been mentioned, respect, leadership, and social image, were the ways that a person with a high ranking of social order would act in public and within their own homes. The Book of The Courtier by Baldassar Castiglione was the base of the modern day books on proper etiquette; yet, the rules are now not only for the rich but also for the

The Book of the Courtier is a portrait of conversations within the Urbino court under Guidobaldo da Montefeltro. The book covers the main topics of what makes a gentleman of the Renaissance, the nature of nobility, women, love, and humor. Castiglione portrays the ideal courtier as elegant and beautiful man who is athletic, of a warrior’s spirit, and an intellectual who is knowledgeable of the humanities, the classics, and fine arts. Eventually, on February 2nd, 1529, Baldassare Castiglione died of a plague in Toledo, Spain. Castiglione was honored in death for writing one of the more important and popular works of the Renaissance which presented ideas of masculinity, equality, and others through a humanist perspective. Future philosophers revelled in Castiglione’s works for

Masculinity Throughout time, men and women have had specific assigned roles that they play in society. Though these gender roles are very specific they have changed some over the period of time. Masculinity has changed throughout the Renaissance, Restoration and the Eighteenth Century period. The most altering time for Masculinity is from the Restoration period to the Eighteenth Century period, when the Scientific Revolution really became prosperous.

This ultimate pursuit of becoming a gentleman has drawn criticism and ridicule from Monsieur Jourdain’s peers. The process of becoming a member of the elite class is a universal standard accepted by everyone within

Constance Bouchard, the author of Those of My Blood, contrives a well-organized text defining five major ideas that provide the basis of her argument throughout the book. Bouchard clearly examines primary and secondary sources finding conclusive evidence that most of the nobility was emphasized by the male line, however, this does not eliminate women from pedigrees. She also includes in her thesis father-son inheritance was not well-established until the eleventh or twelfth century. She generates her arguments solely based on the role of “family” and questions the origins of old versus new nobility. She continues in the following context by associating women’s functions within the nobility, as well as, political changes in family structure,

Did women during the Renaissance really live difficult lives? Renaissance women faced many obstacles such as an overload of responsibilities and inequality. These affected the lifestyles of these maidens and how they presented themselves. Women in the Renaissance had lives than women today because they were not given equal rights, were restricted by their class, and were unable to participate in the government. Women in the Renaissance were burdened with many high responsibilities.

The idea of Renaissance Self-Fashioning introduced by Stephen Greenblatt, permeated the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries by outlining the process in which sophisticated high class citizens fashioned their image to fit the acceptable standards of the public. Baldassare Castiglione’s literary work, The Book of the Courtier is the epitome of this idea and recites the specific qualities and actions a courtier should do at court to be well respected amongst his peers and succeed in his craft. Castiglione connects the idea of Self-Fashioning directly to the everyday ordeal of court courtiership by specifically illustrating the actions and qualities that make a perfect courtier.

As a ship is without a sail or a king with no castle, so too is a courtier without a Court lady. In "The Book of the Courtier" Baldesar Castiglione not only included a perfect courtier, he also molded his female equivalent, a Court lady. "The Courtier" itself was a step by step guide intended to instruct the young, affluent and upwardly mobile in areas of manners, learning, sport and conduct. It was published in 1528, at a high point of humanistic thought and antiquarian chivalric interest in Renaissance Italy. Often overlooked or undervalued is the discussion of the ideal Court lady, described in eloquent and perfect detail by the characters of Caesar and Magnifico, who was assigned by the Duchess to

Within The Book of the Courtier, written by Baldassare Castiglione in 1582, the expected qualities and roles of the Elite Italian Renaissance men and woman are expressed in extensive detail. While the characteristics of both men and women differ greatly, very few qualities are shared. The men Courtiers are expected to exhibit control, loyalty, and courage. Not only do men have to possess these traits, they must be confident in showing them at the correct time and manner. If the Courtier is unaware of how to show these skills or exhibits cowardice and disgrace, then he will be forever condemned by the people around him.

The Renaissance was a time of enlightenment and discovery around the world. There were many advancements in culture, art, and science. An interesting area to look at for this period would be the advancements made based on gender. Historically, women do not always have a significant impact on their culture, and they do not always have the same standing as their male counterparts. Margaret L. King and Joan Kelly-Gadol delve deeper into the issue of gender advancements during the Renaissance when they analyze the issue of whether women and men benefitted equally during this period.

The purpose of the book Women of the Renaissance by Margaret King is to explain the various roles of that women occupied during the renaissance. She mainly focusses on women of western Europe between 1350 and 1650. In the chapter titled “Daughters of Eve: Women in the Family” King writes about the positions of women in the family. In the part of the chapter that we were assigned, she depicts the role of mother. She explains the importance having children, the differences between healthy and lower class mothers, and the relationship between these mothers and their children. During the renaissance, motherhood was an extremely important job, and many women were defined by it.

In conclusion, Bouchard comprises an ordered narrative. She is adamant about her thesis, providing primary sources that link evidence as to why noble families of the Middle Ages correspond with the male-line. This does not exclude women from lineages as she supports her claim that women are not inferior to males if her relatives are superior to those of her husband and his kin. In this, she also includes evidentiary support for father-son inheritance. She depicts examples of this presenting how important it was to have these inheritances, for women could not obtain these. Men and women’s families of the centuries discussed are constantly evolving due to marriages, alliances, blood-ties, and political positions. The debate between “old” versus

If “The Book of the Courtier” by Italian diplomat and humanist writer, Baldassare Castiglione was published in 2017, everyone would be enraged if they had to follow the ideals expressed in the book. These ideals derive from the specific lifestyle of the age of Rebirth—the Renaissance. During this era, people were forced to follow the norms of their gender. However, in today’s society, everyone is free to express themselves in the way that they desire. Compared to today’s standards, there was a distinct and disparate ideology of how a gentleman and lady should behave during the Renaissance in order to achieve the label as well-rounded.