Two Sides of The Same Coin: The Courtier, Written by Castiglione

Being born into nobility, Baldassare Castiglione was able to make his way through the court systems of Europe. He impressed royals with his ability to be the “perfect gentleman”, which helped him gain positions in different European governments. The time spent in government work provided the material for one of Castiglione’s most famous writings, The Courtier. Castiglione was more partial to those who were of noble birth, as he was of noble birth himself. He also felt that those who serve the government should always be prepared for war, that they should be "bold and strong, and loyal...and always among the first" (Castiglione), someone who is agile and prepared to protect those they serve. Overall, Castiglione wanted someone who

Castiglione approached manners in a much different way. Castiglione believed in someone who was strong and perfect. He should be able to skillful in handling weapons and horses, for the art of war. "And therefore will I have him to be of good

The Courtier, originally written as a “courtesy book”, can now be considered to provide significant insight into the norms and practices associated with courtship and gender during the Renaissance era. The book’s third volume is a particularly insightful window into 16th century romantic ideals. Throughout Book Three, Baldassare Castiglione builds an elaborate perspective on what makes the perfect court lady, what sexual and social behavior is acceptable, and how an ideal couple (both courtier and court lady) should function.

Castiglione's The Courtier presents a set of female and male indications for being ideal or well-rounded persons, spread across four books of what was to become a Renaissance-specific manual for achieving the human etiquette ideal. A parallel is to be traced between these precepts that were drawn five centuries ago, and the current situation.

This compare and contrast essay will focus on the views of leadership between Mirandolla and Machiavelli. Mirandolla believes that leadership should not be false and that it should follow the rule of reason. He believes that leaders should strive for the heavens and beyond. On the other hand, Machiavelli believed that leadership comes to those who are crafty and forceful. He believed that leaders do not need to be merciful, humane, faithful or religious; they only need to pretend to have all these qualities. Despite both of them being philosophers, they have drastically different views on leadership, partially because of their views on religion are different. Mirandolla was very religious, and Machiavelli was a pragmatist, which means that

The Book of the Courtier by Baldassar Castiglione was the book of proper etiquette for men and women from 1528 to the end of the 18th century. This book was found in French, Latin, Spanish, Dutch, English, German, and Polish. This book was written in a dialogue well, four different dialogues, with each dialogue pushing and explaining different “rules” that needed to be fallowed if a person was considered to be high class; these rules were basically held as law to most of the high class citizens of Europe. There are some rules that are able to be paired or grouped together because they either said the same thing or were pointing towards the same major point on how to act; some of these major key points

Machiavelli’s interpretation of human nature was greatly shaped by his belief in God. In his writings, Machiavelli conceives that humans were given free will by God, and the choices made with such freedom established the innate flaws in humans. Based on that, he attributes the successes and failure of princes to their intrinsic weaknesses, and directs his writing towards those faults. His works are rooted in how personal attributes tend to affect the decisions one makes and focuses on the singular commanding force of power. Fixating on how the prince needs to draw people’s support, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of doing what is best for the greater good. He proposed that working toward a selfish goal, instead of striving towards a better state, should warrant punishment. Machiavelli is a practical person and always thought of pragmatic ways to approach situations, applying to his notions regarding politics and

From art brought on by the Medici family, to literature produced by some of the most well-known and renowned authors, concepts of humanism emerged. This then resulted in a more positive outlook on life during the Italian Renaissance. Moreover, Francesco Petrarch, the “Father of Humanism,” paved the way for successful eras in Florence, the epicenter of the Renaissance. The conditions of Rome as described by both Baldassare Castiglione and Dante Alighieri crucially inspired the artistic and literary Renaissance of Italy. Reviving Rome lead to a faith in humans, allowing revolutions to build off of the past, as opposed to starting from the beginning. Obviously key factors as demonstrated by the infamous writers Baldassare Castiglione and Dante Alighieri forever and crucially impacted western

Machiavelli’s views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity,

A family of monarchy which tortured Machiavelli for months causing him great suffrage and sorrow. He writes to Lorenzo “May I trust, therefore, that Your Highness will accept this little gift in the spirit in which it is offered: and if Your Highness will deign to peruse it, you will recognize in it my ardent desire that you may attain to that grandeur which fortune and your own merits presage for you.” This enough is confusing because if this is the same principality that caused so much suffering why dedicate a book to let their reign continue into longevity? As to add to this confusion, Machiavelli explains how a prince should use cruelty and violence correctly against the people. To use cruelty and punishment all at once so that the people learn to respect you by fear. He includes that if you had a choice on either being loved or feared, be feared for love can change as quick as it came. Fear of punishment, people would avoid and be subservient. He also goes on to put out that a prince must be cunning like a fox yet strong and fearsome like a lion. To use Realpolitik, morality and ideology left out for the world is not these things as you should not be as well. Furthermore, Machiavelli explains what must happen when a new ruler overtakes a new city and the people in it. “And whoever becomes the ruler of a free city and does not destroy it, can expect to be destroyed by it,

The Renaissance brought with it Freud's ego, and shunned Christian humility. People had been evil by nature and were required by the church, the crux of their religion, to live a pious and altruistic life in order to achieve the goal of salvation. Now, priorities shifted and ideals changed. Individualism had arisen, and man had the ability: "[Pico della Mirandola]." Individualism was a focus on the self. Now that this was true, people sought to gain as much as he or she could, for it would increase their standings amongst their fellows. People were no longer afraid to be unlike their neighbor. In the past, each person was the same, making a meager subsistence while maintaining absolute devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. Machiavelli demonstrated individualism in three important ways. Firstly, he put his name on The Prince. Authors of the Middle Ages, although few and far between, did not emphasize their

He does not follow the idea of virtue established by Petrarch, he disregards the limitless possibility of mankind set forth by Manetti and he refuses to acknowledge the “god-like” qualities established by Della Mirandola. Because of these issues, it is impossible to consider Niccolo Machiavelli a humanist, since these concepts are the foundation to every humanistic approach. While Machiavelli’s novel was one of the most prominent works of the 16th century and furthered a new idea for the ruling class, it hindered the notions that many humanists held dear during the

     During Machiavelli’s time, society was much different than it had been for previous philosophers. Instead of storing up good works, so as to enjoy paradise, as the medieval man did, the Renaissance man was interested in all things, enjoyed life, strove for worldly acclaim and wealth, and had a deep interest in classical civilizations. He was born at a time of conflict within Florence, Italy, between the republican leaders and the family of the Medici’s, of which the Machiavelli’s, especially, had a history of opposition towards. After years of conflict between powers, Machiavelli was exiled from his country.

Virtù is an Italian word used by Machiavelli to denote various terms such as skill, ability, forcefulness, energy, ingenuity, strength, determination, or courage. It is the quality that sets apart successful princes from the others. The author gives examples of well-known founders of great civilizations. When these men came across opportunities, they possessed the virtù required to take full advantage of them. However, Machiavelli points out that virtù is wasted if there is no opportunity to use it. Also, he is of the opinion that violence and use of force is an essential part of the state; and a ruler must utilize it as a tool of government. Machiavelli points out that, if subjects lose faith in a leader’s innovative schemes, he must force it down their throats. Alternatively, the followers must act as if they have faith by obeying the ruler.

Relying on the needs of the society of that time, Machiavelli comes to the conclusion that the most important task is the formation of a single Italian state (Machiavelli 15). Developing his thoughts, the author comes to the following inference: only a prince can become a leader capable of leading people and building a unified state. It is not a concrete historical personality but someone abstract, symbolic, possessing such qualities that in the aggregate are inaccessible to any living ruler. That is why Machiavelli devotes most of his research to the issue of what qualities should the prince possess to fulfill the historical task of developing a new state. The written work is constructed strictly logically and objectively. Even though the image of an ideal prince is abstract, Machiavelli argues that he should be ruthless, deceiving, and selfish.