Post date: Apr 17, 2017 9:03:31 PM
So this week we have moved on to Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier which details **hold for dramatic pause** how to be a good courtier. This book hit on a lot of themes we've already talked about and are sort of familiar with such as the idea of games in royal courts and the prestige associated with them. But what really caught my eye is Castiglione's view of mankind. In Pico's "Oration on the Dignity of Man," man was innately good and could do anything we wanted through the grace of God. Machiavelli's The Prince saw mankind as horrible and wretched creatures that needed to be kept in line. In The Courtier, we are seeing a concrete plan of who man can be, or more specifically can't be. Castiglione creates this impossibly great courtier as an example for other people to aspire to and lists all these qualities throughout his book.
Some of the advice given in the book especially reminded me of what Machiavelli wrote in The Prince. Both had a royal audience in mind but the two of them differed on a few key things, especially the view on what man could be mentioned earlier. The knowledge each person must possess is essential, both authors cite thorough military knowledge and tow the line between what is good and bad. Castiglione points out that "many things which seem good at first sight are evil, and many things which seem evil are good" (131). This seems like a line that I would have read in The Prince. However, Castiglione was also writing for a different audience and was able to include women in his book. Granted it was mostly about their appearance and chastity and sometimes Castiglione doesn't take a firm stance since he has the freedom not to in this style.
Overall, I've enjoyed the book so far and the comparisons to books we've read previously.