Courtier And Castiglione Essay

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2. By writing The Book of the Courtier, Castiglione developed the image of the perfect aristocrat. Courtier served as a basic handbook of how nobles should behave around officials. His ideal aristocrat was from noble descent and had good character, grace, and various talents. They needed to accumulate accomplishments such as military skill as well as achievements in the arts. Lastly, nobles were expected to abide to a code of conduct: make good impressions, have poise, and display their accomplishments while still maintaining modesty. 4. Renaissance humanism was an intellectual trend that came from interest in Greco-Roman literature. It changed theories and education because it secularized history--events were no longer blamed on God’s will. …show more content…

When looking for a wife for her son, Alessandra Strozzi wanted the family to have a good reputation and the bride to be skilled and able to handle children. She briefly mentioned attractiveness as well as the girl’s literacy and involvement in the arts. In Strozzi’s case, she had the disadvantage of having to find someone who would take her son even as he was in exile. Filippo would have an arranged marriage that would help the Strozzis carry on their family name and status. 4. Machiavelli’s advice for a prince was to not be deceived easily and that when it came to staying in power, being feared by the public would be more practical than being loved. The idea that the prince needed to be selfish and make decisions that result in the best for the state and for himself, rather than only exercising power when it was needed for the common good. Machiavelli did not seem sarcastic in his treatise. All his advices were reasonable and simple and even the controversial ones were justified with logic. 6. In Pico della Mirandola’s Oration, he stresses that man can be whatever he wills. Humanists believed that man should not conform to the belief that his potential is limited. Humans were in the middle of the world, “neither of heaven nor of earth”, and thus could be anything in between. As long as one had the desire to be something, they had the power within them to be

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