Courtier And Castiglione Essay

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.

Instead, historians started looking at human influence and cause and effect. Humanism focused on liberal arts (history, philosophy, grammar, rhetoric, poetry). Along with boosting interest in the classics, it paved way for civic humanism, the idea that one should be involved in the world around them.

6. Spain was united by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella to ensure there would be no conflict in between their kingdoms and to avoid civil war. They also wanted religious uniformity and thus expelled the Muslims and Jews from the country. If they had developed acceptance for the variety of religions, they would not have lost such a large population. Perhaps if Spain shifted on solidifying the power from within their government instead of the corrupt church, they would have gained much more power. The fact that the power of the church was also the power of the state limited Spain in the sense that they could not make decisions without looking at God’s influence.

2.

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

it.

8. Giorgio thought very highly of da Vinci and believed the man was a genius due to his poise in all that he did. He was talented in many aspects and excelled in all that he pursued, setting standards all across the board. His name held great status in his lifetime as well as long after his death. Vasari accredited da Vinci’s talents to God, saying he was obviously inspired by a greater being as no human could possibly be so great.