The Book of the Courtier
The Book of the Courtier (
Italian:
Il Cortegiano) was written by
Baldassare Castiglione in
1528. Baldassare was inspired to write the
Courtier by debates that occurred in
Urbino on what makes a well rounded person (
l'uomo universale).
Beginning with Elisabetta Gonzaga asking for a topic of conversation for the evening, the work is narrated by Ludovico da Canossa, Frederick Fregoso, and Julian de Medici among others. An argument on day two between Lady Emilia and Lord Gaspar may have inspired
Much Ado About Nothing and the discussion of Platonic love by Pietro Bembo may be its most famous part.
The book is organized as a series of fictional conversations that occur between the
courtiers of the
Duke of Urbino in the year
1507 (when Baldassare was in fact part of the Duke's
Court). In the book, the courtier is described as having a cool mind, a good voice (with beautiful, elegant and brave words) and proper bearing and gestures. At the same time though, the courtier is expected to have a warrior spirit, to be athletic and to have good knowledge of the humanities,
classics, and how to draw and paint. However, with all these skills he does everything with certain nonchalance or "
sprezzatura".
During his visits to Italy,
Francois I of France read
Baldassare Castiglione's
The Book of the Courtier. That text so inspired the king that he had it translated into French. He had several copies made, which he then brought back to France to distribute amongst his courtiers. He felt that this book portrayed the model royal court and he strove to create this type of court for himself.
To this day, the Book of the Courtier remains the definitive account of
Renaissance court life. In its own day, however, it was used as a manual on how to be the "Perfect Courtier" and the consummate court lady. By any measure, it is one of the most important of Renaissance works.
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Full English translation by Sir Thomas Hoby (1561)
