Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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Tom, I decided to forget about Uncle Johnny after all. Sorry it's so late.
Alberti was the kind of guy who believed education was of utmost importance. He said "Let them not think they have taught them if they do not see that their sons have learned to read and write perfectly, for in this it is almost the same to know badly as not to know at all." Along with education, Alberti believed that the ideal Renaissance person was a hard worker. "Who can ever think it possible to achieve arts,... without striving in difficult manly tasks." He abhored laziness in people.
In contrast, Castiglione and Machiavelli believed in warfare as most important. The ideal courtier was good at all different kinds of sports (except tumbling). This was important to him because he believed it would make for soldiers ready at a minute's notice. The "Book of the Courtier" places education at a distant second with barely a mention except that a courtier must be a good writer. Along with education in "the Courtier" Castiglione valued music and said "...I am not content with the Courtier unless he be also a musician and unless, besides understanding and being able to read notes, he can play upon diverse instruments". Not only was the the Courtier supposed to be good at war, music, and letters, he must also be good at painting! Tough stick to measure up to !
Machiavelli believed solely in Warfare as the Prince's strongest talent precisely because "we often see that when Princes devote themselves rather to pleasure than to arms, they lose their dominions."
The second point in Alberti's "on the Family" was that the ideal Renaissance person must posses honor and virtu. He said "As for me, on who does not care for honor or fear shame and does not act with prudence and intelligence does not live well." "One who does not give himself body and soul to the quest for praise and virtue is to be deemed unworthy of life...." In the "Book of Courtiers" Castiglione believes in honor but feels that it can only be gained by manly acts. "...And just as among women, their fair fame once sullied never recovers its first lustre, so the reputation of a gentleman wo bears arms, if once it be in the least tarnished with cowardice or other disgrace..."
Machiavelli claims that honor an virtu are optional depending on the situation. He says, " It is essential, therefore, for a Prince who would maintain his position, to have learned how to be other than good, and to use or not to use his goodness as necessity requires." Machiavelli points out that if the path of Virtue leads to the downfall of the Prince, the prince should take the unvirtuous road in order to survive. To sum it up, " He must hterefore keep his mind to shift as the winds and tides of fortune turn, and, as I have already said, he ought not to quit good courses if he can help it, but should know how to follow evil courses if he must...."
So, do they think alike? NO.