Grace and Love in 'The Courtier' by Baldassare Castiglione Essay

Grace and Love in The Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione - Essay frameworkIn a sense, Castiglione wants to present them as ideal types, as the onorati esempi di virt ( IV, 2, 448 honored models of worthiness287) as can be read from his prologues.When lord Guidobaldo di Montefeltro, duke of Urbino, passed from this life, I unneurotic with several other knights who had served him remained in the service of duke Francesco Maria della Rovere, heir and successor to Guidobaldos state and as in my mind there remained fresh the odor of duke Guidos virtues and the atonement which I in those years had felt from the loving company of such excellent persons, as then frequented the court of Urbino.Castigliones goal in his work was to put down his statements of praise for Urbino and its inhabitants in general and conventional terms. He did not cite the military exploits or civic triumphs of a character he praises, instead, he celebrates completely of them for their virt, (virtue) their ingegn o, (ingenuity) their ottime qualit (high dignity).Castiliogne pursues the elevation of Urbinos image to an exemplary moral excellence and its value for posterity. In his first two prologues, Castiglione highlights the superiority of Urbinos inhabitants. In the prologue to Book III, Castiglione states that if Urbinos pastimes convince him of its excellence, he should be able to imagine easily how much greater the courtiers virtuous actions were (III, 1, 336). In the last prologue, Castiglione praises the courtiers directly as omini per virt singulari ( IV, 2, 446 men singular in worth286). He viewed the court as a paragon of moral exempla ( IV, 2, 448 chiari ed onorati esempi di virt). The court is presented as an ethical model not only to other existing courts at that time but also to the succeeding generations to come. Moreover, Castiglione confesses in the third prologue that he wrote his text carefully to faria vivere negli animi dei posteri (III, 1, 336 make it live in the mind of posterity202). Finally, as his culture upholds classical antiquity, he projects that the young and upcoming generation will envy his time because of the exemplary Urbino court. (III, 1, 336 forse per lavvenire non mancher chi per questo ancor porti invidia al secol nostro).Similarly, the virtues of grace and sleep with which are present in Castiliognes work are also present in Christian morals and manners. Christian morals are a suffice of moral discernment and moral reasoning. For instance, James Gustafson stated that moral discernment refer to basic dispositions that are shaped in part by the trust and trust Christians have as they offer themselves up to God. Moreover, James Gustafson stated that the concept of moral discernment was related to moral reasoning. Gustafson explained that moral reasoning pertains to a character, or personal moral ability, which covers dispositions, traits, and actions of the moral agent. (Selnick, 1992). Castiliogne stated that the courtier is e xpected to serve and increase in favour with her Lady. He should instruct her in virtue