The Concept of Love and Beauty, in The Fourth Book of the Courtier, of The Book of the Courtier, written by Baldesar Castiglione

A courtier is a person designated to attend the royal court as a companion and adviser to the king or queen or prince. The Book of the Courtier is an Italian masterpiece written by Baldesar Castiglione, which comprises the opinions of various courtiers on multiple issues like the qualities of a perfect courtier, the qualities of a true prince, and ruler, true love, and beauty. It can be considered a courtesy book of the era. Written in 1507, the book incorporates conversations and diverse opinions of the courtiers of the court of Urbino, which continued for four consecutive nights. Apart from discussing about the ideal demeanour of a prince, or ruler and principles of a true courtier, they also focus on the concept of true love and the idea of beauty.

 In the book four, the author recapitulated the discussion held on the previous evening. The author mourns the loss of three elegant courtiers whose untimely demise shook him to the core. Later, the discussion diverted to a new direction. They expressed their opinion about the qualities of a perfect courtier and a courtier’s responsibility towards the prince. As a king’s companion and adviser, a courtier should inculcate good qualities, like gentleness of behaviour, discretion, eagerness for honour, magnanimity, courtesy, generosity, love of justice in the prince, or the future ruler. The courtiers who took part in the discussion were Lord Ottaviano, Lord Ludovico, Lady Duchess, Lady Emilia, Lord Gasper, Messer Pietro Bembo, Messer Cesare, Gonzaga,Frisio,Lord Morello da Ortona, Federico and others.

 The discussion of love and beauty starts from conversation no.49 and continues up to 60.Lord Gasper is of the opinion that aged courtiers should not indulge in the intricacies of love. The tricks used by young men to flirt with court ladies should not be emulated by the aged courtiers. It will appear as idiosyncratic, making them look ridiculous. Eventually, it will evoke aversion from women and derision from sensible people. Lord Ottaviano begs to differ from his opinion asserting that one should not be deprived from romantic love. But Lord Gasper contradicts and says that a life without love is an added advantage for a courtier as it spares him the misery and calamity which comes along with love. Messer Pietro Bembo argues that a wise courtier can find love without the frolics and frivolities of a young man. Thus, he will not be ridiculed by others and concentrate on his duties towards the prince. The Duchess implores Pietro to talk about the love which makes a man content and complacent. Pietro hesitates at first. After the Duchess insists him, he says that ancient sages wrote that love is nothing but a certain desire to enjoy the beauty. Desire springs from the things we perceive and therefore desire is blind. Our senses, reason and intellect are the medium of our perception. Sense creates appetite, reason leads to choice and intellect leads to spirituality. Hunger and desire are perceptible by the senses. Intellect leads to spiritual advancement. By both of them beauty and desire are perceptible. Generally, by beauty, people understand physical or external beauty. Often people have a wrong notion that by possessing a beautiful body they can enjoy beauty. One who makes such decision is driven by sexual appetite, pleasure defying reasonable choice. The lovers who fulfil their ‘Unchaste desires’ with their lady love, soon after attaining the desired one become disillusioned and feel satiety, tedium, and aversion. Thus, by being blinded by momentary pleasure, they pursue it, but never get satisfaction. They desperately do the same thing in pursuit of perfect bliss, because only true joy provides satisfaction and composure. Dissatisfaction generated from unfulfilled desires creates havoc in the mind of young lovers. Young blood is always vigorous enough to drive away reason and it often clouds a person’s judgement. Therefore, they are easily tricked to follow sensual pleasure. Due to the false opinion already formed in their mind, they commit blunders. The only thing they derive from love is anguish, not love. Quite contrarily, people of mature age are guided by rational choice. They can easily restrain the perversity of unbridled senses by reason, because in with age, organs of a human body may seem weak, but knowledge is at its prime. But, sensual love is evil at every age, as it causes anguish, dangers, toils, bitterness and adversity.

 Lord Mordello da Ortona, diverts from the discussion of love and talks about beauty. He is of the opinion that beauty makes a woman proud, vain and cruel. Federico agrees with him, saying that beauty is not always good. Women’s beauty brings upon the world countless evils like hatred, wars, deaths, and destructions as we have witnessed in the fall of Troy. Most of the beautiful men and women are deceitful. It appears to him that nature has constructed them as ‘ a bait upon the hook’. Messer Pietro intervenes and argues that beauty springs from God and goodness lies in the pivot of all kind of beauty. There can be no beauty without goodness. A wicked soul rarely possesses a beautiful body. External beauty is a sign of inward goodness. One can read feelings or thoughts of a person from his facial expressions and gestures. Even beasts express their attitude through their gestures like, ferocity and pride in lion, and horse, innocence in lambs and doves, cunning and malice in foxes and wolves. Ugly people are most part wicked, ‘face of the evil’ and beautiful people are inherently good. Good people always possess an aura and charm. God has carefully, adorned nature with beautiful objects, creatures, beasts and human beings.The human body is also considered a ‘little world’, a miniature version of the universe. There are symmetry and loveliness in the form of every creation of nature. Even in art and architecture, beauty and elegance are essential features. The beauty of a human soul is reflected in a body. Therefore, beautiful women are cruel because of numerous causes like urgencies of lovers, gifts, poverty, hope, deceit, fear etc. Contradicting Frederico’s comment he argues that beauty is not the cause of death and destruction, but unbridled appetite of men. Messer Cesare comments that ‘beautiful women are more chaste than ugly women’. On the other hand Pietro Bembo asserts that a beautiful face is also capable of deception.

 


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