The Book of the Courtier

Baldassare Castiglione

May 2018 · Naxos AudioBooks · Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

About this audiobook

Set in the court of Urbino in 1507, CastiglioneÕs The Book of the Courtier presents an invaluable look at court life and culture during the Renaissance. Over four nights of dialogue, the book explores the key question, ÔWhat should a courtier be like?Õ; it presents a deep and timeless discussion that is reminiscent of PlatoÕs Symposium and AristotleÕs Nicomachean Ethics, and invites comparisons with MachiavelliÕs The Prince. It is absorbing and enlightening, and encompasses a wide range of topics that include dancing, fencing, war, religion, culture, courtly and corporeal love and gender relations, with a surprisingly modern defence of women and equal rights.