Describe aspects of Castiglione's image of l'uomo universale.

What will be an ideal response?

Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier, focuses on the qualifications of the ideal Renaissance man and woman. Inspired by a series of conversations that had taken place among a group of sixteenth-century aristocrats, the text arrives at a consensus that affords the image of l'uomo universale: the well-rounded person. Representative also of the shift from medieval to modern values is Castiglione's preoccupation with manners rather than morals; that is, with how individuals act and how their actions may impress their peers, rather than with the intrinsic moral value of those actions.

This Renaissance man should master all the skills of the medieval warrior and display the physical proficiency of a champion athlete. But he also must possess the refinements of a humanistic education. He must know Latin and Greek (as well as his own native language), be familiar with the Classics, speak and write well, and be able to compose verse, draw, and play a musical instrument. Moreover, all that the Renaissance gentleman does, he should do with an air of nonchalance and grace, a quality summed up in the Italian word sprezzatura. This unique combination of breeding and education would produce a cultured individual to serve a very special end: the perfection of the state.

The Renaissance woman should also have a knowledge of letters, music, and art but in no way should she violate that "soft and delicate tenderness that is her defining quality." Castiglione's peers agreed that "in her ways, manners, words, gestures, and bearing, a woman ought to be very unlike a man." Just as the success of the courtier depends on his ability to influence those who rule, the success of the lady rests with her skill in entertaining the male members of the court.