The Prince Vs. Book Of The Courtier Literature Review

The Prince is Machiavelli’s account of how Princes or Rulers should behave and treat their subjects, while Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier is an account of how subjects should behave while in their masters’ quarters. Niccolo Machiavelli begins this excerpt (Chapter 15) of his book with a discussion on how a prince is expected to behave. He acknowledges the fact that other writers have written about this before; but he is undeterred to bring forth a more practical and less theoretical perspective on the rules a prince should follow in his life (Machiavelli 530). On the other hand, Castiglione’s excerpt begins by presenting The Perfect Courtier. His accounts are presented in form of conversations unlike Machiavelli’s The Prince.
On generosity, Machiavelli say that it is not wise to present oneself as generous because it is a difficult virtue to maintain, it uses up the wealth and resources a state has; and within no time, subjects will be taxed heavily to maintain that generosity (Machiavelli 530). It is, therefore, wise for a Prince to be parsimonious. It enables the state to save its resources and be capable of coming up with projects, funding them, and completing them without the need for extra tax on the people. Machiavelli gives the example of the King of France, Pope Julius II, as some of the rulers who were seen as miserly but received much praise for being parsimonious in the beginning (530). Castiglione mentions that servants should have military skills and knowledge of the strategies that can be used by Princes to rule. This includes advising Princes on how to rule. By taking this approach, Castiglione comes out as anti-Machiavellian.
Castiglione’s views are very detailed unlike Machiavelli’s The Prince. According to Castiglione in the Book of the Courtier, a servant is more than that, he should be born noble, be knowledgeable about the arts, understand the strategies of war, be well built in physique, all aimed at impressing his Prince and getting the Prince to trust him. Castiglione digresses and touches on his dislike for “harlots”, as he calls them; saying that such women should not be in the society of gentlemen. Machiavelli’s views on the other hand, seem to be presented in general terms. For instance, not much is given on what it entails to be cruel, or generous, but it seems his views are more effective than Castiglione’s. They are practical.