What types of relationships are necessary for the courtier?  Is marriage or family considered in the discussion?  

Poem “The Book of the Courtier”

Relationships

What types of relationships are necessary for the courtier?  Is marriage or family considered in the discussion?  Is love?  Who should the courtier cultivate relationships with?  Why?  How should they go about cultivating these relationships?  What relationships are apparent or hinted at between the speakers discussing the ideal courtier?  How do these relationships compare to those we’ve seen in other texts, or to those visible on television, in movies, between public figures, etc.?.

Education

Much of the debate in the “Book of the Courtier” is about education.  What type of education should the ideal courtier have?  What skills, knowledge, and pursuits must he be trained in?  Do all of the narrators agree on these pursuits, or on the degree to which one skill should be perfected over another?  Who advocates which skills, and why?  Why should the ideal courtier cultivate physical prowess, intellectuality, music, etc.?  How does this compare to other texts we’ve read, or to current American expectations regarding the ideal education and skill set for particular careers?