Joking Matters: Politics and Dissimulation in Castiglione's Book of the Courtier
Author(s): JoAnn Cavallo
Source: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Summer, 2000), pp. 402-424
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Renaissance Society of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2901873 .
Accessed: 23/04/2014 16:22
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
The University of Chicago Press and Renaissance Society of America are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,
preserve and extend access to Renaissance Quarterly.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JokingMatters:
in
Politics
andDissimulation
BookoftheCourtier*
Castigliones
byJoANNCAVALLO
A gentleman is neverunintentionallyinsulting.
-Oscar Wilde
as courtiers
an aura ofcordialsolidarity
The Book of theCourtieroutwardly
gatheredin
portrays
critics
recently,
however,
Urbinofromvariousregions
ofItalyattempttodescribetheideal courtier;
have uncoveredtensionson variousfrontswhichthreatento exposedeep riftsundertheelegant
readingshavefocusedprimarilyon thecourtiersrelationto
courtlyveneer.Whilethese"counter"
thatarisefromthedifferent
theprinceand to othercourtiers,
thisessayaims to exploreconflicts
regionaland political affiliationsofthegroup.In particular,I argue thatthelargelyignored
sectiononjoke-tellingteachescourtiershow togive ventto theiranimosityunderthecoverof
humorand dissimulation.
T
fromvariousregions
heBookoftheCourtier
depictsa groupofcourtiers
courtin Urbino in
of Italygatheredat Guidobaldo da Montefeltro's
1507. In thecourseof foureveningsof conversationtheyattemptto create
an
withwordstheportraitof theideal courtier.The textoutwardlyportrays
aura of cordialsolidarity;recently,
however,criticshave uncoveredtensions
on variousfronts
whichthreatento disruptthegameand to exposedeep rifts
undertheelegantcourtlyveneer.These "counter"readingshavefocusedpriwhilethe
relationto theprinceand to othercourtiers:
marilyon thecourtier's
book ostensibly
teachesone how to win thefavoroftheprinceand theadmitheformer
as a despotblinded
rationofone'speers,Castiglionecharacterizes
by poor judgmentand the latteras enviousrivalseverreadyto undermine
Giventhedifferent
regionaloriginsand affiliations
and attackone'sefforts.'
ofCastiglione's
one mightalso expectto findtensionsand conflicts
courtiers,
owingto theanimosityamongthepeninsula'svariouspoliticalpowers.That
the topic of regionalrivalryhas not receivedcriticalattentionsuggeststhe
*1would like to thankmystudentAriellaLang who, in additionto supplyingthe openof thejokes in 2.52, 2.53, and 2.54. I would also
ing quote, contributedto theinterpretation
like to thank my colleague Teodolinda Barolini forsuggestingCastiglione's allusions to
Petrarch(in 2.44), Dante (in 2.52), and Boccaccio (in 2.54).
'See, forexample,Rebhorn,Javitch,Trafton,and Greene. In his essay,Greene writes:
or divisiveis"We can followtheprogressof thegame in termsof thepotentiallythreatening
it skirts,the social and
sues it raises,in termsof the doubts it flirtswith,the embarrassments
politicaland moralabyssesitalmoststumblesinto,thedarkundersideof theauthorizedtruth
it sometimesseemsabout to reveal"(8).
RenaissanceQuarterly53 (2000): 402-24
[ 402
]
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
403
carewithwhichCastiglionehas presenteda senseof unitywithinmultiplicity.Nevertheless,in keeping with the book's healthydose of realism,
Castiglionedoes findan outletfortheairingof regionaldisputes.This paper
explores how regional rivalriessurface in the section on joke-telling
(2.43-93).2 Here, underthe coverof humor,courtierstakejabs at one anthepoliticaltensionsamongthepeninsula'svariousregions.
otherthatreflect
The Courtier's
sectionon joke-tellinghas generallyreceivedscantattention, and has oftenbeen dismissed as of littleimportanceand not well
integrated
withthe restof thework.3J. R. Woodhouse has been kinderto
thissectionthanmost,arguingthatCastiglione'saim was to achievea sense
of italianitr whichhe would have foundin Boccaccio'sDecameron.As VittoreBrancahas pointedout, however,Boccaccio'smercantilenovelwas also
sensitiveto regionalanimosity,
especiallythatbetweenVeniceand Florence:
is
"Venice,resoundingwithtrade,suspiciousand jealous oftheFlorentines,
sketchedthrougha veil of scornfulanimositywithits customary'escutchwhichwas wellknown
disloyalty,
and garrulousfrivolity,
eon' ofcorruption,
in Tuscan businesscirclesand surelyconfirmedby Boccaccio'sfriendsfrom
wereFlorentine,
Romagna"(41). Yet,sinceall tenof Boccaccio'sstorytellers
regionaldisputeswerenotapt to developwithintheframestory.Castiglione
pushes furtherthe sense of Italy'seconomic and political fragmentation
The conflictconcerns
themselves.
througha conflictamonghis joke-tellers
principally
theVenetianPietroBembo (1470-1547) and theFlorentineBernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena (1470-1520), both of whom werenotedwriters
and statesmenof thetime.
Bibbiena'sfirstjoke setsthestagein variousways.To FedericoFregoso's
statedintentionto restin Bibbiena'swords"as ifundersome mostpleasant
Bibbienareand shadytreealongsidethesoftmurmurofa flowingspring,"4
plies: "If I showed you my head, you would see what shade could be
expectedfromtheleavesof mytree.As forlisteningto the murmurof that
floweringspring,this perhapsyou will do: forI was once turnedinto a
spring,not by any of the ancientgods,but by our friendfraMariano, and
neversincehave I lackedwater!"5
2Allcitationsto Castiglione,unlessotherwisenoted,referto the 1998 editioneditedby
of thisworkarefromthe 1959 editionbySingleton.Citationsrefer
Barberis.All translations
to book and sectionnumbers.
3See, however,Finucci, who uses selectedjokes which targetwomen to explorehow
femininity
in the text.
is represented
4Castiglione,2.44: "come sotto qualche amenissimoed ombroso albero al mormorar
suave d'un vivo fonte."
5Ibid.: "S'io vi mostroil capo, vedereteche ombra si po aspettardalle fogliedel mio alfatto,perch'iofuigia'conversoin
bero. Di sentireil mormoriodi quel fontevivoforsevi verrai
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
404
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
Firstof all,byturningFederico'scomplimentofhisskillintoa reference
to his baldnessand a reminderof a practicaljoke playedon him, Bibbiena
rehumblymakeshimselfthe buttof his firstjoke. This self-deprecation
versesan earlierremarkin which Bibbiena went out of his way to praise
himself,forwhich he was duly takento task by Cesare Gonzaga.6 It also
pavestheway forjokes thatcriticizeor ridiculeothers.Second, Bibbienais
playfullyechoing Petrarch'spoetic descriptionof his metamorphosisinto
both a treeand a fountainin canzone23. The comic playwright
providesa
of the Florentinepoet: while Petrarchwas a "greenlaurel
funnyrewriting
thatloses no leafforall the cold season,"7Bibbienais insteadentirelyleafless; while thegod of Love and his Lady are behindthe metamorphosesof
intoa fountainnotbya
thepoet,Bibbienaspecifiesthathe was transformed
god at all but ratherby a buffoon.Bibbienathusrevealshimselfan expert
manipulatorof words,movingfrommetaphorical(Federico)to literal,and
fromlyrical(Petrarch)to farcical.
jokes as a formof recreation,
Bibbienabeginshis expositionbytreating
a release fromworldlyconcerns throughlaughter:"whatevermoves to
laughterrestoresthe spirit,givespleasure,and forthe momentkeeps one
thosevexingtroublesof whichour lifeis full."8At the
fromremembering
same time,Bibbienaacknowledgesthathumorcan be used to commenton
societyratherthanmerelyescape fromit: "thesame sources
contemporary
arederivedprovideus withseriousphrases
fromwhichlaughablewitticisms
forpraisingor censuring,sometimesin thesame words."9Indeed,Bibbiena
un fonte,non d'alcuno degliantichidei, ma dal nostrofraMariano,e da indi in qua mai non
m e mancatal'acqua."
6'Bibbienahad earliersaid: "La graziae '1voltobellissimopenso per certoche in me sia e
percio intervieneche tantedonne, quante sapete,ardeno dell'amormio; ma della formadel
corpo sto io alquanto dubbioso, e massimamenteper queste mie gambe,che in vero non mi
paiono cosl atte com'io vorrei;del busto e del restocontentomipur assai bene" (Now this
graceand beautyof countenanceI do believethatI have myself,
wherefore
it happensthatso
manyladies,as you know,are ardentlyin love withme; but,as to the beautyof my person,I
am ratherdoubtful,and especiallyas to theselegsof minewhichin truthdo not seem as well
disposedas I could wish; as to mychestand the rest,I am quite well enoughsatisfied)(1.19).
A fewchapterslater,Cesare Gonzaga pointsthe fingerat "nostromesserBernardo,il quale
per troppovoglia d'essertenutobell'omo,ha contrafatto
alle leggidel nostrogioco, domandando e non contradicendo"(our messerBernardowho, in his excessivedesireto be thought
handsome,has violatedthe laws of our game by askinginsteadof gainsaying)(1.23).
7Petrarch,
23.38-39: "Un lauro verde/ che per freddastagionfoglianon perde."
'Castiglione,2.45: "Tuttoquello adunque che moveil risoesilaral'animo e da'piacere,ne
lasciache in quel puntol'omo si ricordidellenoiosemolestie,dellequali la vitanostrae piena."
'Ibid., 2.47: "Dai lochi donde si cavano mottida ridere,si posson medesimamentecavaresentenziegraviper laudaree per biasimare,e talorcon le medesimeparole."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKINGMATTERS
405
definesjoke-tellingas "il farrideremordendo"(stingingwithhumor),10
and
he loses no timein usingjokes as a formof politicalcensure.His firstjoke
criticizesformerpopes AlexanderVI (forhis violence)and NicholasV (for
his overalllack of merit[2.48]). The criticismofAlexanderVI would have
been especiallyappreciated,giventhefactthatthepope'sson Cesare Borgia
had led a brutalmilitarycampaignforthe papacyin the Romagna region,
becomingDuke of Urbinoand oustingGuidobaldo and theDuchess Elisabettadespitethefamily's
previousloyaltyto thepapacy.
Bibbiena firstshowshow jokes can be used to praiseothersin a story
about the buildingof the ducal palace in Urbino. In thejoke, Federicoda
Montefeltro
wonderswhatto do withtheenormousamountofdirtthathas
been excavatedto createthefoundation.A foolishabbot suggestsdigginga
second huge hole in whichto place it (2.51). While thecourtierscan laugh
at thedull-witted
abbot,theyarealso presentedwitha portraitoftheformer
Duke of Urbino personallyinvolvedin layingthe foundationsforthevery
palace in whichtheyare now holdingtheirdiscussion."
Bibbienaremarksthatit was Guidobaldo himselfwho told thisjoke regardinghis father,and most of the earlyjokes are also said to have been
originally
toldbyotherseitherpresentor connectedto thegroup.2 This createsa senseof solidarityin thegroup,identifying
themas fellowjoke-tellers
and separatingthemfromthecensoredbuttof thejokes. Moreover,thepoliticaledge in some of theseearlyjokes createsthe impressionof a shared
respectfortheUrbinocourtand a sharedcontemptforitsenemies.
The mood is disruptedimmediately
afterthistributeto Urbino'sformer
duke whenPietroBembo suggeststo Bibbiena:"Andwhydon'tyou tellthe
one aboutyourfriendtheFlorentinecommander... ?'' Bembo'sinterruptionfractures
theunityofthegroupbyintroducing
identification
according
to regionalaffiliation
ratherthanby class or courtlyculture.Furthermore,
Bembo'sremark,whilepresentedas an invitationto Bibbiena,was actually
Ibid., 2.46.
Ibid., 2.5 1: "'11duca Federicoragionavadi ci" che si dovessefardi cos' granquantita'di
terreno,come s'era cavata per fari fondamentidi questo palazzo, che tuttaviasi lavorava"
(Duke Federicowas discussingwhat should be done withthe greatmass of earthwhichhad
been excavatedforthe foundationsof thispalace, which he was thenbuilding). Castiglione
had opened the entireworkwitha tributeto Federicoda Montefeltro's
grandpalace which,
more thanany of the city'snaturalresources,turnedUrbino into a revivalof the golden age.
'2These earlyjokes are attributedto AntonioAgnello (who, althoughnot present,is referredto in an inclusivemanneras a compatriotof the Duchess), Cesare Gonzaga ("Cesare
nostro"),"one of our friends"(un de' nostri),Gasparo Pallavicino,and "one of our doctors"
(un dottorde' nostri).
3Castiglione,
2.52: "E perchenon ditevoi quella del vostrocommissariofiorentino...
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
406
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
an openingforBembo'sown tellingof thejoke. The joke is situatedduring
a warwaged by Naples and the PapacyagainstFlorencein 1478, and it regards a Florentinecommander besieged in Castellina (located between
Florenceand Siena) byAlfonsoof Aragon.Upset at findingthatAlfonso's
troopswereusingpoisonedcrossbowmissiles,thecommanderwritesto him
thatifwarwas to be wagedso barbarously,
he would beginputtingmedicine
in his cannonshot.14
By condemningpoisoned arrowsas "barbarous"(crudele),the Florentinecommanderseemsto have a naiveor softviewofwar in whichhe does
not expectthe enemyto threatenhis men withdeath. Moreover,Bembo's
made artillery
dejoke,whichis setat a timebeforetechnicalimprovements
finitivelymore effectivethan crossbows, implies that the Florentines'
cannons were no match against the Neapolitans' arrows.The group of
courtiers
would havehad to acknowledgethatthishad indeedbeen thecase,
since Castellinaeventuallyfellto Alfonso'stroops.As Machiavelliwritesin
his accountof thebattle:"theenemyarmypressedCastellinaso thattheinhabitants,despairingof help,surrendered
aftertheyhad withstoodthesiege
forfortydays" (8.12). Bembo thusnot onlybelittlesa characterwhichhe
had introducedto Bibbienaas "yourFlorentinecommander,"but he recalls
an unfortunate
eventin Florence'smilitarypast in orderto debase the Floin theartofwarfare.15
rentinesfornaiveteand inefficiency
The joke's reference
to the leaderof the Neapolitan troops,moreover,
inevitablycalls to mindthe unmentionedcaptainof the allied papal troops
Federicoda Montefeltro.
Machiavelli,in fact,describesthe twoworking
in concerton theirwayto Castellina:
Whenthetwoarmies- underAlfonso,
eldestsonofFerdinand
anddukeof
Calabria,and in thecommandof Federico,countof Urbino- entered
whowerehostileto theFlorentines,
ChiantibywayoftheSienese,
theyseized
Raddaand manyotherfortified
townsand plundered
thewholeregion;then
theywentto campat Castellina.
(8.12)
Thus Duke Guidobaldo'sfather,
just celebratedby Bibbienaas a builderof
palaces, is now recalledindirectlyby Bembo as a militaryleader in a war
againsttheFlorentines.
"Ibid.: "Se la guerras'avevada farcos'1crudele,esso ancor farebbeporreil medicamein
su le pallottedell'artiglieria."
5After
LorenzohumbledhimselfpersonallybeforeKing Ferranteand offered
largesums
of money,the king agreedto cease hostilities,but AlfonsoofAragon and his armyretained
controlofSiena untiltheTurksseizedOtrantoin 1480, requiringhim to returnto his father's
kingdom.Machiavellihas Pope Sixtussubsequentlytellthe Florentineambassadorsthat"the
war had been eliminatedmoreby the kindnessof othersthanby theirown merits"(8.21).
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
407
Althoughtwenty-nine
yearshad passed,thewar of 1478 was anything
but forgotten
historyto thecourtiersCastiglionedepictsgatheredin Urbino
in 1507. The outbreakofthiswarfollowedthefailureto removeLorenzode'
Medici frompowerthroughan assassinationattempt(his brotherwas killed
whileLorenzoescaped)orchestrated
bythePazzi familywiththeapprovalof
Pope SixtusIV. The outbreakof thiswar followeda failedattemptto assassinate Lorenzo de' Medici (his brotherwas killedwhile Lorenzo escaped)
orchestrated
by the Pazzi familywiththe approvalof Pope SixtusIV. After
recountingthe Pazzi conspiracyin detail- includingthe pope's involvementin it - Machiavellinotesunequivocablythatthe attackon Florence
by thepope and Neapolitankingwas a directresultof the failedcoup:
as thepopeandtheking
Butsincethechangeofstatedidnotoccurin Florence
desired,
theydecidedthatwhattheyhadnotbeenabletodo byconspiracy
they
woulddo bywar.Withthegreatest
to atspeed,bothputtheirmentogether
tackthestateofFlorence,
whileproclaiming
thattheywantednothing
other
fromthecitythanthatitshouldriditself
ofLorenzode' Medici,whomalone,
ofall theFlorentines,
theyheldforan enemy.
(8.10)
The pope tryingto oust Lorenzode' Medici was none otherthanFrancesco
della Rovere,uncle to FrancescoMaria della Rovere,nextin line as the futureDuke of Urbino.FrancescoMaria is not onlypresentat thediscussion,
but it was he who requestedto hear about the art of joke-telling(2.42).
Thus, in a singlejoke, Bembo has managednot onlyto openlypoke funat
theFlorentinemilitary,
but also, in a moreinsidiousway,to turnBibbiena's
implicitideologicalsolidaritywiththe Montefeltrofamilyinto a reminder
of Florence'sunhappyrelationswiththe fatherand the uncle of Urbino's
currentand futuredukes.
AlthoughBibbienalaughsin response,he threatensto retaliatewitha
host ofjokes about theVenetians:"MesserPietro,ifyou do not hold your
tongue,I willtellall thethings(and theyarenot few)thatI havemyselfseen
and heardof yourdear Venetians,especiallywhen theytryto ride horseback."'6 Bibbiena's referenceto "yourdear Venetians"(vostriVeneziani)
retainsthe divisiveidentification
by regioninitiatedby Bembo. His claim
thathisanti-Venetian
jokes arebasedon personalexperienceand contempoanecdoteregarding
raryaccountsimplicitlydiscreditsBembo'sunverifiable
an eventfromthreedecades earlier.Moreover,althoughBibbienadoes not
referspecifically
to warfare,
hisjab at theVenetians'inabilityto use horsesis
an indirectcommenton Venice'slimitedsuccess in battleson the Italian
1' Castiglione,2.52: "Messer Pietro,se voi non statecheto,io diro' tuttequelle che io
stesso ho vedute e udite de' vostriveneziani che non son poche, e massimamentequando
voglionfareil cavalcatore."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
408
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
mainland.Venicehad,in fact,beenseekingto expandinlandoverthecourse
of the previouscentury;and althoughtheyhad enlargedtheirterritory
to
checkedbytheir
some extent,theirunbridledambitionshad been regularly
neighbors.All thingsconsidered,however,Bibbiena shows restraintby
keepingto allusionratherthandevisinga full-fledged
joke.
Bembo agreesto hold histongue,yetat thesametimehe signalsthathe
knowsof two otherwonderfulstories("due altrebellissime")about theFlorentines.Bibbienaattemptsto forestall
Bembo bysuggesting
thattheymust
reallybe about the Sienese;and beforeBembo can contradicthim,he continueswitha joke about an unlettered
Sienesewho makesa blunderduring
a towncouncilmeetingbecausehe does not knowthemeaningof theterm
"il prelibato"(the aforesaid).'7Bembo refusesto let the matterdrop,however,and upon the conclusionof Bibbiena'sjoke he statesemphatically:"I
am speakingoftheFlorentines,
notoftheSienese."18
At theurgingofEmilia
Pia, Bembo tellsa joke whichrecallsanotherof Florence'smilitary
ventures,
Pisa. Bembo'sopeninglinesetsthetonefor
thistimeitsattemptto recapture
the restof the joke: "When the Florentineswerewagingwar againstthe
Pisans ...."19 Afterhavingthusput the Florentinesin the roleof attackers
Bembo thenmovesthestoryfromthe battlefield
and aggressors,
to a town
council meetingin whichthe Florentinesare tryingto inventnew waysto
raisemorerevenues.The "punchline"occurswhentwosolutionsareoffered
byan elderlyand,presumably,
wise,citizen:doublingthenumberofgatesat
thewallsof Florenceto increasethetax revenuesfromincominggoods and
mintingmoneynon-stopin Pratoand Pistoia.
Bibbiena'spreviousjoke, whichput into doubt the qualificationsof a
SieneseCouncil member,is benigncomparedto Bembo'saccountof a Florentinecouncil meeting.The joke, which concerns Florence'sfinancial
as a resultofthewaragainstPisa,picksup thematically
difficulties
whereBembo'sfirst
joke leftoff.The loss ofPisa datesbackto theinvasionofCharles
VIII in 1494. Florence'srulerPiero de' Medici (son of Lorenzo) initially
sidedwithNaples and refusedto granttheFrencharmypassagethroughTuscany.Naples, at thistime,had recentlycome underthe ruleof Alfonsoof
YetAlfonso,portrayed
Aragonupon thedeathof his father.
as so successful
against the Florentinesin Bembo's earlierjoke, fled at the approach of
Charles'stroops,and therealmofNaples,leftin thehandsofhisson Ferrantino,felleasilyto theFrench.Pierode' Medici,findinghimselfalone against
7The joke supportsthe designationof Siena by Commynes(Frenchdiplomatand Medici spy) as "theworstgovernedcityin Italy"(cited in Litvinoff,
90).
8Castiglione,2.52: "Joparlo de' Fiorentinie non de' Sanesi."
"Ibid.:"Quando i signorifiorentini
faceanola guerracontra'Pisani ...."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
409
theFrenchwho werealreadyon Tuscansoil,made inordinateconcessionsto
themwhichincludedthefortress
ofPisa. The Florentines,
infuriated
at Piero
forfirstoffendingCharlesVIII and thenhandingoverto him theirmost
a republic.
cherishedpossessions,banishedhim and instituted
Thirteenyearslater,at thefictionaltimeoftheconversations
at Urbino,
Florence'swarto regainPisa was stillgoingstrong.To offset
thefinancialcrisis createdby thewar,the citydid devisenew formsof directand indirect
taxationand had takento mintinglargeamountsof new money,the two
practicesreferred
to in thejoke. But Bembo'sstinggoes deeper.The firstsolutionproposedbytheFlorentinecouncilmember,to double thenumberof
gates,containsthe admissionthat "we get no revenuegreaterthan what
comes fromthe customslevied at the gatesof Florence."20
This statement
impliesboththatFlorenceis heavilydependenton imports,including,presumably,goods comingfromVenetianmerchants,
and thatthecityalready
places an excessivelyhigh tax on those goods. The second solution, that
Prato and Pistoia should mintmoneyday and night,containsthe equally
damagingadmissionthatthe cityof Florencealreadydoes so. Thus, not
onlydoes the Florentinespeakershow a carelessattitudetowardthe allied
citiesof Pratoand Pistoia,but he unwittingly
revealsand condoneshis own
city'sirresponsible
fiscalpolicies.When he concludesthatthe lattercourse
"is the quickerand less costly,"2'he givesa finalpictureof Florentinenarrow-mindedness,indifference,
and egotism.To realizethe fullimpact of
Bembo'sjoke about Florence'sdireeconomicstraitsdue to thewar against
Pisa,we just need rememberthatthe republicofVenicewas not a bemused
bystanderin all of thisbut ratheran activesupporterof Pisa againstFlorence.22
Bembo,moreover,
could haveswornto theveracityof his storythis
of the Florentinepolitical
time,since thecorruptionand short-sightedness
themselves.
Bembo could havealso
systemwas bemoanedbytheFlorentines
of Florencein a textas authorative
as
pointedto no lessvehementcriticisms
Dante's Divine Comedy.23
As thecourtiers
laughat Bembo'sstory,themischievousEmiliaPia, who
had earlierencouraged Bembo to pursue his regionalantagonism,now
20Ibid.:"non avernole piuiviveintrateche le gabelledelle portedi Firenze."
21
Ibid.:"e'piu'brevee ancor de minorspesa."
22WhenVenice, the Emperor Maximilian, Milan, Spain, and the Pope created the
League ofVeniceformutualdefenseagainstCharlesVIII, Florencewas moreinterestedin regainingPisa thanin oustingthe Frenchand therefore
refusedto join. As a result,the League
memberssupportedPisan liberty.For Venetianassistanceto Pisa, see Guicciardini,117-18.
23Written
afterDante's politicalexile fromFlorence,the Comedypresentsthe cityas a
den of corruptionand decadence. See in particularInferno6 (Ciacco), Inferno15 (Brunetto
Latini),and Paradiso15 (Cacciaguida).
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
410
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
pushesBibbienato takerevengeforsucha directoffense:"MesserBernardo,
willyou allow messerPietroto ridiculetheFlorentinesin thismannerwithhas now been turnedintoa warfare
out takingyourrevenge?"24
Joke-telling
ofwords.Bibbiena,however,is extremely
civil,and he refusesto engagein a
proliferation
of insults.While acknowledgingthatthestorydid indeed offendhim,he shiftstheblameto EmiliaPia forhavingrequesteditin thefirst
forifhe has displeasedme in ridiculplace: "I will forgivehim thisaffront,
ing the Florentines,he has pleased me in obeyingyou, which I too would
frommakinggood on his aforemenalwaysdo."25Bibbienatherebyrefrains
tioned threatto Bembo to ridicule the Venetians and he appears to be
in seekingrevengeforthissecondaffront
to theFlorentines.
uninterested
Of
course,theearlyreaderwould haveknownthatin 1509, just twoyearsafter
these fictionalconversationsof Urbino, Florence would recapturePisa,
whileVenicewould lose all hermainlandholdingsin a waragainstthecombined forcesof the League of Cambrai (in whichFlorencewas allied with
thePope,France,Spain,and theHoly RomanEmpire).But Castiglioneuses
morethanthe ironiesof historyto resolvethispoliticallyexplosiveissue.
CesareGonzaga ofMantua (1475-1512) stepsin to relatethenextjoke
is set in Venice.The joke involvesa Brescianvisitorto the
which,tellingly,
cityduringthefeastoftheAssumptionwho,upon seeinga tromboneforthe
firsttime,mistakenly
thinksthatthe instrument
goes down the musician's
throatas he plays.The pointofcontrasthas beendivertedfromtheconflicts
betweenFlorenceand its enemystatesto a harmlessencounterbetweena
countrybumpkinand theopulentVenice,thatis, fromregionversusregion
to countryside
versuscity.Cesarehas also shiftedthefocusfromthearenaof
war to a religiouscelebrationof human transcendence.At the same time,
however,thejoke providestheoccasionforCesareto remarkon "how much
merchandise(. . .), how much silverware,
spices,cloth,and fabrics"26were
displayedbythecity.This listofgoodsis an indicationofthecity'smercantile
success.Cesare'soveralldescription
ofthewealthand lavishentertainment
of
theVenetiansis in starkcontrastto thedireeconomiccircumstances
of the
Florentinesjust outlined by Bembo. In addition, the designationof the
wide-eyedtraveleras a Brescianmayhaveservedas a reminderthatBrescia
was one of thecitiesthathad effectively
come underVenetiancontrolin the
courseofVenice'smainlandexpansionthepreviouscentury.
Thus, although
24Castiglione,2.53: "Comportaretevoi, messerBernardo,che messerPietroburlicos' i
Fiorentinisenza farnevendetta?"
25Ibid.:"Io gli perdono questa ingiuria,perche s'egli m'ha fattodispiacerein burlari
Fiorentini,hammicompiacciutoin obedirvoi, il che io ancor fareisempre."
26Ibid.:"quantemercanziee quanti argenti,speziarie,panni e drappi."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
411
thefocusawayfromthe
Cesareseemsto wantto deflecttensionsbydiverting
his flattering
allusionsto Venetianmercantile
rivalry,
Florentine-Venetian
mark
success,as wellas to thesplendorofitsritualcelebrations,
and military
move.
pro-Venetian
his intervention
as a discretely
to Venetianopulencecould be read
At thesame time,Cesare'sreference
in a negativeway as well. The Venetiansdo not appear to realizethatthis
holy day (soleniti) is meant to commemoratethe Ascension of Christ.
Rather,theyhave fashionedit into a statementof theirmercantilesupremto
acyat sea and theyactout a ritualizedweddingbetweentheircity,referred
Sea: "thentheSignorywentforth
hereas la Signoria,and theMediterranean
withso manyhandsomely
withgreatpomp to wed thesea in theBucentaur,
dressedgentlemenon board,so much music and singing,thatit seemed a
paradise."27While on this particularholy day paradise should referto
Christ'snew dwellingplace,hereit is used mundanelyto indicatetheeffects
of the musical spectacle and pomp of the Venetians.Thus Cesare could
defendedhis joke in Florentinecompanyas having
have,withlittleeffort,
beentoldat theexpenseoftheVenetians.The pointhereis thatthejoke, on
and reconcilethegroup,
thesurfacean attemptto deflecttheregionalrivalry
in supportof
could havealso beenreadas a veiledcontinuationoftherivalry
has
an
element
of ambiintroduced
eitherVeniceor Florence.Cesare'sjoke
thathad not been usedthusfarin theopenlyhostile
guityand dissimulation
exchangebetweenBembo and Bibbiena.The lessonwill not be loston Bibbiena and his fellowFlorentineGiuliano de' Medici, who will now turnto
dissimulationas a techniquewhichwill allow themto playout theregional
hostilitiesintroducedbyBembo.
Bibbienaresumeshis exposition
Withoutrespondingto Cesaredirectly,
whichhe says,whileusuallyannoybyturningto thesubjectof affectation
ing, can be taken to an extremewhich makes it the subject of laughter
(2.54). His listenersmightnow be expectingBibbiena to capitalizeon the
Venethisviceto theostentatious
implicationsof Cesare'sjoke and attribute
firstnotingthepretension
avoidsall regionalmarkers,
tians,yethe discretely
of greatness,
valor,and nobilityin "somepersons,"and thenturningto the
in women. The joke whichBibbienaselectsas an exsubjectof affectation
or from
fromeconomicor militaryaffairs,
ample could not be any further
theworldof men forthatmatter,sinceit concernsthe preoccupationof an
unidentified
womanoverJudgment
Day. The womanworriesabout appearingnakedbeforethetribunalofChrist,saying:"I cannotendurethedistress
I feelat thethoughtthatmybodywillhaveto be seen nakedalongwiththe
27Ibid.:"poi la Signoriacon granpompa esseruscitaa sposariAmarein Bucentoro,sopra
il quale erano tantigentilominiben vestiti,tantisuoni e canti,che parea un paradiso."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
412
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
"28 Althoughthe storyis obstensiblyaimed at a woman'saffectation,
rest.
Bibbiena puts Cesare'spriordescriptionof the Venetianparadisein a less
scintillatinglightby remindingthe courtiersthattheywill appear before
God naked,thatis,withouttheirmaterialwealthand outertrappings.
in a morespecificwayas
The joke maybe aimedat Venetianaffectation
well. Bibbienadoes notspecifythatthewomanis Venetian,yetsincehe had
earlieradvised the courtiersto seek a model of humor in the Decameron
on themto supplyvia Boccaccio theVenetian
(2.49), he maynow be relying
identification
thathe so cautiouslyavoids in thejoke. The courtiersmight
rememberthatin Decameron4.2, a friarwhose lewd actionsearnedhim a
to as "thereceptacleofevbad reputationin Imola movesto Venice,referred
Therehe encountersMadam
erykindoftrash"(d'ogni brutturaricevitrice).
Lisettada Ca Quirino, the wifeof a wealthyVenetianmerchantwho was
awayin Flanderson business.Not onlyis she describedas "vainand simple"
revealher
(bamba e sciocca),but Boccaccio tellsus thatsuch characteristics
as trulyviniziana since Venetiansare "all feather-brained"
(tuttibergoli).
Like thewoman in Bibbiena'sjoke, Boccaccio'sMadam Lisettais excessively
concernedwithParadise.In thiscase it is becauseshe anticipatestheaffects
of herbeautyin thatnew setting,as she asksthe friar:"How manywomen
do you see whosecharmsaresuch as mine,who would be fairin Paradise?"29
As a resultof hervanityand herconfusionbetweenearthlyand divinestandards,she is duped intohavingsexwiththecorruptfriarwhomshe believes
is theangelGabriel.
Yet even ifthecourtierswereto interpret
Bibbiena'sjoke as an implicit
it stilldoes littleto counterBembo's
condemnationofVenetianostentation,
open mockeryof Florence.It is therefore
tellingthatjust as Bibbienais beginninga new joke, Giuliano de' Medici (1479-1516) interrupts
bysaying
that,whateverBibbiena'sjoke maybe, itcannotbe moreexcellentor "subtle"
(sottile)thanthe one he heardtold by "a fellowTuscan of ours" (un nostro
ofhisjoke continuestheditoscano).30GiventhatGiuliano'sannouncement
visionalong regionallines,one maysuspectthathe interrupted
Bibbienaat
thisprecisemomentin orderto counterBembo'sinsultsto the Florentines
intendedto letpassunavenged.Giuliano,in fact,
whichBibbienaapparently
had ample reasonto be offendedby Bembo'sjokes. His fatherLorenzo il
Magnificohad beentheobjectoftheNeapolitanand papal attackon Floren-
28Ibid.,2.54:"io non posso tollerarlaffannoche sento,pensandoche iAmio ancorabbia
ad esserveduto ignudo."
29Boccaccio,4.2: "Quante ce ne vedetevoi, le cui bellezzesien fattecome le mie,che sareibella nel Paradiso?"
3"Castiglione,2.55.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
413
in 1478, and his uncle,whose name he bore,was killedin the
tineterritory
attempton his father'slifethatprecededthewar. Bembo'ssecond joke regardingtheFlorentineRepublicwould havebeenequallyinjurious,sincenot
Pisa to theFrench,
onlywas it Giuliano'sbrotherPierowho had relinquished
but Giuliano himselfhad been expelledfromFlorencealongwithPieroas a
resultand was still livingin exile twelveyearslater.Moreover,Giuliano
would have certainlyconsideredBembo'sslyremindersof pasthostilitybetweentheMedici and bothDuke Guidobaldo'sfatherand FrancescoMaria's
uncle out of place, giventhe factthathe had been an honoredguestat the
courtof Urbinosincehis exile.
In Giuliano'sjoke, a merchantfromtheTuscan cityof Lucca, whilein
Poland,wantsto buysablesfroma groupof Muscovites.There is a war going on betweenthe King of Poland and the Duke of Muscovy,and thus a
meetingis arrangedwiththeMuscovitesat thePolishborder.A wide frozen
riverdividesthe two parties,and it is so cold thatwhen theMuscovitesyell
theirpricesto the Lucchese,theirwordsare frozenin mid-air.The Polesset
a bonfirewhichmeltsthe Muscovites'wordswhichafteran hour reachthe
however,since by thistime
earsof the Lucchese.No businessis transacted,
the Muscoviteshave departedand, in any event,the Lucchese merchant
findsthepricestoo high.
There areseveralfeaturesthatallow us to see thisstoryas Giuliano'srevenge.Firstof all, thejoke is about a Tuscan, not fromFlorencethistime
but fromLucca. This not only avoids a too obvious allusion to the Florence-Venicedispute,but it enlargesTuscanybeyondthewarringcitiesof
Florenceand Pisa. The reference
to theLucchesemerchantas a "fellowTusand solidarity
betweenFlorenceand
can ofours"impliesa commonidentity
otherTuscan cities.
The war referred
to in the storyis convenientlyfarremovedfromthe
Italian peninsula.It is the lengthywar betweenMuscovyand Poland as a
consequence of the Muscovitepolicy of expansionunder Ivan the Great,
grandprinceof Moscow from1462 to 1505. The subjectof thestory,however,is not war but trade.The war means nothingmore to the Lucchese
in communicating
withhispotentialsupmerchantthanincreaseddifficulty
pliers, and although it leads to fear and suspicion on the part of the
Muscovites,it does not preventthe Poles fromassistingthecommunication
and potentialtradebetweenthe Muscovitesand the Lucchese,firstby accompanyingthe Lucchese to the meetingplace and thenby buildingthe
bonfirewhichmeltsthefrozenwords.By showinga case in whichcooperation in the interestof trade takes precedence over national sentiment,
Giuliano recognizesa separationbetweenthe politicalambitionsof rulers
and othercitizens.
and thepracticalneedsof merchants
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
414
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
Both theshiftfromtheItalianpeninsulato Muscovyand frommilitary
to mercantileencountershavespecificimplicationsforVenice.If in Cesare's
storyVenice had been symbolicallywedded to the MediterraneanSea,
Giuliano's fellowTuscan is seekingout new tradingopportunitiesin the
otherprincipalcommercialworldthatwas comprisedby Europe in the fifteenthcentury:theBaltic-NorthSea. This areawas importantforsupplying
bothnecessitiesand luxuries,includingfursuch as sable,especiallyalong its
greatrivers.AlthoughVenice had considerablecontactsat the portsof the
North Sea datingfrommedievaltimes,theydid not dominatetradefrom
thisNorthernmarket.Their principalrivalwas Genoa, but giventhe animositybetweenFlorenceand Genoa, it was hardlylikelythatGiuliano de'
Medici would have privilegeda Genoese in his story.3'The dealingsof the
Lucchesemerchantsignalthatthewayto tradewas accessibleto all, and the
factthatthismerchanttravelson his own and is notsupportedor protected
bya militaryforceseparatestheTuscanstylefromthatofVenice.The point
may be that,like theirfellowTuscan in the joke, the Florentinesdid not
need the outletto the sea providedby Pisa because theyhad the initiative
and independenceto exploreeven distantland routes.Giuliano refrains
frombeing too openlyboastful,however,since, althoughwe may assume
thatthe Luccheseconductedtradewiththe Poles,he does not bringhome
theMuscovites'sable.
The moststrikingfeatureof thestoryare thewordsthatare frozenin
mid-airand thenmelted.32By alertingthe readerto the factthatresponses
can be delayedfora varietyof reasonsbeforereachingtheirdestination,Castiglionethuspreparesus forBibbiena'sdelayedresponseto Bembo (2.56).
Bibbienapicksup withthestorythathe had plannedto tellwhenhe was interruptedby Giuliano. Althoughit may have appeared to Giuliano that
Bibbienahad renouncedrevenge,thisjoke showsthathe was indeed ready
to strikehis own blow againsttheVenetians.He beginsbyagreeingthathis
storyis not as subtle("sottile")as thatof Giuliano,whileclaimingthatit is
By usingthesame adjectiveas Giuliano to degood ("bella") nevertheless.
scribehis joke, Bibbiena simultaneouslycommendsthe wit of his fellow
Florentineand suggestsa linkbetweenthe twojokes. He thenrepeatsthat
thisstoryhad been told to him by "[that]friendyou [ . .. ] heardme speak
of before"(quello amico del qual v'ho detto),referred
to beforeGiuliano's
31Saporinotes: "Poland, which had been visited by Italian merchantssince the thirteenthcentury,experienceda veritableinvasionof Genoese, followedby citizensof Lucca,
Bologna, Florence,and Venice"; see 86-9.
"Interestingly,
Rabelais'sGargantuaand Pantagruelalso tellsof soundswhichare frozen
and thenmelted.By contrast,thesesounds stemfroma battlewhichtook place the previous
winterand take Pantagrueland his companionsquite by surprise(4.55-56).
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
415
interruption
as "thatfriendof ourswho neverletsus wantforjokes" (quello
the upcoming
amico nostroche non ce ne lascia mancare).By attributing
inventedstory(or "bella bugia") to an unidentifiedfriend,Bibbiena can
bothclaimand denyauthorship.Moreover,hisreference
to theunidentified
source of the joke as "nostro"createsan ambiguitybetweenthe original
"nostro"of thegroupof courtiersgatheredat Urbinoand the newlyformed
nostroof theFlorentineclan.
In thejoke, a gentleman(gentilomo)
is playinga game of chessin front
of the King of Portugal.His opponentis a monkeybroughtfroma land recentlydiscoveredby Portuguesesailors.When themonkeycheckmatesthe
gentleman,thelatter,in a fitof rage,hurlsthekingpiece at thepoor animal,
hittinghim in thehead. The monkeyseemsto complainto theKing,and is
reluctantto accept the gentleman'schallengeto anothergame. Afterrepeatedsolicitation,the monkeyagrees,but thistimehe devisesa schemeto
avoid being hit with anotherchess piece. At the same moment that he
checkmateshis opponent,he reachesunderhis opponent'selbow,grabshis
taffeta
cushion,and uses it as a shieldagainstany futureblows.
Bibbiena'sfirststrikeagainstBembo in thisjoke is political.If Giuliano
de' Medici had counteredCesareGonzaga'sallusionsto Venice'sdominance
in the Mediterraneanby depictinga Tuscan presencein the Baltic-North
Sea, Bibbienanow recallsan eventthatsignifies
theend ofVenetiansupremacy in trade with India. Until the earlysixteenthcentury,Venice had
providedEurope withIndian spices and othercommoditieswhich it purchased fromArab middlemen in Alexandria and the Black Sea ports.
Bibbiena'smentionof "thecountryor worldrecently
discoveredbythePortuguesesailors"(paese o mondo novamentetrovatodai marinariportoghesi)
is an allusionto thePortuguesediscoveryoftheCape routeat theend ofthe
fifteenth
whichenabledthemto sail aroundAfricaand directlyto
century,
India. When Bibbienanotesthatthesailorsbroughtback notonlythemonkeybut "variousanimalsand otherthings(variianimalie d'altrecose), the
vaguenessofthephraseallowsthereaderto imagineanyoftheproductsthat
the Portuguesewere now able to import directlyfromIndia. If earlier
Bembo had poked his fingerin Florence'ssorestspot (its inabilityto recapturePisa withits maritimeport) and Cesare had recalledVenice'smaterial
richesgainedfromtrade,Bibbienaretaliatesby callingto mind thespecific
circumstanceswhich spelled the end of Venice'smonopolyon the Indian
useshisearlyreader'sknowledgeofsubspicetrade.33
Castiglione,moreover,
sequent historyto add metaphoricalspice to Bibbiena'sjoke. Withinjust
twoyearsof theseconversations,
Portugalwould defeatcombinedEgyptian
3
See Guicciardini,177-79 and 202-03.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
416
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
andIndianfleets
its
(inthebattleofDiu) intheIndianOcean,thusassuring
Venetian
controloftherichspicetradeandmakinginevitable
decline.
lossofmercantile
ButBibbiena's
jokeisaboutmorethanVenice's
power.
an
The jokeinvolves
both inwardandoutward
ofcourtly
mirroring
society.
a courtier,
at play
The setting,
whichdescribesa gentleman,
presumably
is a reflection
ofthegathering
at Urbinoin which
witha kingas onlooker,
variouscourtiers
playa gameundertheauthorial
gazeofEmiliaPia andthe
withinthejoke bythegameof
Duchess.That samesocietyis mirrored
chess,withitsking,queen,bishops,knights,
horses,and pawns.Thereis,
a correspondence
between
thegameofchessin thejokeandthe
moreover,
in Castiglione's
theperfect
courtier
book.Bothgamesnot
gameofforming
onlyholdup forviewan imageofcourtly
society,
theyalso bringout the
oftheplayers.
whether
or positive,
Bibbiena's
characteristics,
negative
playersuse objectswhileCastiglione's
courtiers
use words,butCesare'sjoke
andthefrozen
river
hasalready
abouttheMuscovites
shownhowsolidand
wordscanbe.
tangible
we canglimpsea certainresemLookingmorecloselyat thoseplayers,
the
ofthejoke. Theirexcessively
blancebetweenBemboand
gentleman
leadthemtoneglect
competitive
spiritandaggressive
tendencies
courtliness
tothegentleandtounfairly
thereference
injuretheiropponent.
Moreover,
man'staffeta
cushionnotonlysuggests
a particular
penchantforlustrous
butmayservetohintathisVenetian
silkfabric,
affiliation
giventhatVenice
wasatthattimeoneoftheleadingimporters
andproducers
offinesilkfab34
ricsin Europe.
theanalogy,
Bibbienacan be likenedto themonkey.
Continuing
Both
ofan aggressive
arevictims
attackwhichtakesplaceinthepresence
ofa figure of authority.Neitherthe complacentKing of Portugalnor the
EmiliaPiashowanyinclination
tocometotheaidofthevictim,
imprudent
whomustusehisownwittokeepfromfurther
harm.Although
bothappear
in theguiseofcomicalanduncomely
creatures
(werecallthatBibbienabeganhisexposition
bypokingfunathisappearance),
theymanagetogetthe
hand
and discreupper
through
intelligence,
resourcefulness,
self-control,
tion. The monkeyand Bibbienaare evenlinkedby theirsprezzatura,
termfora studiednonchalance.
It is "without
Castiglione's
whatit
revealing
was about"(senzam-nostrar
che fossesuo fatto)thatthemonkeyquietly
reachesoverandpullsthecushionoutfromunderhisoppo(chetamente)
elbow
nent's
beforethelattercan realizewhatis happening.Likewise,
Bibbienaappearsnotto havegivenfurther
to Bembo'sinsults
consideration
himself
from
victimtovictor.
duringtheverytimethathe is transforming
3
Jardine,18-19, 56-57.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
417
The mirroring
extendsbeyondthetwoplayersto thefigureoftheking.
It is significant
thatthegentlemanhitsthe monkeypreciselywiththe king
piece. Bibbiena'shumoris at itsmostmordente
(stinging)in his depictionof
this scene: the gentleman "took [hold ofl the king [which] was very
big...."
(presein mano ii re,che eraassaigrande),whilethemonkey,after
the blow,"seemedto be demandingjusticeof the King forthe wrongthat
had been done it" (pareache domandasseragioneal Re del tortoche le era
fatto).Althoughthe readercan easilydistinguishbetweenthe chess piece
and the Portuguesesovereignthroughthe use of lowerand uppercase letters,the courtiersthat Castiglione imaginesgatheredaround Bibbiena,
upon hearingthesewordsspoken,could haveappreciatedthehumorcaused
to both. If onlyforan
by the factthatthesame termil re ("king") referred
instant,Castiglione suggeststhe hilariouslyincongruentpictureof the
courtier,in a fitof rage,boppingthe monkeyon thehead witha corpulent
Portugueseking.On a moreseriousnote,the factthattheweapon used to
hurtthemonkeywas thesame as thefigureof authority
observingthegame
suggeststhatthe kingis indirectly
responsibleforallowingsuch discourteous and abusivebehaviorto takeplace. While the King of Portugalsitsby
animal,Emilia Pia,
passivelyas his courtierstrikesan apparently
defenseless
exdelegatedbytheDuchess as thearbiter,
actuallyencouragesa potentially
plosivesituationby allowingBembo to deridethe Florentines.One could
hisblowto Bibbienausingthesymbolickingpiece,
saythatBembo inflicted
Emilia Pia, as theinstrument.
Immediatelyfollowingthe conclusionof thisjoke, Bibbiena givesthe
followingadvice: "theCourtiermusttakecare not to appearmaliciousand
and notto utterwitticisms
and arguziesolelyto annoyand hurt;bespiteful,
in all theirpersonforthesinsoftheir
cause suchmenoftensuffer
deservedly
to the nextcategoryof
tongue."35
Althoughthisstatementostensiblyrefers
detto
or
it
the
jokes (the
sentenzia), can serveas
pointof thelessonjust demonstrated.PietroBembo'stwojokes againsttheFlorentinesmade him seem
indeed maliciousand spiteful,and deservingperhapsof the blow thatthe
gentlemanchessplayerunfairly
gave the monkey.On theotherhand, Bibbiena's revenge was so clever and subtle that it would have aroused
admirationand not animosityfromthosewho happenedto graspit. Moreover,it was done in responseto an insult,and thus,accordingto Bibbiena
but
himself,was thebestkindofjoke not onlybecause it is well-motivated
also becauseit requiresthespontaneity
and quickwitof thejoke-teller.
35Castiglione,
2.57: "devesiguardareil cortegianodi non parermalignoe velenoso,e dir
mottied arguziesolamenteperfardispettoe dar nel core; perchetaliominispessoperdiffetto
della linguameritamente
hanno castigoin tutto'1 corpo."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
418
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
Bibbiena'ssubsequentjokes againstthe Sienese (presumablythe two
which he had in mind when he counteredBembo's mentionof two good
in 2.52) involve,in fact,retaliations
forunprojokes againsttheFlorentines
voked and maliciousinsults.The firstjoke is metaphorically
placed in the
contextof warfarewhen Bibbienanotesthe pleasurederivedfromturning
thesenseof anotherman'sjibe againsthim and thuswoundinghimwithhis
own arms.36In thejoke, when thehumanist-adventurer
Galeottoda Narni
arrivesin Siena and asksthelocationof the inn,a Sienesemakesa rude remarkabout hisobesityinstead,saying,"Othermen carrytheirvalisebehind
The travelerimmediatelyrespondsby
but thisman carrieshis in front."37
The Sienese are thusnot only
saying,"So one does in a land of thieves."38
rude to non-locals(even to men of learning
depictedas characteristically
such as Da Narni),but are also labelledas thieves.The secondjoke directly
pits a Sienese againsta Florentine(2.68). Bibbiena prefacesthe joke by
openlynotingtheanimositybetweenthetwo groups:"forthemostpart,as
He thusacknowledgestheaudience'sawareyou know,theyareenemies."39
ness of the peninsula'svarious regionalrivalries,and preparesthemfora
displayof thatanimositywithintheconfinesof thejoke. Duringa banquet
in Ferraraattendedbymanyladies,a Sienesetellsa Florentinethathis city's
recentalliancewiththeemperorwill resultin benefitsto Siena to thedetrimentof Florence:"We have marriedSiena to the Emperor,and have given
Florenceto him as a dowry."40
The Florentinequicklyrespondsin retaliawill
first
be
tion: "Siena
possessed('possessed'in the Frenchsense,but he
used the Italian word); thenin good time the dowrywill be discussed,"41
thussuggestingthatSiena would be "deflowered"
by the emperorwithout
anyofthepositiveresultsexpectedbythecity.As thelistenerscould haveexpectedfroma joke told by Bibbiena,theFlorentinein thestorygetsthelast
laugh. Moreover,beyondthe thrustof thejoke, one could note thatit was
theSienesewho (likeBembo) disturbeda festivescenein a courtlycity(like
Urbino) by expressingregionalhostility,
and the Florentinewho (like Bibbiena) respondedto theattackwitha stingingrejoinder.Bibbienagoes on to
considerthejoke to be inappropriate,
notbecauseof itspoliticalnature,but
becauseoftheunseemliness
ofitssexualinnuendosin thepresenceofladies.
3"Ibid.,2.60: "pungendolocon le sue propriearme."
37Ibid.:"Glialtriportanole bolge dietro,e costuile portadavanti."
38Ibid.:"Cosl si fa in terrade' ladri."
39Castiglione,2.68: "perlo piui,come sapete,sono nemici";mytranslation.
4"Ibid.:"Noi abbiam maritatoSiena allo Imperatoreed avemoglidato Fiorenzain dota."
4'Ibid.: "Siena sara prima cavalcata (alla franzese,ma disse il vocabulo italiano); poi la
dote si litigheraa bell'aggio."
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
419
YetBibbienahimselfdid nothesitateto tellthejoke in thepresenceofladies.
While thissuddenfocuson womenmaybe preparingus forthe "questione
della donna" whichwill be thesubjectof book 3, it also servesto divertattentionfromthepoliticalfocusof thejoke.
Continuinghis expositionof joke-telling,Bibbiena describesvarious
functionsand techniques that could easily referback to his revengeon
Bembo. First,he reiterates
the use of jokes as a potentformof social criticism: "It is also good when by a retortwe reprehendsomethingwithout
seemingto mean to do so."42 Bibbiena especiallyvaluesjokes thatuse dissimulation,whichis, as he explains,"whenone thingis said and anotheris
tacitlyunderstood."43
This relieson theabilityto conveya second meaning
beyondtheliteralone, of using"a wordin whichthereis a hiddenmeaning
different
fromtheone we seemto intend."44
In thisway,thereis theadvantage of being able to deny the intentionalityof the reprimand.As an
example,Bibbiena recallsa joke he told earlier(2.76) about the Spanish
courtin whicha certainAlonso impliedthata noble woman was a prostitute,saying:"althoughwhatAlonso said to signoraBoadilla does touch a
littleon chastity,
it does not displeaseme, because it is done in an offhand
way and is so veiled thatit can be understoodon the faceof it, so thathe
could have dissimulatedand claimedhe did not mean it in thatway."45
Would Bibbiena'sfellowcourtiershave understoodthe political and
personalunderpinningsof his jokes?46Bibbiena concludesthejoke of the
spitefulchessplayerbydrawingattentionto theresourceful
monkey:"Now
42Ibid.,
2.71: "E ancorbello,quandoconunarisposta
l'omoriprende
quellocheparche
riprendere
nonvoglia."
43Ibid.,
2.72: "quandosi diceunacosae tacitamente
se neintendeun'altra."
2.81: "unaparola,nellaqualee unanascosta
44Ibid.,
significazione
lontanada quelloche
parchedirsivoglia."
45Ibid.,
2.93: "quellochedisseAlonsoallasignora
chetocchiunpoco
Boadiglia,
avvenga
la onesta',
nonmidispiace,
perchee tiratoassailontanoed e tantooccultochesipo intendere
di modocheessopoteadissimularlo
simplicemente,
ed affermare
nonl'averdettoa quelfine."
ofBibbiena's
4"Many
otherjokes,infact,havepolitical
The Mediciaredeimplications.
pictedin a positivelightin chapters
2.65 (Cosimo'sanswerto theexiledPallade' Strozzi),
2.70 (Lorenzoil Magnifico's
answerto a "boringbuffoon"
anda "stupidfellow"),
and2.78
(Cosimo's"friendly
admonition").
See also2.61 (incontinence
oftheclergy),
2.62 (papal
benefices),
2.63 (Duke Guidobaldoduringa military
campaign;theSpanishInquisition),
2.64 (a Genoesespendthrift),
2.66 (praiseoftwoItalianfighters
bytheGreatCaptainDon
ConsalvoFernandezdi Cordoba;FrenchKingLouisXII; Djem Othman,brother
to the
in Rome),2.71 (MarquisFedericoGonzagaofMantua;atyGrandTurk,whileprisoner
rant),2.72
(againsttheCardinalofPavia),2.73 (magnanimity
ofKingAlfonsoI ofAragon),
2.74 (warfare),
2.75 (DukeGuidobaldoagainstPopeAlexander
VI andCesareBorgia),2.75
(MarquisFederico
GonzagaofMantua),2.76 (Spanishcourt),2.77 (corrupt
cardinals),
2.77
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
420
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
you see how wise,wary,and discreetthatmonkeywas."47While aftermost
otherjokes Castiglionemerelynotesthe generallaughter,herehe depicts
CesareGonzaga agreeingwithBibbienathatthemonkeywas indeeda great
that"theRepublicof Indian Monkeys"had sentit
and suggesting
authority
Giventhatitwas preciselyCesarewho had earlier
to Portugalto win fame.48
introducedthetechniqueof dissimulationwithhisjoke about the Brescian
in Venice,theMantuan courtiermayverywell havecommendedthe monkey at this point in orderto show he both grasped and appreciated the
of Bibbiena'srevenge.
astutenessand efficiency
At thetimeofthebook'spublication,Bembowas theonlyone ofthefour
treatedherewho was stillalive,and one maywonderwhetherhe
joke-tellers
at Castiglione's
negativedepictionofhimin thissecwouldhavetakenoffense
tion. If so, Castiglionecould have takenthe same course available to the
and claimingthat
SpaniardAlonsoin Bibbiena'sjoke (2.76) bydissimulating
he did notmeanitin thatway.We knowthatCastiglionehad sentBembo an
forcomments,
butitmaynothavecontained
earlierversionofthemanuscript
ofthebattleofwordsbetweentheVenetianand theFlothefulldevelopment
in fact,now referred
to in thecriticaleditionas
rentine.Extantmanuscripts,
thesecondcredazione("seconddraft"),containa muchtamerversionin which
joke.49In anyevent,ifthehisBembodoes nottellhissecondanti-Florentine
toricalBembowereto protesthisdepictionin book 2, Castiglionecould have
pointedto book 4 whereit is Bembowho showshow to transcendactivedutiesand worldlyambitionin orderto reacha contemplative
Neoplatonicstate
of true happiness. Thus, just as Bibbiena correctedhis inappropriate
in book 1 to be theconsummatecourtierand joke-teller
in book 2,
self-praise
of book 2 in orderto deliverthe
Bembo willovercomehis undo aggressivity
courtiers
arenotdepictedas perfect;
crowningspeechofbook 4. Castiglione's
in theactiveprocessof improving
themselves.
rather,
theyareportrayed
Castiglione'stributeto Bibbienain book 2 does not come as a surprise,
betweenthetwocourtiers.
giventheclosefriendship
Castiglione,in lettersto
to
his motherdatingfrombeforeBibbienahad been made a cardinal,refers
(FlorentineCouncil), 2.78 (court of Spain; againstCardinal of Pavia), 2.79 (corruptionof
the clergy),2.80 (Captain Peralta),2.81 (FrancescoMaria della Rovere),and 2.82 (corruption overbenefices;KingAlfonsoI ofAragon).
47Ibid.,2.61: "Or vedetese questa simiaera savia,avvedutae prudente."
48Ibid.:"Questa e forza,- disse, - che tra laltre simie fossedottore,e di molta autorita;e penso che la Republica delle simie indiane la mandasse in Portogalloper acquistar
riputazionein paese incognito."
4'9SeeLa secondaredazione,139-43. The firstdraftwhichcirculatedamong Castiglione's
friendsin 1518 is not extant.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKINGMATTERS
421
his friendas our Bernardo("Bernardonostro").At the time,Bibbienawas
tryingto arrangea marriagebetweenCastiglioneand a young girlof the
Medici family.On the day of Bibbiena'snominationto the Cardinalate,he
writesto Castiglioneas well as to his own brother(Rome, 23 September
1513).50 At the same time,Castiglione'sintentionsmay reachbeyondthe
on behalfoftheFlorentines
would
personalto thepolitical.Bibbiena'svictory
have extendedimplicitlyto theMedici familyto whom both Bibbienaand
Castiglioneweretied. Bibbiena was a loyal Medici supporterwho had, in
fact,followedthefamilyintoexilein 1494 and, afterPiero'sdeathin 1503,
in the
He was instrumental
servedCardinalGiovannide' Medici as secretary.
returnof Giuliano to Florencein 1512, and in the electionof Giovannias
Pope Leo X thefollowing
year,and he remaineda close friendand adviserto
theMedici pope untilhisdeathin 1520. At thetimeoftherevisionand publicationofthe Courtier,ithappenedthatCastiglionefoundhimselfthepapal
nuncioin Spain of anotherMedici pope, ClementVII (1523-1534).
As I have argued,the Courtier's section on joke-telling,deemed by a
numberof criticsas uninteresting
and indeed unrelatedto the restof the
throughtheplaying
work,takeson bothsuspenseand politicalsignificance
As muchas Castiglionewould likehis characters
to
out of regionalrivalries.
he
acthe
framework
of
also
contemporarysociety,
transcend
temporal
knowledgesthat theyare well entrenchedin the political and economic
witheach otherare not
of theirtimeand thattheirrelationships
vicissitudes
freefromthefervidlocal patriotism
whichdividedstatefromstate.Bembo's
all too obviousregionaldigsmakethe readerawareof a potentiallynegative
it is thanksto Bembo'sbreach
use ofjokes to ventsuch hostilites.Ironically,
of etiquettethatBibbienacan revealhimselfto be a wittyjoke-tellerand an
Bibbienashowshow
ideal courtier.Throughhis masterful
use ofword-play,
and how one can checkmatehis
jokes can be a viableoutletforaggressivity
opponentwhileplayingby therulesof thegame.
of
This sectionalso allowsCastiglioneto offera practicaldemonstration
the benefitsof dissimulationin courtlypolitics.Beforethe courtiersbegan
to adopt dissimulationin theirjoke-telling,
personaland regionalhostilities
areeitherexpressedtoo openly(Bembo) or repressed
completely(Bibbiena).
While theformermode threatened
to breakup thecarefully
cultivatedsense
50AlthoughCastiglione'srelationto Bembo appearsto have been cordialenough,there
is onlyone extantletterbetweenthe two. I do not mean to imply,however,thatthe political
tensionsplayedout in thissectionreflecta permanently
hostilerelationshipbetweenBembo
and eitherCastiglione, Bibbiena, or the Medici. Bembo laterhad occasion to solicit Bibbiena'shelp in Rome whenthelatterwas a cardinalservingtheMedicean Pope Leo X. Bembo
became papal secretary
to Leo, but he was not raisedto thecardinalateuntil1539 bythe Farnese Pope Paul III.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
422
RENAISSANCE
QUARTERLY
of harmonyat theUrbinocourt,thelatterprohibitedone fromstatingone's
ownviewsor defendingoneselffromattack.CesareGonzaga firstintroduces
dissimulationwitha joke thatlendsitselfto a pro-Venetian,
pro-Florentine,
or simplyneutralreading.Giventhecourtier's
in a whollyunvulnerability
predictable and constantlychanging systemof alliances, the multiple
readingsofsuch a joke would allowCesareto claimwhicheverstanceserved
himat anyparticularmoment.Giuliano de' Medici and Bibbienaboththen
use dissimulationto wage a counterattack.
Shiftingtheconflictto a battlegroundlocated "in-betweenthe lines" allows themto expresstheirviews
whichotherwisewould havebeen silenceddue to therequisitesof politesociety.Dissimulation, then,is presentednot as a means of falsifying,
but
ratheras a mode ofspeechrepletewithhiddenmeaningswhichallowone to
speakone'struth.When Bibbienalaterincludesdissimulationas an element
of joke-telling(2.72), thus givinga theoreticalstamp of approval to the
practicehe demonstrated
earlier,he is explicitly
callingattentionto an essentialcourtly"virtue"whose usefulness
goes beyondjoke-tellingto pervadeall
formsof social interaction.51
Castiglione,no lessthanMachiavelli,modifies
the traditionalnotion of virtuesto reflectthe realitiesof his time. Yet
whereasMachiavelli told his ambitious prince that he could secure and
maintaina stateby adoptingthecharacteristics
of thelion and the fox,Castiglioneshowshis vulnerablecourtiersthattheycan defendthemselves
and
sometimeswin acclaimby followingthe precedentof Bibbiena'smonkey.
COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY
5"Dissimulationwas latercodifiedas the modusoperandiof the courtier.See Torquato
Accetto'streatiseDella dissimulazione
onesta.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
JOKING MATTERS
423
Bibliography
Accetto,Torquato. 1983. Della dissimulazione onesta. Ed. Salvatore S. Nigro.
Genoa.
Ady,Cecilia M. 1957. "The Invasionsof Italy."In Potter,343-67.
Boccaccio,
Giovanni.
1955.
The
Decameron. Trans. John Payne. New
York.
.1955. IlDecamerone. Ed. Cesare
Segre.Milan.
Branca, Vittore. 1976. "The Epic of the
Italian Merchant."In CriticalPerspectiveson the "Decameron,"ed. Robert
Dombroski,38-47. Toronto.
Castiglione,Baldassare. 1959. The Book of
theCourtier.Trans. Charles S. Singleton. New York.
1968. La seconda redazione del
" di BaldassareCastiglione.
"Cortegiano
Ed. Ghino Ghinassi.Florence.
. 1998. Illibro del Cortegiano.Ed.
WalterBarberis.Turin.
Darby,H. C. 1957. "The Face ofEurope on
the Eve of the Great Discoveries." In
Potter,20-49.
Dovizi da Bibbiena,Bernardo.1955, 1964.
Epistolario. Ed. G. L. Moncallero. 2
vols. Florence.
Finucci, Valeria. 1992. "Jokeson Women:
Triangular Pleasures in Castiglione
and Freud." Exemplaria:A Journalof
Theoryin Medieval and Renaissance
Studies4: 51-77.
Gilmore,MyronP 1952. The WorldofHumanism,1453-1517. New York.
Greene,Thomas M. 1983. "The Choice of
a Game." In Hanning and Rosand,
1-15.
Guicciardini,Francesco.1969. HistoryofItaly. Trans. Sidney Alexander. New
York.
Hale, J. R., ed. 1973. Renaissance Venice.
Totowa, NJ.
Hanning, Robert W. and David Rosand,
eds. 1983. Castiglione:The Ideal and
theReal in RenaissanceCulture.New
Haven.
Jardine,Lisa. 1996. WorldlyGoods:A New
HistoryoftheRenaissance.New York.
Javitch,Daniel. 1983. "II Cortegiano and
the Constraints of Despotism." In
Hanning and Rosand, 17-28.
Lane, FredericC. 1973. Venice.A Maritime
Republic.Baltimore.
Litvinoff,Barnet. 1991. 1492: The Decline
ofMedievalismand theRiseoftheModernAge.New York.
Livermore,H. V. 1957. "The New World:
1. PortugueseExpansion." In Potter,
420-30.
Macartney,C. A. 1957. "EasternEurope."
In Potter,368-94.
Machiavelli,Niccolo. 1988. FlorentineHistories.Trans. Laura F. Banfield and
HarveyC. Mansfield,Jr.Princeton.
Marks, L. F. 1953. "La crisi finanziera a
Firenze dal 1494 al 1502." Archivio
StoricoItaliano 111: 40-72.
Moncallero, G. L. 1953. II cardinale BernardoDovizi da Bibbiena. (Biblioteca
dell'ArchiviumRomanicum, 1st ser.,
35.) Florence.
Mulas, Luisa. 1980. "Funzione degli esempi,funzionedel Cortegiano."In La
Corte e il "Cortegiano" La scena del
testo, ed. Carlo Ossola, 1:97-118.
Rome.
Petrarch,Francis. 1976. PetrarchsLyricPoems: The "Rime sparse" and Other
Lyrics. Trans. Robert M. Durling.
Cambridge,MA.
Potter,G. R. 1957. The New Cambridge
ModernHistory.Volume1. TheRenaissance,1493-1520. London.
Ed. Guy
Rabelais. 1957. Oeuvrescompletes.
Demerson. Paris.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
424
RENAISSANCE
Rebhorn, Wayne A. 1978. CourtlyPerformances: Masking and Festivity in
Castiglione's "Book of the Courtier."
Detroit.
. 1983. "The EnduringWord: Language, Time, and Historyin Il Libro
del Cortegiano."In Hanning and Rosand, 69-89.
Rubinstein,Nicolai. 1966. The Government
of Florence under the Medici
1434-1494. Oxford.
QUARTERLY
Sapori, Armando. 1970. The Italian Merchant in the Middle Ages. Trans.
PatriciaAnn Kennen. New York.
Trafton, Dain. 1983. "Politics and the
PraiseofWomen: PoliticalDoctrinein
the Courtier'sThird Book." In Hanningand Rosand, 29-44.
Woodhouse, J. R. 1978. Baldesar Castiglione: A Reassessment of "The
Courtier".Edinburgh.
This content downloaded from 128.59.222.12 on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:22:18 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions