Sources for Western Society: Printed Page 192
Compare and contrast Petrarch (Document 12-1) and Machiavelli (Document 12-2). Should they both be considered humanists? Why or why not?
Compare and contrast Erasmus’s (Document 12-4) depiction of the successful prince with Machiavelli’s (Document 12-2). How does each one envision the Renaissance state? What does each think is necessary for a government to function well?
What light do the works of Christine de Pizan (Document 12-5) and Artemisia Gentileschi (Documents 12-6 and 12-7) shed on the challenges faced by women of their day? How would you explain the success of each in male-dominated fields?
What marks Erasmus’s Education of a Christian Prince (Document 12-4) as a work of the northern Renaissance? How does it differ from some of the other works included in this chapter?