their our daughters be severely punished. The punishment was public humiliation and then banishment from the city and surrounding area for 2 years (Rosenthal “Honest”).The lifestyle of a Venetian courtesan was one of sophistication and a highly public image. They offered themselves to men not as a common prostitute whose favors were strictly sexual, but as an educated and skillful conversationalist. The courtesans not only charged a standard fee but a sum was required for conversation alone. The distinguished people who visited these women demanded from them a considerable degree of intelligence and instruction; they were treated with no slight respect and consideration. This is evident from the caliber of the men who visited these courtesans. Among the ranks of the their admirers were Lorenzo dei Medici, Montaigne, Raphael, Titian, many of the famed Venier family, cardinals, dukes, and even King Henri III of France. Even when relations with them were broken off, their good opinion was still desired. Playing music, singing, composing poetry and presenting a sophisticated figure were the courtesan’s necessary, marketable skills. Verbal expertise was essential to their social advancement. The most successful ones were learned in the humanities and a few even became published authors and poets. The honest courtesan offered social and intellectual refinement in return for patronage. Much like the courtier, their appeals were for social connections and public recognition (Masson 6).Unlike the typical noble woman, the courtesans were mainly free to do or speak as they pleased while the upper class women were restricted to the confines of their family structure. “Venetian ladies never appeared in the street…Generally speaking, none but the courtesans showed themselves in public, real ladies being visible only at their windows or on the balconies of their palace…(Boehn 176)” They were allow...
