The Agony and the Ecstasy Chapter Summary & Analysis - Book Three Summary

Book Three Summary

Michelangelo learns that he is to share quarters with Bertoldo, the sculpture master. He is expected to learn everything the master can teach. He learns about appropriate dress, manners, life, and art.

One of Michelangelo's joys is the discovery that he can see and talk to Contessina. They are both about the same age and, like young people everywhere, they talk about their elders. Their relationship deepens and he begins a true friendship with the young woman. As a de' Medici, she has learned that the family has few friends; Michelangelo becomes one of her few real friends.

Bertoldo attempts to teach Michelangelo everything he knows. There is an assumption that the young man will become the master's greatest apprentice. The major problem is that Michelangelo's techniques and inclinations run counter to those of the master. The youth wants to learn, but he recognizes that he cannot work, much as...
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