r courtesans that only the upper class could afford. In these schools, courtesans received an education worthy of a well-born male as they were exposed to great literary works, fine art, and political theories. The purpose of this schooling was so that they could entertain men both "inside and outside the bedroom"(Voss). It was hard to tell apart a courtesan from a woman of nobility as they would both dress lavishly with extravagant jewelry. Courtesans were considered celebrities as eventually, most of them married into rich families in the!
             ir later years. Some courtesans refused to stay confined in a life of marriage and stayed single. In this case, they
             worked to become diplomats and were often sent to other countries to represent Venice.
             The social system of Venice allowed for only two classifications of women: the angel or the whore. The qualifications for each role were determined by the economic status they were born into. The Venetian "angel" was a woman born into the nobility who had enough to provide a dowry that guaranteed her marriage. Although upper class women received respect, sometimes this was not enough to be content since there were many restrictions on her fundamental rights. In the Venetian society, there was three basic functions to provide in society as a "good" wife(Voss). First, her hand in marriage not for the sake of love, but rather as a means to strengthen ties between two families in order to improve commerce. Secondly, her dowry served to improve the position of her husband. Thirdly, she produced children so the family can pass down their wealth. These limitations left women little room for self-enjoyment.
             The Venetian whore on the other hand, were the lower class women who were placed with even more limit
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