As we discussed in class, Marco Polo’s book is a dramatized version of the truth.  While we have deemed this book a travel account, because of its less “character-focused” narrative, it is still a story. While Polo was in prison, he recounted his adventures to the writer Rustichello. Because of Rustichello’s “liberal” flair, he added to the book the experiences of Marco Polo may be overly excessive. Nonetheless, it should be noted, the sheer display of grandeur that is the kingdom of the Great Khan should not be seen to differ too far from the truth. Polo goes on for pages about the splendor of each castle the Khan has, along with all the riches that come with them.  Polo goes on for pages about the decor of the area and tries hard to relate the sheer amount of marvels that he has seen to the reader. In addition to the material wonders, Polo is equally impressed by the number of people within the Khan’s great dining hall.  With each person, Polo is convinced of the strong community the Khan has made around the imperial domain.

 

What we can infer from this information is that Polo (as noted in the previous post and in class) is obsessed with material culture since he himself is a merchant and tradesman. However, what is more impressive is Polo’s wonder and admiration for the community of the people serving the Great Khan. Polo comes from a divided Italy that is warring with itself. For him to see a vast sweeping kingdom such as the Khan’s, that is also stable, shows how he can admire another culture based on its values, even though it differs greatly from the religious values he holds.