How Did The Prince Influence The Italian Renaissance

Machiavelli led us to a question that was continuously in disagreement. That question was “Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa” (p.392)? Machiavelli thought that one is to be loved & feared. Nevertheless, at the same time it’s tremendously hard to achieve being both loved & feared. Machiavelli believed that if one had to do without one of them that it would be a safer to be feared than to be loved. For example if a ruler was more loved than feared then if you served their men’s interest & were also devoted to them they would promise you their blood, possessions, lives, & children until you needed help because once you needed help you were on our own. If you’re more feared than loved then when you’re in trouble your

He discusses that the prince have military knowledge, love and fear, trustworthiness, and good and bad reputations. He deeply believes in the art of war. "...a prince must not have any objective nor any thought, nor take up any art, other than the art of war and its ordering and discipline; because it is the only art that pertains to him who commands. And it is of such virtue that not only does it maintain those who were born princes, but many times makes men rise to that rank from private station; and conversely one sees that when princes have thought more of delicacies than of arms, they have lost their state." He also writes about whether it is better to be loved or feared, stating that it is best to be feared, but not hated. Love can change in an instant, and it is better to always have control, even if the prince must be feared. Patriotism and dedication to the state was also a very important aspect. In conclusion, Machiavelli strived for power and strength by any means possible. Through violence and fear, the end result would be worth it to him.

Machiavelli’s interpretation of human nature was greatly shaped by his belief in God. In his writings, Machiavelli conceives that humans were given free will by God, and the choices made with such freedom established the innate flaws in humans. Based on that, he attributes the successes and failure of princes to their intrinsic weaknesses, and directs his writing towards those faults. His works are rooted in how personal attributes tend to affect the decisions one makes and focuses on the singular commanding force of power. Fixating on how the prince needs to draw people’s support, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of doing what is best for the greater good. He proposed that working toward a selfish goal, instead of striving towards a better state, should warrant punishment. Machiavelli is a practical person and always thought of pragmatic ways to approach situations, applying to his notions regarding politics and

Men worry less about doing an injury to one who makes himself loved that to one who makes himself feared. For love is secured by a bond of gratitude which men, wretched creatures that they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so; but fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective.

Machiavelli did not energize the thought in confiding in the ones that lead, however, “[…] men are a sorry lot and will not keep their promises to you, you likewise need not keep yours to them.” (230) He hoped for strategy, injustice, and unlawfulness from his kin and composed his tenets all things considered under the beliefs of being a pragmatist. While discovering “they are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain” (228) the function of Prince was to hold and manage opposed to giving the general population a chance to thrive or set a

His immediate dismissal of the power of evoking positive emotions in followers fails to stand on its own. In every claim leading up to this one, Machiavelli will support it with historical evidence. However, when it comes to dismissing love in his citizens (not military men), he does not offer historical evidence. The real weakness in his assumption lies in him underestimating the power that love can hold between a leader and his subjects. Evoking love leads to loyalty and support, two powerful things that leaders need to keep a hold on their territory, while fear only incites fear.

In The Prince, Machiavelli explains what a good and successful prince should be like. He advocates a strong, cutthroat authority figure and encourages the winning of power by any means necessary. The main theme in The Prince is that mob rule is dangerous, for people know only what is good for themselves and not what is good for the whole. The common people, in Machiavelli’s view, “are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours”. He believes that these commoners should be

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a politician and philosopher from Florence, Italy. In his early life Machiavelli was able to witness the various ways countries dealt with affairs. When he retired, he spent his time writing The Prince (1532), a handbook for rulers. He made The Prince to explain how a leader gains and maintains power. His ideas had a very important function in the development of politics during his time.

A prince must maintain a positive public opinion. Machiavelli believes that it is not important if the prince is loved or feared by the people, but rather if he is able to escape hatred. Machiavelli states, “Love is secured by a bond of gratitude which men […] break when it is their advantage to do so; but fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective” (Machiavelli 54). Through this quote Machiavelli illustrates that it is a greater advantage to be feared than to be loved. A prince is only effective when he has full control over his citizens because “men worry less about doing an injury to one who makes himself loved the to one who makes himself feared” (Machiavelli 54).

Lao-Tzu believes a ruler should see the good in all of his people and trust in them that they will do the right things. However, Machiavelli comes from a completely different view on this subject. He advocates the need for a successful leader, or prince, to take control of his endeavors, and the skills or qualities necessary to maintain power. He suggested this method of becoming a powerful prince through the history of Kings that have lived and lead in the past. Machiavelli uses a ruthless amount of power; he does not worry about his reputation to the people, unfortunately, he just does what he thinks is

“Men have less hesitation in injuring one who makes himself feared, for love is held by a chain of duty which, since men are bad, they break at every chance of their own profit; but fear is held by a dread of punishment that never fails you”. Machiavelli states that if you are feared, people will respect you more and hesitate in hurting you. He also states that he sees men as bad. Due to this, Machiavelli states that people would break love at every chance

The Italian Renaissance has taken place several years ago, in today’s contemporary society the world is different now. Machiavelli believed it was better to feared than love. Machiavelli never supported cruelty and violence although, he did believe that sometimes being cruel and violent would be good for the republic. His social advice is very useful in today’s society. Machiavelli believed that you should stay true yourself and always keep in mind that everybody isn’t always going to do the right thing.

In Florence, Italy, on May 3, 1469 Niccolo di Bernardo del Machiavelli was born into a middle class and influential family. His father, Bernardo was a lawyer and owned a small personal library that included books by Greek and Roman philosophers and volumes of Italian history. Though little is know about Machiavelli’s early life we do know that he shared of love for literature, learning Latin and reading the classical Roman and Greek authors, particularly the histories. In 1494 the Medici family lost power, which was also the same year Machiavelli entered the Florentine government.

Machiavelli in the beginning of this chapter about how it is better to be cruel to unify its kingdom than to be merciful and king and bring it to ashes, but there still needs to be shown at least a bit of humanity for the others to respect. It is better to be feared than to be loved for the one whom may feel love towards one person may turn against them later on love can get you ruined while fear may keep you in power.although they must be feared but not hated,one must have the correct virtues to remain in power for his subjects to obey him, Machiavelli concludes that love or fear should be established under his control but by all means avoid to be hated.

Machiavelli in his work informs the prince that even if he does possess certain qualities he shall always appear to his followers as retaining all of these qualities as shown in the following quotation “A prince, therefore, need not necessarily have all the good qualities I mentioned above, but he should certainly appear to have them… He should appear to be compassionate, faithful to his word, kind guileless, and devout… He should not deviate from what is good, if that is possible, but he should know how to do evil, if that is necessary” (Machiavelli 57). Machiavelli highlights that image is extremely crucial for rulers and they must alter the perceptions of their people in regard to him in order to appear in control at all times for the purpose of maintaining and sustaining control. This idea is overturning