Machiavelli On Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli was a unique politician, philosopher, and writer who lived in Florence, Italy during the European Renaissance period of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is most famously known for writing his ruthless handbook for rulers, The Prince, during his time in exile in 1513. This contentious piece of literature has been fondly referred to as “the guidebook for tyrants and totalitarians,” according to the documentary, Machiavelli: The Prince by director Jett Rink. However, the document has also been credited with positively paving the way for ethnic and religious toleration, individual rights, and modern democracies all throughout history; and it inevitably set the stage for future governments to come. In this way, it is

The time of the Renaissance is filled with growth of intellect, beauty of nature, the dignity of mankind, and the rising of artists. It is characterized from the move of scholasticism, a devotion specifically for the theological and philosophical teachings of the Church, to humanism, a devotion to the humanities of rhetoric, arithmetic, and other subjects. An example of this movement is seen in Machiavelli’s The Prince which describes Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and how to obtain stability,because it was lacking during the time he was writing this, as there was a power shift from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. While Machiavelli promotes stability, he has a disordered love towards his country as he promotes to defend and fight

Political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli’s, “The Prince”, exemplifies an early depiction of several “modern” ideological principles that would sustain and preserve nations (especially after the separation of the church and state) in the sixteenth century. In this critically acclaimed work, Machiavelli satirically bequeaths a map of qualities that princes should steadfastly uphold and advance. Expressly, the qualities mapped out are frequently criticized as, “crafty, cunning and unscrupulous methods by which a prince can acquire and maintain political power”. One of the most prominent principles that almost served as a catalyst and enchiridion for Machiavelli’s “ethical” behavior as an eminent political figure of Florence, Italy was, “the end

How is being feared rather than loved the superior quality that a leader should possess? Niccolò Machiavelli states in the “Qualities of the Prince” that “One should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved” (14). Determining which of these two qualities a leader should possess had been a topic of discussion for centuries. So what makes Machiavelli’s work any different? First off, Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat and a political philosopher, who wrote about politics and power. The biggest element that separates Machiavelli’s work from other philosophers is that he focuses his attention on the goal of power. While doing so, not only did he learn how

“It is much safer to be feared than loved.” This quotation was just a specimen of the harsh and very practical political annotation of the legendary historian, Niccolò Machiavelli – philosopher, patriot, diplomat, advisor and statesman. He was born as the son of a poor lawyer in 1498, but he never let boundaries restrict him. He still received an excellent humanist education from the University of Florence and was soon after appointed as the Second Chancellor of the Republic of Florence.2 His political importance to Florence would soon give him the opportunity to write what is disputed as one of the most significant works in history, The Prince.

¨Every prince ought to desire to be considered compassionate and not cruel.¨ Notice in this quote from Niccolo Machiavelli's ¨The Prince¨ the word ¨considered¨ is used, rather than something more firm or nothing at all. The point Machiavelli is making is that as a ruler, one must only look like a kind person rather than actually being one. Machiavelli expresses multiple times in his writing that when ruling, using fear is safe and easy to maintain while using love can be messy and full of expectations to uphold. To Machiavelli, the goal is for the ruler to show compassion while still keeping his fear factor, which will help him have an easier time maintaining power. That probably worked when a select few held all the power. In the modern world however, there are more rulers than just Machiavelli’s princes and in most cases it is better to show love rather than to incite fear because the power is now in the hands of the people.

Outside people relations, Vlad embodied one of the most crucial principle Machiavelli stressed in “The Prince,” Principle 10 - How the Strength of All States Should be Measured. Machiavelli believes that for a prince to maintain his control over the state in times of war, he must be ready to fight for his people. Vlad went beyond that by succeeding his predecessors through weaponizing Wallachia for battle and personally leading the charge against neighboring states. His first hurdle was his confrontation with Hungary where “he tried to maintain a fragile peace, skillfully balancing the interests of the Hungarian and the Ottoman Empire in Wallachia. However...conflict broke out between Wallachia and Hungary…[eventually] Vlad succeeded to obtain

In The Prince and Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli breaks from the precedent set by early political thinkers. Machiavelli unleashes a critical attack on the Church both as an institution and also as a belief system. Machiavelli blames the institution of the Church for interfering in politics which ends regimes. He treats the popes as though they are secular leaders who serve as examples of what a ruler should do to maintain power. He calls it corrupt.

There are many factors that can impact an author's writing which range from ethnical, political climate, social status and current events. Understanding the context behind the piece can help the reader achieve the greater meaning lying within the piece. One such example of this is found within The Prince, an advisory work completed by Niccolo Machiavelli. With the intention of bettering his country, this advisory work provided the high nobility of Italy a take on rule that would allow one to effectively control and gain the respect of his subjects through means that we would claim to be questionable and dictatorial. Another piece that has been affected by setting is Dante’s Inferno. Following the journey of a pilgrim’s descent into the underworld,

In Niccoló Machiavelli´s novel, The Prince, there are times when it’s plausible for a prince to be ethical and times when it’s plausible for a prince to be wicked, but since administering both will not give a prince stability, it’s better to choose one. According to Machiavelli, through wickedness, a prince can be successful by betraying allies, going against faith, and being without religion; however, because of his stubbornness and disloyalty, detrimental consequences to society are created. On the contrary, an ethical prince will appease to needs of the people while being loyal and virtuous. Concluding the ruler to have a successful rule by doing good for the country. Making the answer to the problematic discussion, ethical because

In my opinion, the readings of Machiavelli is concerned with both one’s actions and result. From Machiavelli reading, most of the princes were not fortune to be in line for prince hood. However, they rose from the private station to attain their height where they envision themselves and how things ought to be. We practical do this kind of act every day in our lives. Many at a time when one want to attain a goal, you tend to see the result of it in your mind and then plan how to reach that goal, by putting in place a plan of actions to execute that plan. On the other hand, some may not care how to get there, so far as they attain their goal they were ok. For instance, the actions and the genius of this man “Agathocles, the Sicilian, became

Lastly, Machiavelli is another philosopher that writes in depth about how a ruler should conduct himself, as well as the qualities that make up a ruler. Looking at the teachings of the other philosophers I have previously mentioned, Machiavelli looks at the political authority quite opposite than the two. When it comes to the nature of the ruler or political authority, Machiavelli believes that, “it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking...but when despised he is considered changeable, frivolous, effeminate, cowardly, and irresolute” (Prince 287). These are strong words from Machiavelli that do speak some truth. In his mind, a good ruler would rather be feared than to be loved. By doing so, the people would respect and obey their rulers much easier.

Nowadays, it is politically impossible to commit to paper a "training guide" for leaders. There are innumerable detractors to any possible stance or strategy a leader might adopt. As a result of this, all "training" must take place behind closed doors, far from the prying eyes and ears of the news media or the public. But this has not always been the case.

In society today, people tend to want to achieve perfection as much as possible. However, they fail to realize that perfection is just this idealistic quality that no one can really obtain. The idea of “perfection” is usually given to those of higher power, like a prince. In Niccolo Machiavelli’s short story “The Moral of the Prince”, Machiavelli presents the idea that perfection is idealistic instead of realistic. Machiavelli explains how a prince is seen as this perfect individual with nothing but great qualities. However, he states that realistically, a prince cannot always be good because when always being good, you will be taken advantage of by the people. He states, “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin

Relying on the needs of the society of that time, Machiavelli comes to the conclusion that the most important task is the formation of a single Italian state (Machiavelli 15). Developing his thoughts, the author comes to the following inference: only a prince can become a leader capable of leading people and building a unified state. It is not a concrete historical personality but someone abstract, symbolic, possessing such qualities that in the aggregate are inaccessible to any living ruler. That is why Machiavelli devotes most of his research to the issue of what qualities should the prince possess to fulfill the historical task of developing a new state. The written work is constructed strictly logically and objectively. Even though the image of an ideal prince is abstract, Machiavelli argues that he should be ruthless, deceiving, and selfish.