Machiavelli 's Statement On The Prince

The political situation that prompted Machiavelli to write The Prince was that Italy wasn’t a unified country yet. It was a bunch of city states.

In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses ways in which a ruler should obtain power and maintain power, emphasizing the concept of gaining power through virtue versus fortune. Virtue, or virtu in the original Italian, is defined as the masculine quality of power, and not necessarily tied to ideas of morality as it is in the English definition.

Many would agree that it is better to be loved than to be feared. However, Machiavelli says that “I found a quote, but lost it” (x). Although there have been many great leaders who have been loved, the best leaders are those who were feared. Many may disagree, but ______ ________ ______. In conclusion, I believe that it is better for a leader to be feared rather than

After reading Machiavelli’s main points in “Traits of the Prince”, I would remix his traits and give these following advices to an up-and-coming presidential candidate:

Niccolò Machiavelli was an activist of analyzing power. He believed firmly in his theories and he wanted to persuade everyone else of them as well. To comment on the common relationship that was seen between moral goodness and legitimate authority of those who held power, Machiavelli said that authority and power were essentially coequal.9 He believed that whomever had power obtained the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power. This implied that the only genuine apprehension of the administrative power was the attainment and preservation of powers which indirectly guided the maintenance of the state. That, to him, should have been the objective of all leaders. Machiavelli believed that one should do whatever it took, during the given circumstance, to keep his people in favor of him and to maintain the state. Thus, all leaders should have both a sly fox and ravenous wolf inside of him prepared to release when necessary.10

Daniele Citti Professor Brusseau Final Draft 16 October 2014 To Be Loved, or to Be Feared? That is the Question. Question:

Niccolo Machiavelli was a writer from Renaissance Florence, and was born in 1469. Machiavelli was a cynic, meaning he believed that people were only interested in themselves and that they were untrustworthy. Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a guidebook to all princes to show them how to become a prince and hold and keep power. Niccolo Machiavelli did not have a humanist view while writing The Prince. The repetition of how Machiavelli portrayed his view about the average citizens living this time imply the point of view that The Prince is not a humanist writing.

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

A ruler is an individual who exercises dominion, in most cases to supervise the region they reside. Since rulers usually directly impact the lives of residents where they rule, it is appropriate the residents form opinions on them. Niccolo Machiavelli writes in, The Prince, that one should avoid disdain and hatred by the people they govern. Throughout this essay, Machiavelli repeatedly cites the mistakes of past emperors. Additionally, Machiavelli employs this repeated structure to exhibit to his immediate audience the key to success as an autocrat.

The idea of fear is usually given a negative connotation but this is not the case. Yes fear is not particularly healthy all the time but what people do not understand is that, that does not limit its meaning. Some parts of the world are led by treacherous, violent, feared, and hated people but what humans sometimes do not understand, is that fear and hatred have very different definitions. This is one of the concepts that the book ‘The Prince’ by Machiavelli conveys. In the book, Machiavelli shares the characteristics that a good leader should possess.

In the novel The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, Machiavelli institutes into the readers mind the demeanor and characteristics that a prince should possess. The novel discusses human nature regarding governments and principalities of the modern and ancient society. Machiavelli views toward human nature is revealed by his straightforward and frank demeanor. Machiavelli states, “If men were entirely good this principle would not hold, but because they are bad, and will not keep faith with you, you too are not bound to observe it with them.” (18.1. 27).

It placed emphasis on being an active and engaging citizen. They wanted to apply the approaches and insights of humanism to civic life especially noteworthy in the Italian city states and republics like Florence. They used classical scholarship from the medieval period to challenge prevailing ideas and practices. Machiavelli’s The Prince provides a striking example as he talks about dynamics of power and politics.

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).

Niccolo Machiavelli is a very pragmatic political theorist. His political theories are directly related to the current bad state of affairs in Italy that is in dire need of a new ruler to help bring order to the country. Some of his philosophies may sound extreme and many people may call him evil, but the truth is that Niccolo Machiavelli’s writings are only aimed at fixing the current corruptions and cruelties that filled the Italian community, and has written what he believed to be the most practical and efficient way to deal with it. Three points that Machiavelli illustrates in his book The Prince is first, that “it is better to be feared then loved,”# the second

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.