Machiavelli's The Prince

A prince has plenty to worry about during times of war and everyone is out to get you so you must be greedy and heinous in times of war. The prince declares that the nation state comes first before individuals.

Machieavelli’s The Prince serves to demonstrate the relationship between virtue and fortune by which a prince gains and maintains his power. Though a prince may achieve power through fortune, either by luck or wealth, he will not be able to maintain his power without the execution of virtu, a characteristic indicating strength and skillfulness. Machiavelli demonstrates how the concept of virtu is inconsistent with the conventional denotation of moral excellence, such as charity, truthfulness, compassion, etc., for every action the prince makes must be taken into account in terms of its affect on the state. Though Machiavelli advises for the prince to inspire fear among his subjects rather than love, it is crucial for the prince to emanate

In spite of these statements, not all of his instructions are as unethical as his critics have made them out to be. Later, in Chapter IX, he states that “a prince must have the friendship of the common people; otherwise he will have no support in times of adversity” (109). It is out of pragmatism, and not morality, that he makes this assertion. The good will and well-being of the people are conducive to maintaining order and may help preserve the prince’s position of power. First and foremost, however, is that preservation of power for the

So, Machiavelli begins by listing a couple of good behavioral traits in a prince and their oppositions. Instead of just stating a prince should be this or that so on and so forth. He actually states a prince should be both which makes complete sense. For example he states that a prince should be both cruel and merciful because if he is always merciful people could die due to the breakdown of the law but if he is always cruel he shall be hated. So he must find an equal ground between the

The Prince is essentially a guide book on how to acquire and maintain political power. We can think of it as a collection of rules and methods to achieve a level of superior authority. Its main focus is that the ends—no matter how immoral—justify the means for preserving political authority. While some may agree with this mindset of thinking many today dismiss Machiavelli as a cynic. The book shows rulers how it is that they should act to survive in the real world to maintain authority. While Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideas can be radical, they helped to spark a revolution in political philosophy. Although his ideas might have not been completely original, they were very different and unheard of at the time, The Prince, was published. Machiavelli uses many methods to convey his messages including biblical comparisons and of course metaphors. This character can be viewed in several manners. He is almighty and powerful, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals or have his ways. While this quality does qualify him to be a might leader it also raises the question of immorality. How far will one go to maintain order? Would you stop at nothing to achieve this task? Machiavelli shows this by saying, “it is

The type of ruler Machiavelli describes is “unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion” (Donno, synopsis of The Prince). This is exactly the type of prince Machiavelli describes throughout the book. In chapter fifteen he explains how the attitude and conduct of a prince should be when dealing with his subjects and friends. Many other people have written about this same subject in very different ways that Machiavelli did. He decided to describe the concerning things which princes are praised for or censured in a way without the rules others have written by. “Since it is my intention to write something of use to those who

In the sixteenth century, barbarians from France, Spain, and Germany constantly fought for power in Italy, a country already fractured into quarrelling city-states. During this time, the exiled diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a guide for Lorenzo di Piero De’ Medici, Italy’s chosen ‘deliverer,’ in the hopes of being welcomed back into society. Throughout his guide, Machiavelli created the image of an ideal leader, shaped by the defeats and accomplishments of previous rulers. To sustain one’s rule successfully, Machiavelli believed that a leader needed the wisdom and prudence to act appropriately in difficult situations, as well as harbor minimal dependence on others for strength; a leader, most of all, was capable of facing

Niccolo Machiavelli, who lived during the Renaissance, was a politician, a philosopher, and an author. His most highly regarded book, “The Prince” details the ways in which Machiavelli believes the world should be run. By using real world examples, as well as his own opinion, Machiavelli puts up points about everything that could harm a ruler, but also about what could lead to a leader becoming one of the greats. Machiavelli’s work was accepted widely around the world, and still to this day is read around the world; not necessarily as a guide, but as an insight into the world that Machiavelli wanted. Leaders around the world currently follow many different methods to rule their people, however if they followed some of Machiavellis rules, there might be less backlash towards those in power. Rulers, in Machiavellis mind, must be smart and cunning, but also thoughtful of those he is ruling, because in the long run, the people of his kingdom can determine his fate.

The perceived level of tolerance a prince reveals dictates the judgement and treatment he will receive during his rule. It should be a rulers first priority to protect his kingdom. Therefore, entertaining a potential “bad” or self-interested characteristic is sometimes necessary to reach such an end. However, it should be noted that these vices are truly evil if they endanger the kingdom or threaten the people in too negative a way. A ruler must understand how these negative characteristics are employed in the proper interests of the state while simultaneously not being influenced by the judgement of his fellow man. A strong ruler will recognize how to employ his power and authority in a positive form not only improving the well-being of the society, but also expanding his own knowledge of the power of good and evil and the responsibility that comes with this

The Prince, by Niccoló Machiavelli, is a how to rule guide for sovereigns. It was written in 1513 but published only in 1532, nearly five years after Machiavelli’s death. The book was composed to tell sovereigns how to rule, but some scholars say it is more on how not to rule. From how to act as a prince to how not to attack in war, Machiavelli discusses it all. He was a regular citizen in Florence, but claimed he knew more about the art of ruling than princes did, he watched Italy rise and fall and decided to write The Prince in hopes that Lorenzo de Medici, the prince at the time, would read it and put it to use. Machiavelli claimed that if a prince were to read his book and follow his guidance, he would have no problem ruling and go down

Machiavelli explains on how fortune is a lady's furthermore how fortune can take control. I observed his hypothesis to be valid. Ladies are fortunes men will never get it. Fortune is something men will never love effectively. In today's general public, men disregard how exceptionally they ought to treat a lady. No men open entryways, give some assistance, or ask how their day have been. Numerous individuals trust fortune controls everything, so they let it. As years passed by, men have slacked off the admiration for ladies and their fortune. In the Machiavelli determination of The Prince, he appears to have it all made sense of.

Humans are born with the tendency to look out for one another and care for each other. A person can learn otherwise through their life experiences, but it is there at the beginning of life—it comes naturally. Although Machiavelli suggests otherwise in “The Prince”, justice is present in life in the same way. To put it simply, justice exists by nature.

To maintain the kingdom respecting and honoring a king or prince he must be polite but not too generous to his people. Machiavelli reminds the reader, yet again, that it is important to be liked and not to be weak and handle decisions and complications wisely. However, a leader should change thing from time to time to keep things new and people enlightened. To be a good ruler, they must gain respect of the people by keeping them pleased. When changing things however, make sure they’re good things such as lowering thing rather than taking things from your people such as firearms. The people will begin to wonder why their things were taken and hate the one who implied such catastrophe. Also Machiavelli believes in Fortresses because of the fear in the people, however, it doesn’t last. Therefore, a prince should stick to trying to please their people rather than Fortress. By a king winning wars, changing things, allowing freedom, and thinking of their people a king shouldn’t be

In paragraph six subtitle “The Prince,” the author is trying to explain that The Prince is not the only book out here in the world that specifies how a ruler should rule in order to keep his title. He also goes on to quote from Machiavelli that “a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honour his word when t places him at disadvantages” which in another words is saying, if he makes a promise and somehow that promise puts him a step behind the game, he must break it. He also notes that to be a ruler you have to be a great liar and deceiver. My opinion for the above following would cause me to lose my title and no longer be a ruler, due to the sense that I totally disagree with all of the following.

Those private citizens who become princes through fortune alone do so with little effort, but they maintain their position only with a great deal; they meet no obstacle along their way since they fly to success, but all their problems arise when they have arrives…such men depend solely upon two very uncertain an unstable things: the will and the fortune of him who granted them