Chastity Kolmorgan
History 111 The World: Antiquity-1500
Dr. Christopher Levesque
Primary & Secondary Source Evaluation Assignment - April 19, 2015
Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and Ian Johnston’s Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli, a Florentine, lived between the years of 1469-1527. In 1513, Machiavelli wrote The Prince and gifted it to the Medici family with the original title of About Principalities. He first dedicated the work to Giuliano de’ Medici and later to Lorenzo de’ Medici. It was a political critique that was later printed under the title of The Prince in 1532. The treatise was controversial due to Machiavelli’s lack of regard for the morality behind his advice. In his composition, he
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Politics played a significant role in his life. They not only provided him with the experience, but the character and will, with which he wrote. Evidence of his republican attitude are prevalent in his other works on principalities and republics (Strauss 182). In Ian Johnston’s Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince, he asserts his belief that Machiavelli wrote his treatise with satirical intent.
“...The book is, first and foremost, a satire, so that many of the things we find in it which are contradictory, morally absurd, and specious are there quite deliberately in order to ridicule two things-first, the Medici family itself and, second, the very notion of tyrannical rule embodied in the government of the Prince (hence, the satire has a firm moral purpose-to expose tyranny and promote republican government)” (Johnston Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince).
Due to the immorality advocated for in Machiavelli’s writing, along with what is known of Machiavelli’s politics, individuals often succumb to one of two beliefs regarding The Prince. The first is that he wrote The Prince in mockery of the princely states, specifically the Medici family. It was meant as a sort of caricature of their rule. The Medici family had long interfered with the republic of Florence.
“Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo, three successive generations of
In the article written by Vincent Barnett, he explains the different reasons that Machiavelli might have written “The Prince”. He also mentions the lasting effects of” The prince” and also mentioned how Machiavelli was ridiculed and judged for his brutally honest writing. Barnett mentioned that Machiavelli had lost his job as the secretary to the chancery in Florence. After losing his job he was arrested, tortured, and became extremely bitter. One of the possible motives for writing “The Prince” was that Machiavelli was trying to get reinstated back into his old job. Machiavelli could have also intended” The Prince” to hit the audience as satirical. Possibly to poke fun at all the failures of the political leaders and to make them look unintelligent.
Niccolò Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy in 1496. He was a diplomat in Italy 's Florentine Republic for fourteen years. This was during the Medici family exile, and when they returned, Machiavelli was dismissed and shortly imprisoned. After he was released, he wrote The Prince. It was written as a handbook for politicians to follow and is considered the most famous book on politics ever written. Machiavelli is known as the “father of modern political theory.” He died in 1527 in Florence, Italy.
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, a government official, a philosopher, a humanist and an author during the Renaissances. Today, Machiavelli is known as the father of modern political theory and these such theories are most conspicuous in his short book, "The Prince". The main objective as to why Machiavelli composed “The Prince,” was that he wanted a position within the government, so he needed to win the support of Lorenzo de' Medici who at this time was the governor of Florence. Therefore, he dedicated this book which was a guideline for future rulers about how an individual can acquire and maintain political power, to Medici thinking it would give him the position of an advisor. However, when Medici read the book he perceived it differently, so word got around that Machiavelli’s book, “The Prince” was unethical and fiendish. For the remaining fourteen years of his life he was criticized for his obscure ideas and died in ignominy, but not once did he let societies teachings affect his beliefs.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli was created as a gift to Lorenzo de ' Medici, this gift was what Machiavelli considered to be most precious, it served as an “opportunity of understanding in the shortest time all that I have learnt in so many years.” Written initially in Italian, Machiavelli used this gift as a chance to teach young Medici to how be a successful prince, but first let us better understand a bit more about Machiavelli’s early life and the events that occurred that lead him to write this primary source. .
Machiavelli wrote The Prince because he wanted to impress Lorenzo de Medici, who was the current ruler, and prove that he was knowledgeable and a useful advisor to him. He also wrote it as a mirror for Princes to read and understand how to be effective in power.
One of his goals in writing The Prince was to win the favor of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the then-governor of Florence and the person to whom the book is dedicated to. Machiavelli hoped to land an advisory position within the Florentine government, however because of his shrewd and harsh characteristics explained in his book, he was rejected from that position (“Niccolò Machiavelli Biography.”) Some of the characteristics that he expressed in his book include killing royal families to reduce threat levels to your power (Machiavelli 4.3), to kill those who rebel as quick as possible for less hostility (Machiavelli 8.8), and promoting endless injustices to society (Machiavelli 3.1). Because of these characteristics, it is evident to why Machiavelli did not achieve the advisory position and was based of the creation of the term
In The Prince, originally written in 1513 and later published in 1532, Florentine administrator and diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli argues that a ruler must take appropriate action based upon pragmatism and independence in order to seize and hold power. Based on the circumstances, a ruler must be able to select between contrasting influences: liberality and parsimony, virtue and immorality, prudence and recklessness. The book was very controversial when first published because it contended the Christian ideals that rulers should always be good and just, but the novel is highly acclaimed today. Machiavelli not only proposes a series of revolutionary political ideas in The Prince but also offers a persuasive and masterful defense of them.
Machiavelli published a how-to book, “The Prince,” to advise, instruct, and influence the minds of aspiring princes. The book, which immediately caught the public's attention, was quickly critiqued and thought of as immoral and wicked. People were horrified with what Machiavelli said about politics and was disgusted with his opinions on how he thought a prince should rule.
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
Machiavelli opens The Prince with a dedication to Lorenzo ‘The Magnificent’ de Medici. In the address, the author adopts a remarkably deferential tone which highlights the power gap between himself and the ruler of Florence. Machiavelli underlines his social inferiority and presents his writing as beneath Medici “I judge this work unworthy to come into your presence” (Machiavelli and Gilbert 1965, v.1, p. 10). Yet, the writer aims to legitimize his counsel in the eyes of the Lorenzo de Medici for advising him is the highest political position that Machiavelli may aspire to reach as he was born a commoner. With that in mind, the author highlights that Medici would benefit from the outlook of a well-read ordinary citizen like Machiavelli. He
The Prince is a result of studies of ancient history and of his experience as a secretary of the Florentine Republic. It was written for the ruling Medici family. Machiavelli hoped that by reading and understanding his writings the Medici's would realize that he was the top political analyst of his time and give him a high-ranking position in the government.
Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat, and political theorist wrote: “The Prince” in 1513, which was published in 1532 five years after his death. It is said that he wrote, “The Prince” to return to reclaim backing from The House of Medici and return to his political position. According to Machiavelli, it is important that he understands how not to get a bad reputation due to having such a vice that deprives him of the position. However, he states that a prince should not be troubled if a bad reputation precedes him.
The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1513 in his native Italian language, was a book dedicated to Florence’s then leader Lorenzo de’Medici in an effort for Machiavelli to gain a position in Florence’s new government. The book was intended to help guide Lorenzo and other present and future leaders in gaining and maintaining power, more specifically to aid Lorenzo in unifying Italy under one ruler. Machiavelli lived during a time of great political strife in Italy as the small city-states of Italy, the Papal States, and the powerful states of Spain and
What also inspired me to select this specific piece was the fact that Machiavelli himself admits that he is merely a citizen of his country and is relatively unfamiliar with the king’s role in his era. Nonetheless, as a citizen, he penned The Prince as a way to reach out to his ruler to provide some helpful suggestions
Niccolo Machiavelli was the first to clearly decipher politics from ethics by studying politics in such depth and thought. He created the basis of what politics should be and how they are runned for today. His book The Prince is primarily a handbook for all rulers to follow to be the most successful in their reign. His book is considered political realism which means he speaks about only the truth of politics, so it can be used for the practice of governing. Machiavelli’s book is the handbook for obtaining and maintaining power even for today’s modern politics.