The Ideas Of Machiavelli's The Prince

“Since, then, a prince must know how to use well the nature of the beast, he should choose from among the beasts the fox and the lion; for the lion cannot defend itself from traps, while the fox cannot protect itself from the wolves. It is therefore necessary to be a fox, in order to recognize the traps, and a lion, in order to frighten the wolves’ (Machiavelli 60).” When must the Prince be the lion and when must he be the fox? In The Prince written by Machiavelli, Machiavelli writes to the Prince to tell him the best way to rule over a principality, and the consequences of the decisions he makes in his ruling. Machiavelli applies figurative language, such as metaphors to explain the way a situation will often play out. He represents different roles of leadership as animals. The different animals, lion, wolf, fox, have varying characteristics. Machiavelli uses the metaphors of a lion and a fox in order to illustrate the need for a prince to be both strong and brave and sly and cunning. The effect of these metaphors is to demonstrate that a prince must demonstrate more than just one characteristic in order to lead with power and authority.

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.

History 's most prominent leaders have shown extreme congruence. These leaders almost always hold reality over ethics. How can we classify lying and manipulative leaders as immoral when their duplicity is the very reason a society can maintain stability? This idea has of "means justifying the ends" has been a staple in History 's most prosperous of societies. Machiavelli 's novel The Prince was the first stab at understanding this human tendency of what is now known as Machiavellian. Machiavelli grasped the sad reality of our world and did not fall prey to other 's idealistic propaganda. Great leaders understand what the endless potential they hold, they can manipulate their followers to make best of what is possible and above all they understand sacrifice. Modern day Machiavellians and successful leaders think realistically and communicate through idealism. No matter the extremes of your belief, utilizing Machiavellian tactics have the capability to bring anyone to power.

1. The advice Machiavelli offers a prince advice on how he should act as a ruler. The first piece of advice Machiavelli offers is. that a price who wants to retain his power must know how to do wrong. The second piece of advice is that it is better to be feared than to be loved because your people will only love as long as you are giving them the things they desire, but will immediately turn on you once you cannot accommodate their wishes.

To be a leader there are multiple characteristics that makes one leader better than another. In 1469, an aristocrat by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli was born. Machiavelli was born in an unfortunate time when Florence was unstable and was wrongly convicted which led him to be imprisoned. He later wrote a book by the name of The Qualities of the Prince which listed his thoughts and ideas on what characteristics a prince should have to be a successful leader. Today, we have leaders that guide us through tough decisions and keep order in the state, widely known as the politicians. Politicians are people who are involved in politics as a job and usually are in an elected office. We also have in that group a sub group known as the Governor. The

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

The narrator describes the purpose of The Prince was to “shock and reeducate its reader... to challenge the political pieties of its day and explain to princes and prince-wannabes, how the game is really played”. The book tells of how princes should know how to fight, and how to be heartless, callous, and pitiless. At any time, the prince had to be willing and ready to demolish moral and religious fundamentals, to lie and be dishonest, and to break his word. But, at the same time, the prince had to appear virtuous, dedicated, honest and considerate to his subjects.

1) Describe the political situation that prompted Machiavelli to write The Prince. A: Italy was not a unified country when Machiavelli had written this book. Italy had actually been multiple city-states. One of these city-states was Florence. Florence at the time was under the control of France so when France was taken over by Pope Julius II.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the term “Machiavellian” as someone who is cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics or in advancing one’s career. These principles, as well as others, were established in Niccolo Machiavelli’s book, The Prince. The Prince dwelves on what a person needs to do to obtain and maintain power in a principality. Although it was written nearly 500 years ago, it has influenced countless rulers over time. A great example of one of these rulers is Joseph Stalin, dictator of the U.S.S.R (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) from 1929 - 1953.

Most people throughout history and today are probably in agreement that those who are in power, with rule over peoples should keep their word; however, as Machiavelli notes, those “princes” that have accomplished the most have done so through deception. A prince can fight with laws, in a civilized manner, or with force if needed. Machiavelli believes a prince should “imitate the fox in cunning as well as the lion in strength.” So a prince must seem virtuous, while simultaneously deceiving those individuals who are willing to be deceived in order to fulfill his own interests. Machiavelli justifies this way of carrying oneself in that other princes cannot be expected to keep their word to you, so you must act in ways that are prosperous to your

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

Niccolo Machiavelli and Karl Marx developed theories concerning wealth and poverty in our society, as well as different types of governments. For instance, Machiavelli supported a capitalist economic system, unlike Marx, who embraced socialism in the society. Machiavelli wrote a book "The Prince" that explained how to be an effective leader. The theme of the book is "the end justifies the means." A person could or should do whatever is necessary to achieve the desired goal. According to Machiavelli, there is no concept of a perfect ruler, but only effective or ineffective leaders. Therefore, he claims that there are no fair fighters, but only losers and winners. Contrary, Marx embraced democracy as good practice for the government. This paper will analyze whether Marx would buy Machiavelli 's thought that states "desired ends justify undesirable means" (Weng 1).

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 Qualities of the Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, is “one of his most celebrated works” (Prince 219). Machiavelli’s work includes two contrasting forces called luck and character. When Machiavelli mentions luck, he means one’s fortune, chance, or fate. Machiavelli also includes character; one’s virtues or life values. Machiavelli writes about how a Prince should be. Many princes are considered extremely virtuous or extremely cruel:

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.