The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli Summary

Machiavelli concentrated more on the way things should be and how to manipulate them for his own personal gain rather than for the betterment of the state. He was well-known for being a political thinker who believed that outcomes justified why things happened. A key aspect of Machiavelli’s concept of the Prince was that “men must either be caressed or annihilated” (Prince, 9). What Machiavelli meant by

Machiavelli writes the ‘Prince’ while away in exile which by most people, is interpreted as his manual or guide on how to rule. It is quite clear that he demonstrates political interest and advocacy in his work through the many stories of past rulers he shares as examples of what to do and what not to do. An example of a ruler who came from a lower position, meaning no riches or status, was Agathocles (son of a potter, who became the King of Syracuse) (Machiavelli [1532] 2006) which is similar to the status of the man Plato speaks of, Socrates. However, Machiavelli speaks for power politics and the importance of the ruler being in total control since “a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others” ([1532]

Machiavelli is all about war and being fit with the mind and with the body. Machiavelli was an aristocrat with unbalanced luck that eventually planned to support himself over his writing career. His best work, “The Prince”, is a simple study on the makings of a prince or a leader, on what he must have in order to retain his power and

Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince was met with much criticism after its publication over five hundred years ago. It was written to guide leaders for a republican form of government. The latter chapters describe the qualities of the ideal leader, or prince, particularly those concerning morals and perception by the public. Machiavelli prioritizes the upholding and maintaining of the government and sacrifices traditional morals. Because of his theory of the qualities a prince should exhibit, he was condemned as evil by many. Machiavelli’s theory that a prince should be stingy, feared, and deceitful is fitting for a modern republican government.

In the story "The Prince", the author, Niccolo Machiavelli illustrates plenty of key points in what it takes to become a successful Prince. Machiavelli illustrates a true image of the unsympathetic reputation he has carried throughout the years. He explains his ideas on taking over a "free" state and how to take control and rule while still having the peoples respect. In chapter 5, Machiavelli claims that the key to taking over a free state is to destroy it at first.

In The Prince, Machiavelli takes a humanistic approach to governing. In Chapter I, he discusses the maintenance of power and rule within the republics and principalities. Principalities, he explains, are hereditary, passed from one generation to the next or they are newly formed (Machiavelli). Conversely, the English rulers of the

Machiavelli’s The Prince is just as applicable to the lives of leaders in the 1500’s as it is for leaders in modern times. Although any person who is in a position of authority might not say that they use Machiavellian tactics. Through their actions it is evident that the teachings of The Prince are still used on a global scale. Concepts such as safeguarding the state, and becoming wealthy, are just a few of the concepts that are beneficial to a strong government and reflected in current political situations at home and abroad.

Machiavelli’s opinion is that being feared is better than being loved since individuals can more easily break the bond of love whereas fear “is supported by the dread of pain”

Machiavelli claims to possess deep knowledge on how one acquires power, sustains power, and employs power. Throughout his life, he observed patterns in history on the rise and fall of certain rulers, and the reasons of their demise. Using his knowledge, Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a philosophical political-science book. At the time of the book’s writing, Lorenzo de Medici held a leading role in the state. Machiavelli addressed The Prince to Lorenzo de Medici in hoping that he would utilize its contents in becoming an effective and competent ruler.

Nichollo Machiavelli's book “The Prince” was published in 1532 and ever since then, has been a handbook used by many throughout history to staying in power. In this book Machiavelli uses his experiences through his position in the both the government and the military, to give advice to others who are either seeking power or trying to remain in power. The book is divided into several chapters, each giving situation specific advice on how one should rule to obtain power or remain in it

When reading Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, one can’t help but grasp Machiavelli’s argument that morality and politics can not exist in the same forum. However, when examining Machiavelli’s various concepts in depth, one can conclude that perhaps his suggested violence and evil is fueled by a moral end of sorts. First and foremost, one must have the understanding that this book is aimed solely at the Prince or Emperor with the express purpose of aiding him in maintaining power. Therefore, it is essential to grasp his concepts of fortune and virtue. These two contrary concepts reflect the manner in which a Prince should govern while minimizing all chance and uncertainty. This kind of governing demands violence to be taken, however this

In secular democracies, power is necessarily derived from the will of the governed. That power is then entrusted to a leader, who Machiavelli would understand to be a "prince". Inherently, his book, The Prince, has been close at hand for most politicians for centuries, as it provides general, historically proven advice for principalities and republics on how to govern and maintain relations with their most important resource and the very core of their power, which would be the people themselves.

Niccolo Machiavelli based his position of individual power on his book The Prince. The Prince extends Machiavelli’s analysis of how to acquire and maintain political power. There are four types of principalities discussed: hereditary principalities, that are inherited by the ruler through fortune and family royalty, mixed principalities, territories that are annexed to the ruler’s existing territories, new principalities, namely the Papal States belonging to the Catholic church, and new principalities, those states that may be acquired by one’s own power, by the power of others or by the will of the people. There is simplicity for a prince that inherits a state through fortune or the efforts of others due to easy ascent to power, but maintaining the power is more difficult. For a prince that conquers a state through force and power has difficulty conquering the state but has an easy time maintaining the state.

The book The Prince by Machiavelli was written by him for an essential “guide” to ruling, but many scholars today argue it is more of an idea of how to rule. Niccolo Machiavelli was born May 3, 1469. He was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, and writer in the Renaissance period. The prince takes place around Renaissance Italy and the Florentine Republic roughly in the years 1400-1600. Machiavelli starts the book by dedicating it to the magnificent Lorenzo Di Piero De’ Medici who was a very powerful statesman of the Florentine Republic who had ruled with his brother (Britannica Encyclopedia). Something that really stood out to me in this dedication passage was that Machiavelli talks about how “he can offer no better gift than the means of mastering in a very brief time, all that in the course of so many year,” (vii) and by this he means his gift of knowledge. Earlier on in the dedication section he discussed how people leave gold, armor, horses, etc. In this scenario knowledge being the greatest gift he can give out triumphs materialistic items. In the first couple chapters of The Prince it talks about principalities of being a prince, while also discussing the main point of the book, which includes power politics and warcraft to say the least. For pretty much the rest of the book it discusses advantages and disadvantages of different routes toward power, how to acquire states, make alliances, and eventually talks about violence and cruelty.

Niccolo Machiavelli is considered the father of modern political science. Living in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth-century's, Machiavelli was a citizen of the city-state of Florence where he served as a secretary to the city council and as a diplomatic envoy for 14 years. The Prince was published five years after his death and is regarded as his most famous work. The Prince is an articulate and precise explanation of the way to use the lesson of history in politics as an example to learn and build ideas from. The Prince can be broken up into four parts. Firstly, Machiavelli explains how a prince gets a state. Secondly, he explains how a prince holds on to a state. Thirdly, he