Though others try to gain the approval of princes by means of expensive material gifts and riches, Machiavelli asserts that the most valuable possession he can give is his political knowledge “acquired in the course of a long experience of modern affairs and a continual study of antiquity.” Machiavelli criticizes Louis for conquering lands that …
Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3,1469- June 22, 1527) is by far the most controversial political thinker of the Renaissance. Machiavelli was from the Italian city-state of Florence, where the political scene was in chaos for most of his lifetime. In short, Italy remained the center of political and military affairs in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, …
Machiavellis The Prince was one of the first humanist works of the Renaissance. Indeed it is a work of art, a literary masterpiece of sorts. Yet this work has been vehemently debated over the centuries and remains one of the most controversial pieces of writing today. Although many critics consider The Prince a satire, simply …
Though Machiavelli usually refrains from using metaphors in his writing, there are three instances in The Prince were metaphors are used to support a point. The first metaphor comes in chapter three. Here, Machiavelli uses medicine to symbolize the princes preparedness for unforeseen troubles. If the prince takes the medicine early, before the problem is …
Chapter 25: In this chapter, Machiavelli attacks the idea that chance, or fortune, controls the fate of a prince. Though he acknowledges the role that luck plays in the affairs of men, he maintains that human free will also has its effects. He asserts, “I hold it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter …
There are countless characters that Machiavelli employs to demonstrate his assertions in The Prince. Yet a summary of these characters would be long, tedious, and generally futile. The timeless value of The Prince lies not in its ability to recount the lives of former princes, showing some to be good and others to be bad. …
Chapter 21: Next, Machiavelli admires King Ferdinand of Spain for his successes, both military and political. He especially admires Ferdinand for using Christianity as an excuse to drive out the Moors from southern Spain. Lastly, Machiavelli asserts that for the purposes of war, a wise prince should never make friends with someone more powerful than …
Chapter 23: Now Machiavelli turns his attention to flatterers. He promotes the idea that the prince should always demand the truth of his servants and secretaries, no matter what the cost. The truth is vital because a kingdom built on lies will not stand. Machiavelli recommends, “[the prince] on learning that any one, on any …
Chapter 19: Machiavelli elaborates on the necessity of the prince to avoid being hated and despised by his people. The prince should have two fears: his own people and foreigners. Yet if he is well respected, well prepared, and well armed, he should have little difficulty in maintaining order both within and without his city. …
Chapter 17: Now Machiavelli considers cruelty versus clemency and fear versus love. A good prince, he maintains, is moderately clement. Yet a prince who shows too much mercy to his people will “allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders or robberies.” Thus, like the question of liberality versus meanness, the prince should be a …
