Analysis Of Machiavelli s The Prince - 1592 Words

D.I.Y. Empire 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. Gaining power through virtue is the process of gaining power through one’s own ability, while gaining power through fortune is the process of gaining power through means not related to one’s own ability such as wealth or another’s grace. In Chapter 6 of The Prince, Machiavelli discusses principalities gained through virtue and their characteristics. Rulers who wish to gain such†¦show more content†¦His enemies are those of the older order, who did well under it and are reluctant to change to a new order. His allies are those who would do well under the new order but are, as Machiavelli puts it, â€Å"lukewarm† and, therefore, aren’t entirely dedicated. This is in part due to their fear of the new prince’s enemies, those who do not want a new order, and in part due to their skepticism in the ability of the prince to impose this new order. As such, it is very dangerous to impose a new order where one may face attack by hostile forces and have only â€Å"lukewarm† defenders of the new order. It is then necessary to examine how the prince will utilize his virtue. If he is to â€Å"beg† and ask others for help, he is then seen as week and cannot accomplish his goal. The alternative is to use â€Å"force†, to arm themselves, and to literally force those who do not believe in the new order to believe. After all, human nature is changeable and easily changed, but difficult to maintain in a certain persuasion, after which force is necessary to maintain it. And once created through great difficulty, it is then easy to maintain, as under the prince’s rule, the need for force will lessen, since those who would rebel are eliminated and the ruler gains reputation and respect from his subjects. The examples of such principalities and rulers Machiavellie provides are of Moses, Cyrus, Romulus and Theseus. In the first example of Moses, Machiavelli admits that the lines are a bitShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Machiavelli s The Prince 1370 Words   |  6 Pagesman. Niccolo Machiavelli and Immanuel Kant are political philosophers who have grappled with these very relationships. Machiavelli wrote The Prince over three centuries before the process of Italian unification had begun. The Italian Peninsula was fragmented and could not stand on its own especially compared to the unified powers like Spain and France. It is from this weak position that the Republic of Florence falls costing Machiavelli his own political power. And so, Machiavelli writes his bookRead MoreAnalysis Of Machiavelli s The Prince 1505 Words   |  7 Pagessignificance in each text. Machiavelli believed that, â€Å"a ruler must think only of military matters, and in time of peace he should be even more oc cupied with them than in times of war† (The Prince, 46). Furthermore, â€Å"he will never relax during peacetime, but will always be working to take advantage of the opportunities peace presents, so he will be fully prepared when adversity comes. When his luck changes, he must be ready to fight back† (The Prince, 47). Therefore, according to Machiavelli during periods ofRead MoreAnalysis of Machiavelli ´s The Prince605 Words   |  2 PagesThe great philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, having such beliefs, puts to rest man’s downfall and presents that way to preservation in his book The Prince, which produces an effective guide for political action based off of his own philosophical beliefs and history’s past. The Prince rest on the principle that, above all, the foundation for a ruler’s success is within verita effettuale—or, the effectiveness of a prince’s rule. Machiavelli urges rulers to focus on acting in ways that will result in Read MoreAnalysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince 1625 Words   |  7 Pageswell-known Renaissance thinker, Niccolo Machiavelli, was one of those philosophers whose political views caused an uproar during earlier centuries. His view on effective leadership was rather harsh and not exactly adopted in the Italian society. As a Renaissance citizen, Machiavelli proved his writing skills through a number of works such as short stories, plays, and histories. His more popular works included those call the Discourses on Livy and The Prince-which will be described further more inRead MoreAn Analysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince 941 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo 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 effect ive 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 MachiavelliRead MoreAnalysis Of Nicolo Machiavelli s The Prince1536 Words   |  7 PagesNicolà ³ Machiavelli’s The Prince highlights important aspects of successful leadership and power. The representations of gender and power in this text help to display the principles and guidelines that would make a leader successful in Machiavelli’s eyes. Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli implies that an individual with good morals will not obtain power, but rather that an individual who obtains power is assumed as morally upright by the people. One may wonder how a man whose reputation was a worshipperRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey And Machiavelli s The Prince2325 Words   |  10 Pagesthe ideas of tradition and change as is seen in Homer’s Odyssey and Machiavelli’s The Prince. Both of these works fo cus a bit on the change from God to self, religion to self-awareness. In Homer’s Odyssey, the long held tradition that the gods of Mount Olympus controlled one’s fate changed into the people forgoing their beliefs and believing they were able to create their own destiny. For Machiavelli and The Prince, a similar change occurred, but this change focused on politics and preserving oneselfRead MoreEssay on Machiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature1334 Words   |  6 PagesMachiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature [I]t is necessary for a prince to know well how to use the beast and the man. (Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 69[1]). In this swift blow, Niccolà ² Machiavelli seems to strike down many visions of morality put up on pedestals by thinkers before his time. He doesnt turn to God or to some sort of common good for his political morality. Instead, he turns to the individual?more specifically, self-preservation in a position ofRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince1719 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli’s, The Prince, a book written by Niccolà ² Machiavelli, is a read that most people wouldn’t prefer to read as a first option but in defense to Niccolo, it brings out many themes such as Goodwill and Hatred, Free will, and Human Nature. â€Å"It is known from his personal correspondence that The Prince was written during 1513, the year after the Medici took control of Florence, and a few months after Machiavelli s arrest, torture, and banishment by the Medici re gime† (Bio.com). The novel wasRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1681 Words   |  7 Pagespersona technically impossible. To claim that Socrates would or would not be supportive of any political system might then seem irresponsible, a presumptuous analysis not fitting for an academic recognizing the false equivalence between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and valid analysis is not to wholly ignore the â€Å"political† part of the system but to evaluate the ethics behind the systems. The goal of this essay will be to compare and