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Machiavelli The Prince Chapter Summaries

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The book, “The Prince,” is an extension of the analysis of how people can acquire power and maintain it. In an in-depth exploration unleashed in 26 chapters, the author, Niccolo Machiavelli, puts straight his intention to the use of simple terms how great men should conduct themselves as well as the guiding principles of a royal government. The book is divided into four sections with each section characteristically being given a particular issue. For instance, chapters 1-11 discuss in depth the different types of principalities and states. Chapters 12-14, the author discusses the types of armies in line with the proper conduct of the Prince in his role as a military leader. In chapters 15-25, the author gives an analysis of the expected character and behavior of the prince. Finally, chapters 24-26 discuss how Italy is in a desperate political situation. Machiavelli uses several quotes throughout his book in a bid to get his message apparently driven and understood by his readers. For this essay, I will discuss two famous quotes as they appear in chapters VI and XVIII, respectively. …show more content…

This statement can be loosely interpreted as Machiavelli in trying to analyze the unpredictable nature of man. As such, he argues that men can easily be changed. However, it takes a lot of persuasions to remain in their changed state. The quote revolves around the new principalities acquired by one’s army. According to Machiavelli, the Prince should strive by all means to imitate the examples previously set by great rulers of the past even if such an imitation may involve setting lofty goals. Failure to meet the lofty set goals means that the actions by the prince will, in one way or another, enhance his reputation as a powerful

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The Prince: A Decidedly unMedieval Piece of Work The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, was a secular handbook that dealt with modern statecraft and leadership. In fact, this was the first modern book that discussed political science. This book has influenced many well-known leaders, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. This essay will discuss the past behaviours of Machiavelli to prove that this book, The Prince, is a decidedly unMedieval piece of work which does not follow the idea of living life so that it is worthy of respect and honour, as stated in the Medieval Code of Chivalry.

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676 Words | 3 Pages

In Niccolo Machiavelli's book, The Prince (1513), he evaluates on how a prince can be a successful leader. Machiavelli’s purpose of this guidebook was to construct his argument to the rising ruler Giuliano de Medici for when he comes to power in Florence. He adopts a casual but authoritative tone in order to convince the prince that Machiavelli’s evaluation on how to be the best prince, is the right thing for the prince to do without coming off as he knows more than the prince or is trying to intimidate him.. Machiavelli’s reference to previous rulers and whether their tactics failed or succeeded helps to benefit his credibility along with his allusion to historic text. He appeals to our logic by simply stating a prince can only do what is within his power to control, and his use of an analogy furthers his argument.

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559 Words | 3 Pages

Laws may be sufficient in peace time but in time of war, force must prevail. He compares the capable leader to two beasts: the fox and the lion. The fox using his wiles to avoid being caught in a trap while the lion, due to his size, can overpower his natural enemies. Machiavelli posits that keeping one’s word is not a necessity when it is not in one’s best interest or when circumstances no longer apply. He references the treachery of men who do not keep their word as justification for doing the same.

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766 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, in chapter XXV Machiavelli also states that fortune " is always a friend of the young, because they are less cautious, are fiercer, and with more audacity do they command her." (Machiavelli 149) therefore the prince who is willing to fight to shape his fortune, who is prudent, prowess and cunning will be able to command and master

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591 Words | 3 Pages

Machiavelli expresses many techniques to be an ideal political leader. A main component in being an ideal leader is ones Military. In Chapter 12 Machiavelli's focus on the law and military. He sees a connection between laws and army he states, "as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws." Expressing that to have great rules you must have a strong well-armed army and without a strong army you won’t have good laws that people obey.

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

Machiavelli's The Prince was one of the first humanist works of the Renaissance. In fact it is a show-stopper, a literary masterpiece of sorts. Yet this work has been eagerly bantered throughout the hundreds of years and stays a standout amongst the most controversial bits of composing today. Albeit numerous faultfinders consider The Prince a parody, essentially an attempt to uncover the issues with the decision class, most see Machiavelli's act as a genuine attempt to lay the foundation for the reunification of Italy under the Medici family of Florence. Machiavelli's thought that the model prince ought to utilize a variety of strategies to secure his energy in particular that the end justifies the methods is the most controversial issue brought

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981 Words | 4 Pages

The Prince, written by Machiavelli, is a candid outline of how he believes leaders gain and keep power. Machiavelli uses examples of past leaders to determine traits that are necessary to rule successfully. Leaders such as the King of Naples and the Duke of Milan lacked military power, made their subjects hate them, or did not know how to protect themselves from the elite, causing them to lose power. He says that these rulers should blame laziness, not luck, for their failures. By looking at these historical successes and failures, Machiavelli is able to develop his own thoughts on how politics and leaders should be in the future.

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441 Words | 2 Pages

Machiavelli claims that, "A Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank" (Machiavelli 67). To Machiavelli, the sole purpose of a prince, is to deal in matters of war when needed, but also study it so that when it does happen, he is not ill prepared. "A wise prince ought to observe some such rules, and never in peaceful times stand idle, but increase his resources with industry in such a way that they may be available to him in adversity..." (Machiavelli 70). All other matters of a prince merely consist of keeping a stable society, so that the society is prepared for war in the

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224 Words | 1 Pages

According to Machiavelli, a prince who keeps his promises is generally praised. But history demonstrates that most success is achieved when princes are crafty, tricky and able to deceive others. A prince can fight or succeed by using law or by using force. The use of law comes naturally to men and the use of force comes naturally to beasts. Hence, to achieve success, the prince must learn to fight with a balance between both law and force.

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1638 Words | 7 Pages

If a prince does so, this loyalty will only be temporary or the subjects will learn to only be loyal to the prince’s money. It is necessary for a prince to wipe out his opponents and make sure it is done all at once. Even when a prince is not successful in ruling by his personal prowess during his own existence, he is establishing an excellent foundation for the rule of subsequent princes which is as significant if not more significant than the current prince’s success. Chapter 8 explains what degree of evil should be exemplified in order to ascend to power. Machiavelli delivers clear insight to the readers about the specific advantages and disadvantages of achieving power by ways of evil and in what cases to use this evil to your advantage.

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1125 Words | 5 Pages

While some teenagers abide by the laws and regulations of the state concerning the consumption of alcohol, others do not. Among recent years, alcohol consumption of young adults has increased drastically. Among individuals in the United States that drink alcohol, 11% are between the ages 13 to 20. Teens do not realize the risks and effects of alcohol consumption. Drinking at a younger age means that one is at a greater risk of encountering major health problems.

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1284 Words | 6 Pages

In Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, he maintains a harsh perspective on reality. His advice on how to maintain power leaves no room for compassion or generousity. While some may believe that these are qualities of a good person, Machiavelli believes these qualities lead to the downfall of rulers. He acknowledges that, in reality, it is impossible for someone to have qualities of a good person and simultaneously a good ruler. Machiavelli’s realistic outlook causes him to emphasize that it is better to maintain power through fear, rather than compassion.

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782 Words | 4 Pages

In The Prince, Machiavelli establishes a primitive and inherently negative view of human nature that centers around man’s obsession with self-preservation through the means of obtaining power. It is this thinking that propels his understanding of the nature of a prince as a leader, and the qualities he must possess due to the nature of his subjects, which validates the natural fear he must have to lose his rule. This logical deduction of fear justifies his perception that the strong are in fact virtuous in respect to the preservation of the state when they are committing vicious acts on its behalf. His fundamentally caustic beliefs about the nature of humanity are the base upon which his understanding of principalities and the relative power

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1284 Words | 6 Pages

What does it mean to be a Prince? According to Niccolo Machiavelli there is various qualities that are needed to be a Prince. In the chapter, “The Qualities of the Prince,” Machiavelli list qualities a Prince must uphold to be considered a good Prince. In order to be a Prince one must know how to protect his state and people. Some qualities that he mentions are: being feared rather than being loved, being hated, being cruel, being generous, and being deceitful.

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1526 Words | 7 Pages

I. Machiavelli In his famous work the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli exposes what it takes to be a good prince and how only this good price and keep control over his state. There are many different qualities that make a man a good ruler but there are some that are more essential than others. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virtù and vices. Without these attributes there was no way that a prince could hold together their state and their people.

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