In the story of "The Prince" written by Niccole Machiavelli takes place in the sixteenth century, around the time when Italy was not a unified country. Rather, it was more of a collection of city-states, each with its own court and ruler, all aiming to gain power over one another. On top of the commotion from the toggle war of power between the city states, Italy became a battleground for the French, the Spanish, the Germans, and as well as the Catholic Church under the Popes. At the time the Popes had so much power, that they were practically equal to a secular king during that time period. Prior of when Italy became a battle ground the major Italian city-state, the republic of Florence, had established ties as an alliance with the French.
“Although one should not reason about Moses, as he was a mere executor of things that had been ordered for him by God, nonetheless he should be admired if only for that grace which made him so deserving of speaking with God” (22). In the context of The Prince, this statement proves to be duplicitous because Machiavelli claims that he will not reason about Moses, but then uses the following pages to do precisely that. Furthermore, Machiavelli draws extensively from the actions of Moses and the Old Testament God, although Machiavelli is often regarded as an antagonist of the Church. Machiavelli’s handbook for princes consists of concrete advice for rulers that directly reflect the more abstracted stories in Exodus. For instance, Machiavelli’s description of human nature in The Prince mirrors Moses’ experiences as the leader of the Israelites in Exodus.
In The Prince they talked about how a king doesn’t want to be hatred by his people but have them respect him so he can’t be to nice. So a king in this book they should be stingy, cruel, breaking promises, and having a great staff of people. Stingy would be better than being nice to your people shows them that you are the king and they need to respect you and your decision. Cruel is better than being nice also if someone takes sometime from you there has to be something done about it! Morality and ethics are not a big deal to break in The Prince breaking promises so it will benefits the king is okay to do!
Machiavelli claimed a prince “should make himself feared in such a way that, though he does not gain love, he escapes hatred” (Machiavelli 66). By doing so, the prince establishes a foundation of authority and reverence from his people, thus enabling being taken advantage of. Regardless of his own praised achievements in government, Machiavelli “remained loyal to it [the Florentine Republic] and served his superiors with tireless energy” (Donno 1), therefore making him a vulnerable subject which can be easily manipulated. He noted this as a disadvantage in his treatise because although this did not lead to his downfall, his possession of this trait could have been damaging to his career.
Machiavellians are people who completely disregard morality to deceive and manipulate others in the interest of their own personal gain. Machiavellianism is an ideal thought to be the most effective way to become a powerful and successful leader by many. Leaders throughout history have followed this ideal to come into power. Famous dictators such as Adolf Hitler of Germany, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, and Pol Pot of Cambodia are each Machiavellians who barged their way into power through corrupt methods. However, the longevity of this method is questionable.
Niccolo Machiavelli was a standout amongst the well-known philosophers of the Italian Renaissance. He exhibited a drastically unique view of how a prince should run his state than other political philosophers of the time. From his perception of Italian governmental issues and the Medici Family, he believed that Italy required a ruler who could take control over the state and maintain its political power. With this new perspective of politics, Machiavelli wrote his most famous book, The Prince, to draw a line among politics and morals, and accentuated how human nature should attribute to the state should continue to maintain its statue by analyzing historical facts and events. Machiavelli seemed to have a critical look regarding human nature.
Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, and best known for writing "The Prince", that is handbook for unscrupulous politicians. He got education by educated himself in his father's library. He was also established as the Father of Modern History. "Machiavellianism" is a widely used, negative term, to characterize politicians often associated with deceit, ambicion, brutality and corruption. These were the kind of politicians Machiavelli described of his famous book The Prince.
We all have obligations to do something in life. Some people may have a choice choose their own obligation to serve while some individual may not have a choice. Some people were born with an obligation. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a paper called “The Qualities of A Prince”; as the title stated the paper was about the criteria and obligations of a prince. Prince’s are born with an obligation to lead his people and to protect them.
People are not born all-knowing. However, people are born with certain dispositions that can ultimately help determine their future. A newborn baby does not know right and wrong.
Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, is a gift to Lorenzo de Medici, the future prince at the time. Machiavelli spent a very long time compiling information about the decisions rulers have made in the past to determine the best way to rule a kingdom. He took many examples from leaders like King Ferdinand, King Charles VIII, and Emperor Maximilian II. He used these examples to determine how a prince should act and what qualities they should have. According to Machiavelli's The Prince, the qualities a prince should possess are deception, military knowledge, and wisdom.
Renaissance means rebirth. The Renaissance was a time of renewal as well as of chaos in Europe since it was still recovering. More and more ideas of the ideal prince emerged, as there are many different city-states. One of the most noteworthy political philosophers of the sixteenth century was Niccólo Machiavelli whose book, The Prince, a political handbook for rulers, has brought him recognition. It can be seen that his ideas on politics and overall inspiration for the book mainly came from his views of the political problems that were taking place.
The Prince During the Renaissance period, the state came to be regarded as something that was made and is secular. Machiavelli, considered today as the founder of modern political science, was one of those who opened up this new route by dedicating himself in explaining ideas and theories regarding politics. But what made Machiavelli very famous in the world of politics is his most influential and controversial book "The Prince". He wrote this book based on his analysis of political leaders in the government during his time. It focuses on discussing necessary characteristics of the prince to successfully acquire and maintain its political power highlighting his well-known maxim, "the end justifies the means".
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.
According to Machiavelli, ideal prince is a risk-taker who puts a military on action, as the people respect the warrior. An ideal prince thinks for himself rather than relying on others, knows how to read characters, and does not surround himself with flatterers. He lives in reality, not fantasy. He works hard, utilizes his own mind, and makes survival of his guide. The ideal leader is neither loved nor hated, but respected.
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.
