The passage’s central argument is that the end justifies the means. More specifically, if a prince achieves a good end, he will be respected, regardless of the methods he employed to get there. A prince should act virtuously when he is able to, yet there are times in which he has no other choice than to act cruelly. In addition, a reputation of generosity requires a lot of money; expensive and ostentatious demonstrations of giving take away from the budget for protection and projects that benefit the community. Therefore, a prudent prince should not mind being called a miser if he is able to retain these funds. Generosity directly benefits a few, while parsimony indirectly benefits many.
Question 3:
“a prince who prefers not to rob his subjects, who wants to be able to defend himself, who wants to avoid poverty and contempt, and who doesn't want to become a plunderer, should not mind in the least if people consider him a miser; this is simply one of the vices that enable him to reign”
This quote supports the …show more content…
Furthermore, princes have no obligation to keep their faith with the people, because the people do not keep their faith with him. In addition, there are always a multitude of legitimate excuses a prince could give for a decision like this. This supports the idea that the end justifies the means. If a promise will not lead to a better outcome than would the breaching of a promise, then it should not be kept.
In his study of leadership and power, “The Morals of the Prince,” Nicollò Machiavelli uses allusion to serve as evidence and bolster his argument, contrasting cruel and merciful diction to describe different methods of rule, a cause and effect rhetorical mode to develop his argument, and a sincere and explorative tone so that people will take his essay seriously, all in order to present his argument that for a prince, a good end justifies cruel
Question 3:
“a prince who prefers not to rob his subjects, who wants to be able to defend himself, who wants to avoid poverty and contempt, and who doesn't want to become a plunderer, should not mind in the least if people consider him a miser; this is simply one of the vices that enable him to reign”
This quote supports the …show more content…
Furthermore, princes have no obligation to keep their faith with the people, because the people do not keep their faith with him. In addition, there are always a multitude of legitimate excuses a prince could give for a decision like this. This supports the idea that the end justifies the means. If a promise will not lead to a better outcome than would the breaching of a promise, then it should not be kept.
In his study of leadership and power, “The Morals of the Prince,” Nicollò Machiavelli uses allusion to serve as evidence and bolster his argument, contrasting cruel and merciful diction to describe different methods of rule, a cause and effect rhetorical mode to develop his argument, and a sincere and explorative tone so that people will take his essay seriously, all in order to present his argument that for a prince, a good end justifies cruel