Cesare Borgia

Reading the works of Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu in succession highlight how truly at opposition the messages are. Though both pieces express the desired way to govern a people, the “Tao-te Ching” speaks of peace, simplicity, and letting the universe work its will, while “The Qualities of the Prince” emphasizes the necessity for war, and the natural wickedness of men. There are no particular reasons that these two ways of thought should be in harmony, one written in the 6th century, and the other…

Two stories with comparable morals or virtues are The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli. In each of the stories, the main characters possess certain characteristics that can be immoral and moral depending on the situation. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is a crude King who abuses his power, but he eventually learns the meaning of life and how to be a noble human being. On the other hand, in The Prince, the story lists virtuous traits that a prince must acquire…

Imagine a leader who will do anything imaginable to keep power over their subjects no matter how evil it might be? A few leaders probably came to mind, while it may seem like these leaders are ruthless to Niccolo Machiavelli these leaders are the perfect candidates for ruler ship. Machiavelli lies all the qualities he believes and effective leader should possess in his book The Prince. However, The Prince is not Machiavelli’s only piece of literature that describes the effective prince, this…

Machiavelli’s most famous work is The Prince. The Prince describes the cunning and immoral methods by which a prince can acquire and maintain political power. In his view, a prince should be concerned only with power and be bound only by rules that would lead to success in political actions. Machiavelli believed that the use of political powers was only rightful if it was utilized by a ruler whose personal scrupulous character was strictly virtuous. He did not think that someone who was only…

When one thinks of an effective leader, many traits come to mind. One characteristic that an effective leader needs to have is bravery. If a leader is not brave then the people of his kingdom will not be confident enough in his decisions. If his people don’t follow him, then his kingdom will fall apart. Also if the leader is brave in battle then his army will follow him. Two other traits that an effective leader needs to be are smart and ambitious. A leader has to be smart to manage an empire…

Much of India's folklore is presented in The Red Lotus of Chastity by Ancient Indian poet Somadeva. The short story is filled with devious and cunning characters who rely on deception to accomplish their goals. It follows Machiavelli’s The Prince, concept of being the fox and the lion. Both Devasmita and the nun in The Red Lotus of Chastity attempt to succeed in being both animals. Although Machiavelli states in The Prince that he must possess both traits of the fox and the lion, only Devasmita…

Three recurring themes in “The Prince” are good will and hatred, fortun, and warcraft. The first recurring theme in “The Prince” is good will and hatred, Machiavelli always goes back to the fact that a prince must make sure that he is not hated by his people, a prince must take care of his people and not be cruel and if a prince suspects he is hated by this people he should fear them. He discusses this theme in both chapters XVII and XIX. The second recurring theme in “The Prince is fortune in…

According to the principles in Machiavelli’s The Prince, Henry VIII was an egotistical king and was not considered a good leader through, campaigns that mostly failed, the wasting of his own countries resources, and only considered advice that benefited his cause impulsively his unsuccessful campaigns. Henry VIII made countless mistakes through the failure of his campaigns in politics and military strategies. Through his failed campaigns, Henry also used the country’s wealth to fund them which…

Machiavelli was an Italian historian, politician, philosopher, humanist and writer who is well known as the founder of early political science. One of his most known books The Prince, is considered to be one of the most important nonfiction literature written in history. It gives an accurate and a truthful description of the method on governing. Elizabeth I of England was a Machiavellian leader. She was a ruler of vast intelligence, ability and success. She displayed her power by playing by her…

Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in chapter 15 of his famous work, The Prince that “it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge” (Machiavelli, The Prince, 48). Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of being crafty and the necessity of being violent. He makes it clear that in order to be a successful ruler, one does not always have to be good; moreover, one…