Lucrezia Borgia

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian logician and writer who both shocked and intrigued the mind of Renaissance Europe. In his most renowned work, Il Principe (The Prince)(1532), he set out his thoughts on how the ruler of a nation could set out to achieve power and how he may keep that power once he had secured it. In spite of the fact that Shakespeare's most notorious Cunning character is Richard III, the model of the political rogue out to secure his own particular position can be…

The Bhagavad Gita presents a story from the Hindu faith in the form of pros. A conversation between an entity and a prince emerges with the prince does not feel comfortable with the repercussions from fighting. The entity, Krishna, presents himself to the prince, Arjuna, in a somatic form, a long-time friend of Arjuna. A war between the Kauravas and Pandavas breaks out, and Arjuna does not want to fight his instructors, family, and friends. He looks to Krishna for guidance, and his advice is,…

When is the rule by cruelty necessary, according to Machiavelli? According to Machiavelli, he claims that the prince needs to rule by cruelty, especially in terms of crime and justice. If the prince is generous at all times, including the period of disorder, people will lose trust. With courage and cruelty, the prince should abandon his personal qualities, rule by cruelty, and eliminate all possible crimes and misdeeds for the safety of the country. How can being cruel to a few lead to being…

The first piece of evidence to suggest Machiavelli is the prince is seen in the Dedicatory Letter. Machiavelli states, “... no greater gift could be made by me than to give you the capacity to be able to understand...all that I have learned and understood in so many years...” (Prince, dedication). This statement suggests that Machiavelli is persuading Lorenzo de Medici that his involvement in politics and his knowledge of the ancients make him an invaluable adviser. Thus proving that intellect…

Machiavelli was a well-connected diplomat in Florence during the Florentine Renaissance. When the Medici family returned to power, Machiavelli was terminated from his position, leaving him to reside outside of the city. During this time, he wrote The Prince –essentially a book written to win the favour of Lorenzo Medici, the governor of Florence, and to “advance himself as a candidate for a political role in the Medician government” (Morgan, 505). Machiavelli states that a morally virtuous ruler…

Machiavelli should however only enable those who attain power through modesty rather than opportunity. In chapters seven and eight, Machiavelli refines his original definition of virtu through his descriptions of Cesare Borgia (or Duke Valentino), who is unnecessarily glorified by Machiavelli, versus the history of Agothacles the Sicilian. Duke Valentino rose to power only through opportunity but Agothocles rose to power through opportunity and ability. In the life of Duke…

How does a comparison of Machiavelli's the Prince and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar reflect the way their social, cultural and historical contexts can influence their choice of language forms and features and the ideas, value and attitudes? Does the end justify the means? I am sure you all would have your own personal opinions in response to this perplexing question. Two composers in the Renaissance era also pondered upon the issue. Consequentialist Machiavelli in the political treatise The Prince…

The Renaissance produced many advances in the artistic, educational, and philosophical realms that in turn affected the political spheres of Italy. One of the most influenced by Italy’s political spheres was Niccolo Machiavelli, who was exiled by the Medici family. In this time, he wrote his book The Prince as a guide on how to rule effectively and was directly penned towards the same people who banished him. Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, while appearing to be simply a handbook on how to…

Machiavelli was an Italian political scientist. Many believe his teaching were that of evil and greed. As the political theorist that he was, He stressed the importance of brute, and even in some cases malicious force to keep the order of society, Anyone who defected from the prince's orders did not make it very far without some form of punishment following close by. To further back this claim, this paper will look into the evidence written by the man himself and others who cross examined his…

The ideology employed in The Prince is highly reflective of the emerging humanism ideology of the Italian Renaissance. In the first few chapters, Machiavelli discusses the difficulty leaders have in maintaining control over recently obtained territories with difference customs than his own. First, Machiavelli states that leaders have a more difficulty preserving a new territory than maintaining a hereditary princedom. He provides two reasons for this: First, the people will willingly trade one…