Power is not evil, it is the user that makes it evil. Machiavelli, a controversial figure in political history left a legacy of brutal reality which disturbed many people. Niccolo Machiavelli’s, The Prince explores the groundbreaking ideas for a prince to secure the leading position in government and retain his power and leadership. Human nature combined with power has the possibility of becoming tragically destructive. However, that wreckage stems from the environment, and the actions…
During the 15th and 17th century, Shakespeare created at least 37 plays and collaborated with many others. Some of his famous plays were Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear. However, Hamlet attracted the most attention. Hamlet's distinct sense of sarcasm and humor appealed the audience, resulting in Hamlet becoming the most popular play worldwide. Deception is defined as misleading someone into believing a certain objective. People are usually deceitful when trying to uncover the truth that…
Describe the qualities of Machiavelli’s ideal prince in relation to one contemporary or historical leader. What characteristics should a prince possess, and how should a prince behave and lead his people, and how does this advice from Machiavelli play out in real life with the leader you chose as an example. Is their leadership good for their people? Neighboring countries? The world? Every person has their own individual skills that make us different from each other. This applies even to…
The major concern of Machiavelli is how states should be run and not how morals are to be followed. The Prince must be a beast if necessary. In the notorious chapter XV111 of The Prince, he advocates that The Prince be a mixture of the lion and the fox. The quality that a prince must have is virtu. This virtu can as J. H. Whitfield correctly suggests, mean 'virtue'. But as he further states, 'basically, virtu is the exercise of his freedoms by the man of energetic and conscious will' [13]. This…
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…
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Shanti Gurung History 101 Professor Montague 20 November, 2015 After disintegrative patterns of fourteenth century, a remarkable recovery of Europe took place that encompassed a revival of arts and letters in the fifteenth century, and a religious renaissance in the sixteenth century known as the Reformation. Machiavelli argues for the centralization of authority around a single figure through his book ‘The Prince’ which had a great impact in the…
Angelika Kurnosenko The Stomach and Members This particular fable is really outstanding, because it has been interpreted in varying political contexts over the centuries. From my understanding of the plot I see that it concerns a dispute between the stomach and the hands and feet. Obviously, the stomach gets all of the food refusing to supply the rest of the body with the energy. Apparently, it is the reason of the conflict in which the other members of the body see sense when they realize…
According to Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, The first duty of a prince is to maintain power and acquire more. If the princes of Machiavelli’s time followed his advice and searched only for power, what does this mean for the people? The first priority of a prince or ruler should be to improve the kingdom and protect the citizens. Machiavelli stated that one’s duty, as a prince is to be as powerful as can be, however, as a ruler the first priority should be the people, and as a prince, to be…
Niccolo Machiavelli’s dissertation The Prince (1513) is a guide to become a successful leader. Leadership is represented through the salient image of the tree which initially captures the viewer’s gaze. This book therefore includes how to conquer principalies and maintain power. The renaissance marked the birth of a period of revival, diverging from the medieval values of religion. It allowed the rise of the new philosophy of humanism which is reflected in Michiavelli’s treatise where he…
Giles of Rome was born in 1243 and died in the year 1316 at the age of 73. Giles was an influential thinker of his time in the 13th century. He also played a large role in politics between the years 1281 and 1284 in Italy. Through out most of his life he also produced many books and writings. Giles was most popular due to his works, controversial opinions and his role in the Aegidian school. His writings covered primarily the topics of philosophy and theology. In philosophy he wrote a large…