Machiavelli describes his book as a summary of his “understanding of the deeds of great men,” intended to help Lorenzo de Medici achieve reputation as a prince. The book can be divided into four sections: the discussion about different types of principalities or states, the different types of armies and the proper conduct of a prince as military leader, the character and behavior of the prince, and Italy's political situation and solutions for it. The final chapter is a suggestion for the Medici family to supply the prince who will lead Italy out of humiliation. In the first chapter, entitled “Different Kinds of States, and the Different Ways to Get Them,” Machiavelli proceeds to map out a classification of states. In short, we have princely states and republics.
He says that it is generally better to be frugal because lavish spending will lead to jealousy. It will also lead to higher taxes, and will make the prince unpopular. Machiavelli believes that it is important for the prince to be cruel. It is important for him to punish appropriately in order to have the respect from his citizens and his army. On the issue of admiration Machiavelli states that a prince ideally should be loved and feared, but it is more important that he be feared.
In his view, the end to political instability justifies the means no matter how shady they may be. He states, “Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality. For there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live.... because anyone who determines to act in all circumstances the part of a good man must come to ruin among so many who are not good.” (Machiavelli p.186) Many of the virtues advocated for in The Prince are apparent in Claudius’ character from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet tells of the various activities that take place during a questionable shift of royal power in Denmark. It is the acquisition and maintenance of this power that shows just how Machiavellian Claudius’ character is in the play.
Einhard was not a historian writing an unbiased account of Kings Charles life and rule, but rather a friend determined to share the glory and greatness of his king. He wanted King Charles life to be written in numerous scribed, talked about in the market place and recited by young boys and young men as similar to the epic stories of former Roman emperors. Consequently, Rome’s great Emperors served and the template to which Einhard would model his beliefs and expectations of a great king. Einhard believed that a great king would reflect the distinctive characteristics of Rome’s past emperors. More specifically, Einhard focused on characteristics such has military prowess, sacred authority and great leadership.
Some may say that Henry was largely successful in achieving his aims with his biggest success being the battle of the spurs in 1513. Henry VIII want to be seen as a different king to his father who had a bad reputation for being aware of his money and not engaging in many wars which the nobilities did not like. He started by giving away the crowns land and gave many titles to the nobilities to prove that he would be different to his father. Catherine of Aragon, who had married Henry’s brother Arthur was still kept in England after Arthur had died. Henry had immediately married her after all the delays that his father had caused.
Power is a privilege and should only be given to those who can handle it. The act of counterfeit can often hinder success. King Henry himself rose to the thrown with help from the Percy’s as he “stole all the courtesy from heaven” and broke Richard’s “divine right” to being King. Although he is successful in gaining power, because of its illegitimacy, Henry struggles to use his this effectively. As he suggests to Hal, he wants to be “like a comet” to be seen on a rare basis to be “wondered at” by his subjects.
Florence’s invasion by Charles VIII of France and other French invasions that follow after influenced Machiavelli’s attitudes toward government, forming his desire for the unity of Italy. Another thing that we found important during the discussion was that Machiavelli’s The Prince was greatly influenced during this time serving as chancellor in the Florentine government. He constantly met with Pope Alexander, King Louis XII, and Cesare Borgia during his political missions. These three men were big influences in Machiavelli’s political thoughts but it was mainly Borgia who shaped his opinions about leadership. Borgia was a cunning and vicious politician, but Machiavelli believed that Borgia possesses the traits necessary for any leader to succeed in unifying Italy.
For Obama to be a Machiavellian prince he does not only need power, but it depends on how it’s used through military matters. It is considerable to consider Obama a prince because he focuses on cutting government spending on the military. Also, he deals with being blamed on how a prince should keep his word. – This last sentence does not blend with the paragraph- The opposition claims that he won the presidency not by good fortune and not through his own truthful words. They say he turned the key to “weak masters” and begged to foreign directors.
After learning Malcolm is to become “The Prince of Cumberland”, Macbeth asks himself “That is a step/On which I must fall down or else o’erleap,/For in my way it lies” (I.iv.55-57). Macbeth’s decision brings up the motif that humans are able to choose from right and wrong. He is not a victim of fate because clearly, he has the ability to select his path. In this case, Macbeth follows the path of his prediction, not because he was told he will be king, but because his flaw of being ambitious pushed him towards the path he has chosen. Also, since Macbeth was presented with an opportunity to become King, he, like many others, took it by their own will.
The Moral of the ‘The Prince”, by Niccolo Machiavelli In this intriguing essay, I will look to investigate the moral and the theme behind the book, ‘The Prince” originally written in 1513 by a former Italian Politician Niccolo Machiavelli, and then will attempt to try and show how the teachings of the ‘The Prince’, to our workplace to give it relevance in the present, even though it was written more than half a century year ago. Before going into this essay into detail, it is certainly important to examine who Niccolo Machiavelli was and the reasons as to why he wrote this book. To look at the reasons behind it, and the current political volatile situation in Italy at the time, threats from Spain and France for example. This would have had a direct Impact on Italy and mostly in a city like Florence, with a growing political scene that had suffered for most of it’s life. Plenty of political power and perhaps more importantly the struggle around Machiavelli with lots of different factions looking to take control of the principality.