Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince
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Chapter Summaries:
Chapter 7: New Princedoms Gained with Other Men’s Forces and through Fortune
In Chapter 7 of The Prince, Machiavelli talks about citizens who become Princes’ through fortune or favors of others. He says it is easy for them to become Princes; however they cannot uphold their position for too long. He includes that these Princes are weak because they do not have soldiers of their own. To exemplify, Machiavelli mentions the life of Cesare Borgia (Duke Valentino) and how he gained his Princedom through his father Pope Alexander VI. Machiavelli says Borgia had great confidence and put in determination, nevertheless he had bad luck. He took over Romagna but with fear of the Orsini family and their influence. So, he became close with them then killed them all. Through this he was loved and feared by the people of Romagna. Seeing Romagna lawless he put Remirro de Orco in charge to restore it. Borgia made Orco do all the dirty work with cruelty then executed him in public, making himself even more loved by the people. Machiavelli states Borgia put down a good foundation but his fortune doomed him when his father Alexander died and he himself fell ill.
Chapter 15: On the Things for Which Men, and Especially Princes, Are Praised or Censured
In this chapter, Machiavelli discusses how Princes should behave towards his subjects. He begins by saying that he will tell the practical truth not on how things are imagined to be. If a prince wants to maintain his position he has to not only be good but also act immorally at times for the prosperity of his state. Machiavelli includes that it is impossible for a prince to only act good because the prince will be only drowning himself. A prince must use his knowledge wisely by acting immorally at times yet have a good reputation in public. All together, the prince will be saving his state and himself.
Chapter 25: ["Fortune is a woman"] The Power of Fortune in Human Affairs, and to What Extent She Should Be Relied On
Machiavelli suggests that Fortune dictates half of our actions while the other half of our actions are due to free will. In order to explain Fortune and her characteristics, Machiavelli compares Fortune to a raging flood and its damages. He says, when people are amidst a flood and not prepared, they cannot make up for their lack of preparation and damage will be disastrous. But he who makes provisions before the flood with walls and dykes, will have less damage. Machiavelli says that Italy’s present state is due to its lack of provisions, whereas countries such as Germany, Spain, and France, are stable due to their provisions. When relying totally on Fortune, one can find himself in prosperity one day and ruin the next. If a prince adapts himself to every circumstance, instead of continuing the same, he will succeed. If he fails to change his approach, he will fail. Every person has a different fortune. Two people can go down the same paths but have two different outcomes. Likewise, two people can go down different paths and have the same outcome. Fortune is fickle as man should also be. In order to be successful one must “change his nature with the times and circumstances” and not approach every situation with the same nature. Pope Julius II experienced success by using the same rash methods but because of the circumstances his approach caused him success. If Pope Julius II had lived longer, his rash approach to all circumstances would have caused him failure. One can succeed if he is in line with Fortune, if they oppose by man’s set ways, then he fails. Fortune prefers the rash and young, both courageous and not cautious.
Chapter 26: [The Roman Dream] An Exhortation to Take Hold of Italy and Restore Her to Liberty from the Barbarians
Italy’s current disarray favors the emergence of a new prince who will bring happiness to the Italian people. Until recently, there had been a prince who seemed ordained by heaven to redeem Italy. But a string of bad luck has prevented such an outcome.
Lorenzo de’ Medici is Italy’s best hope. Past wars and princes have failed to strengthen Italy because its military system was old and defective. To succeed, Lorenzo must create a national army. The Italian people are good fighters; only their leaders have failed. Lorenzo’s army needs both good cavalry and infantry to defeat the Spaniards and the Swiss.
Should a prince ever succeed in redeeming Italy, he would receive unending glory and be embraced in all the provinces with love.
Terms and People:
Messer: My Lord
Cesare Borgia: An Italian politician also called the Duke of Valentino. The illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI
Lascivious: Driven by lust; preoccupied with lustful desires
Ferocity: The state of being brutal or fierce.
Prudence: the quality of being prudent; cautiousness.
Arbiter: a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter.
Personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Principality: A localized territory or region ruled by a prince (or princess), from which the term is derived. A prince may rule more than one principality. All principalities can be grouped under the general category of “state.” A principality is ruled autocratically and is therefore distinguished from a republic, the only other type of state. For the most part, the advice found in The Prince is geared toward principalities, although the book does reference republics in some cases.
Prowess: The ability to conquer and govern. Machiavelli uses this term as the opposite of “fortune.”
Julius II: Reigned as pope 1503–1513. Julius II strengthened the power of the Church through vigorous leadership and intelligent diplomacy. He defeated Roman barons and negotiated an alliance against France.
The Prince Discussion Questions for the blog:
. 1.) Describe the relationship between virtue and fortune in The Prince.
· In the Prince, Machiavelli says in order to master fortune one has to make use of virtue (skill). He says to be a good ruler a person has to use their skills wisely and be able to control their fortune.
2.) How does Machiavelli’s use of the word virtue compare to your understanding of the word?
2.) How does Machiavelli’s use of the word virtue compare to your understanding of the word?
· Machiavelli uses the word virtue describe an ideal prince’s skill, courage, and intelligence not as in morality or righteousness as we would understand.
3.) Fortune is considered the opponent to political order, often leading to conflict and misery. Only through careful observation, preparation and ability to adapt may a leader avoid fortune’s pitfalls. How would you translate the word fortune—as fortune, fate or another term? In your opinion, how does this concept feature in contemporary politics?
· I consider Fortune to be luck, a force that cannot be changed by oneself. Fortune in modern politics could be how one handles tragic situations along with how the media portrays events such as 9/11, The Gulf Oil Spill, and Hurricane Katrina.
4.) If Machiavelli were alive today, do you think he would be liberal or conservative?
· If Machiavelli were alive today I think he would be a conservative because he emphasizes having a loyal, standing military.
5.) In Chapter 26, what does Machiavelli say that Italy must do to contribute to their own success? How do these tactics compare to actions used by modern governments to instigate chances in their countries?
· Machiavelli declares Italy must have a loyal army not just
6.) Do beneficial ends justify immoral means? Use examples from the Prince to support your answer.
· Each person has their own set of standards and their own definition of what is and what isn’t “moral.” It depends on the prince and what he sees as moral. In general, if one focuses on the beneficial end, more harm might be done in a period of time and might not be able to counterbalance the harmful effects of his decision.
7.) What is Machiavelli’s view of human nature?
· Machiavelli views human nature as fickle, and says humans are wretched creatures who don’t keep their word and only look for means that benefit themselves. Machiavelli, although deemed as evil, plainly told his readers that man is evil. Men do not act like they should; they are fickle. In this case, a prince should be able to take back his promise, much like how men act.
8.) In what ways can a prince rise to power? Explain the differences.
8.) In what ways can a prince rise to power? Explain the differences.
· One way a prince can rise to power is through crime however he won’t achieve glory. Another way is through constitution by the favor of the nobles. A third way for a prince to rise in power is by his own prowess. This is when a prince uses his own skills and abilities achieve success. Machiavelli praises prowess; Machiavelli explains that if a prince uses his own prowess to achieve his position, he will be more likely to be able to maintain this position. A fourth way a prince can find himself in power is by charity or good luck (fortune). This is when a prince is favored by fortune through a series of events and gains this position.
9.) Machiavelli says a good prince should be both loved and feared, but if he can choose only one, to be feared is better. Why does he believe this? Do you agree? Why/Why not?
Love is fickle. Love can easily be changed when it means defending oneself or getting ahead. Fear, however, seems to be more stable and terrorizing. I do agree that it is better to be feared, although maybe lonely, at least one’s position would be secured.
10.) Is The Prince relevant in today’s society? How so?
9.) Machiavelli says a good prince should be both loved and feared, but if he can choose only one, to be feared is better. Why does he believe this? Do you agree? Why/Why not?
Love is fickle. Love can easily be changed when it means defending oneself or getting ahead. Fear, however, seems to be more stable and terrorizing. I do agree that it is better to be feared, although maybe lonely, at least one’s position would be secured.
10.) Is The Prince relevant in today’s society? How so?
· It is. This book is relatable to all people, from politicians to manual laborers. The information within tells people how to achieve and maintain their positions. The information within can be tweaked to benefit each individual and their personaemphasizes having a loyal, standing military.
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