essay about the prince by machiavelli

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

• What was Niccolò Machiavelli’s occupation?

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• Internet Archive - "The Prince"
• Humanities LibreTexts - The Prince (Niccoló Machiavelli)
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli
• University of Central Florida Pressbooks - Machiavelli, The Prince
• Age of the Sage - Transmitting the Wisdoms of the Ages - Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli
• Lit2Go - "The Prince"
• Toronto Metropolitan University Pressbooks - "The Prince"
• Nature - In retrospect: The Prince

The Prince , political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli , written in 1513.

A short treatise on how to acquire power, create a state, and keep it, The Prince represents Machiavelli’s effort to provide a guide for political action based on the lessons of history and his own experience as a foreign secretary in Florence. His belief that politics has its own rules so shocked his readers that the adjectival form of his surname, Machiavellian , came to be used as a synonym for political maneuvers marked by cunning, duplicity , or bad faith.

Machiavelli referred to his treatise as De Principatibus (“Of Principalities”) while writing it, and it circulated in manuscript form during the 1510s. When it was first published in 1532, five years after Machiavelli had died, it carried the title Il Principe (“The Prince”).

You are using an outdated browser. This site may not look the way it was intended for you. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

London School of Journalism

• Tel: +44 (0) 20 7432 8140
• [email protected]
• Student log in

Search courses

English literature essays, the devil's morals.

Ethics in Machiavelli's The Prince

by Souvik Mukherjee

Yet as I have said before, not to diverge from the good if he can avoid it, but to know how to set about it if compelled

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and political philosopher. He was employed on diplomatic missions as defence secretary of the Florentine republic, and was tortured when the Medici returned to power in 1512. When he retired from public life he wrote his most famous work, The Prince (1532), which describes the means by which a leader may gain and maintain power. The Prince has had a long and chequered history and the number of controversies that it has generated is indeed surprising. Almost every ideology has tried to appropriate it for itself - as a result everyone from Clement VII to Mussolini has laid claim to it. Yet there were times when it was terribly unpopular. Its author was seen to be in league with the devil and the connection between 'Old Nick' and Niccolo Machiavelli was not seen as merely nominal. The Elizabethans conjured up the image of the 'murdering Machiavel' [1] and both the Protestants and the later Catholics held his book responsible for evil things. Any appraisal of the book therefore involved some ethical queasiness. Modern scholarship may have removed the stigma of devilry from Machiavelli, but it still seems uneasy as to his ethical position. Croce [2] and some of his admirers like Sheldon Wolin [3] and Federic Chabod [4] have pointed out the existence of an ethics-politics dichotomy in Machiavelli. Isaiah Berlin [5] postulates a system of morality outside the Christian ethical schema. Ernst Cassirer [6] calls him a cold technical mind implying that his attitude to politics would not necessarily involve ethics. And Macaulay [7] sees him as a man of his time going by the actual ethical positions of Quattrocento Italy. In the face of so many varied opinions, it would be best to re-examine the texts and the environment in which they were written. Let us get a few fundamental facts clear. Nowhere in The Prince or The Discourses does Machiavelli explicitly make morality or ethics his concern. Nor does he openly eschew it. Only one specific ethical system, the Christian ethic has no place in Machiavelli. That is easily inferred because from the very first pages a system based more on the power of arms than on Christian love is spoken of. Murder is condoned when necessary. Virtue and vice are not seen so much as black and white as interchangeable shades of grey. This does not however exclude the possibility of a separate ethical paradigm which Machiavelli might have thought of for his state. This is in accordance with Berlin's suggestion of a 'pagan' paradigm [8]. Morality per se, comes in only when The Prince deems it compatible with Necessitas and Fortuna [9].The separate ethical paradigm must therefore be one founded on political necessities. The Prince itself is avowedly political. Its object is the clear and concise statement of a foolproof political program for Italian princes. It begins by clearly classifying the types of principality, how one wins them and how to hold them. There is a very well-informed section on the war tactics prevalent in the peninsula together with Machiavelli's own theories for improving these. And there is the unscrupulous advice, which gained the book so much infamy. But The Prince is not unique among Machiavelli's books. The Discourses carry on the ideas found in The Prince . Much of it is also there in The Art of War . So we get an expression of a clearly thought-out political programme in all the books of Machiavelli. In each case, Machiavelli harks back to the ancients to comment on recent events and to use them as exemplars. The main aim, however, is never lost sight of: to explain and improve on the contemporary political scenario. That, more than ethics, is his concern. As many scholars have commented, nowhere does Machiavelli try to form any new political model. He is quite content to work within the limits set by contemporary politics. In fact, much of what he says is subscribed to by other contemporaries. The controversial fluidity and interchangeability of vice and virtue, for example. J. R. Hale tells us that even Erasmus reminded his own ideal prince 'that the ways of some princes have slipped back to such a point that the two ideas of the 'good man' and 'prince' seem to be the very antithesis of each other. It is obviously considered ridiculous and foolish to mention a good man in speaking of a prince. [10] Guiccardini is even more cynical. Bishop Seyssel and Gulliame Budé both write of ideas similar to Machiavelli's in their books [11]. We must also remember that contemporary criticism of Machiavelli was directed not at his ideas but at the fact that he had dedicated the book to a Medici! This fact draws attention to another point. Almost the same ideas with often the same examples are expressed separately in The Prince and in the Discorsi . The former being addressed to princes and the latter to a republican government. His long service under the republican polity in Florence would have explained the latter. And true to its spirit he claims a superiority for the republican government. In this light it becomes difficult to account for his sudden shift of praise to princely governments. What really matters to him is a stable polity in Italy: when he sees the republican system failing, he adjusts his ideas to fit The Princedoms. The above points show two things. Firstly that if there is an ethics in The Prince at all it has not been specially moulded by Machiavelli. It is merely an expression of the practical ethics of his times. As Lord Macaulay puts it,

If we are to believe Berlin, the 'pagan' ethics in The Prince would be something like the above. Secondly, Machiavelli is not concerned overmuch about ethical nuances. Even though a republican, he does not mind dedicating his book to the conquering prince. And in both the Discorsi and The Prince , the Duke Valentino is as much his ideal ruler as the those from republican Rome. 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 approximates to the rough translation, 'power'. Virtu may mean 'virtue' but does not necessarily do so. Lastly, in considering Berlin's idea of the 'pagan' ethic in The Prince , one finds a few discrepancies. If we go by Aristotelian ethics, the idea of temperance occupies a primal position [14]. Temperance involves a mean position between absolute goodness and absolute badness. Machiavelli speaks differently. It is either being totally good or totally bad. The famous example of C. P. Baglioni and Julius II is a case in point. [15] And strictly speaking, there was no pagan code of morality which sanctioned vice in support of political power. From our analysis we have seen that The Prince carries in it an ethics of political convenience. It does not preclude morality, virtue or Christian values entirely but allows them only when opportune. Otherwise it sanctions in cold blood, massacres, deception and betrayal given that the state benefits from this. This ethic is entirely moulded from political conveniences and is subservient to the political dimension in The Prince . References 1. See the Prologue to Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta for further illustration of this point. 2. Croce, Benedetto. Machiavelli e Vico. 3. Wolin, Sheldon. Politics of Vision. Boston: Little, Brown. 1960 4. Chabod, Federico. Machiavelli and the Renaissance, translated by David Moore, 1958. Harvard univ. press 5. Berlin, Isaiah. The Question of Machiavelli. New York Review, November 4, 1971. 6. Cassirer, Ernst. Implications of the New Theory of the State (from The Myth Of The State) 7. Macaulay, Thomas Babington. Machiavelli http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1850Macaulay-machiavelli.html 8. Berlin, Isaiah. Ibid. 9. Machiavelli. Il Principe Ch XVIII 'Yet as I have said before, not to diverge from the good if he can avoid it, but to know how to set about it if compelled.' Trans. Marriott. The Project Gutenberg Internet Edition. 10. Erasmus. The Education of a Prince, quoted in J. R. Hale, Renaissance Europe 1480-1520 p. 309 11. Hale p. 308 12. Macaulay. Ibid. 13. Whitfield, J. H. Big Words, Exact Meanings. 14. Aristotle. Nichomachean Ethics. [trans. Sir David Ross] 15. Machiavelli. Discourses on Livy Ch XXVII, Project Gutenberg Internet Edition

© Souvik Mukherjee, July 2002

• Aristotle: Poetics
• Matthew Arnold
• Margaret Atwood: Bodily Harm and The Handmaid's Tale
• Margaret Atwood 'Gertrude Talks Back'
• Jonathan Bayliss
• Lewis Carroll, Samuel Beckett
• Saul Bellow and Ken Kesey
• John Bunyan: The Pilgrim's Progress and Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales
• T S Eliot, Albert Camus
• Castiglione: The Courtier
• Kate Chopin: The Awakening
• Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness
• Charles Dickens
• John Donne: Love poetry
• John Dryden: Translation of Ovid
• T S Eliot: Four Quartets
• William Faulkner: Sartoris
• Henry Fielding
• Ibsen, Lawrence, Galsworthy
• Jonathan Swift and John Gay
• Oliver Goldsmith
• Graham Greene: Brighton Rock
• Thomas Hardy: Tess of the d'Urbervilles
• Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter
• Ernest Hemingway
• Jon Jost: American independent film-maker
• James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Will McManus
• James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Ian Mackean
• James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Ben Foley
• Carl Gustav Jung
• Jamaica Kincaid, Merle Hodge, George Lamming
• Rudyard Kipling: Kim
• D. H. Lawrence: Women in Love
• Henry Lawson: 'Eureka!'
• Machiavelli: The Prince
• Jennifer Maiden: The Winter Baby
• Ian McEwan: The Cement Garden
• Toni Morrison: Beloved and Jazz
• R K Narayan's vision of life
• R K Narayan: The English Teacher
• R K Narayan: The Guide
• Brian Patten
• Harold Pinter
• Sylvia Plath and Alice Walker
• Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock
• Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre: Doubles
• Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre: Symbolism
• Shakespeare: Twelfth Night
• Shakespeare: Hamlet
• Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Women
• Shakespeare: Measure for Measure
• Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra
• Shakespeare: Coriolanus
• Shakespeare: The Winter's Tale and The Tempest
• Sir Philip Sidney: Astrophil and Stella
• Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queene
• Tom Stoppard
• William Wordsworth
• William Wordsworth and Lucy
• Studying English Literature
• The author, the text, and the reader
• What is literary writing?
• Indian women's writing
• Renaissance tragedy and investigator heroes
• Renaissance poetry
• The Age of Reason
• Romanticism
• New York! New York!
• Alice, Harry Potter and the computer game
• The Spy in the Computer
• Photography and the New Native American Aesthetic

by Niccolo Machiavelli

Critical Overview

Almost as soon as it was published in 1532, The Prince was derided as a controversial, heretical work. Sidney Angelo collected a handful of these early reviews that he found during his research:

Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries we find Machiavelli depicted as the very hand of the devil; as an "imp" of Satan, as "hell-bourne", as a "damnable fiend" of the underworld, as the "great monster-master of hell." John Donne once went so far as to describe a vision of the netherworld in which Machiavelli, attempting to gain a place in Lucifer's innermost sanctum, was out-argued by Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. And it was even possible for Samuel Butler to suggest, facetiously, that "Old Nick" himself took his name from "Nick Machiavelli."

The Prince was placed on the Papal Index of Prohibited Books in 1559, but historians disagree as to whether this was for religious or political reasons.

More telling is the scathing reaction to Machiavelli by English minister Richard Harvey in his treatise A Theological Discourse of the Lamb of God and His Enemies (1590). After discussing how much Machiavelli's anti-Christian philosophy sickened him, comparing him to a spider who has gathered his venom from "old philosophers and heathen authors," Harvey warns to his readers:

Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man soweth that he shall also reap for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.

Given that the purpose of The Prince was to raise revolutionary ideas—rejecting the old morality in favor of a new one—it is hardly surprising that early critics might find Machiavelli disturbing and heretical.

However, by the nineteenth century, critics became interested in Machiavelli's purposes for writing The Prince . His theories of moral relativism were no longer shocking. The ideas that Machiavelli had been condemned for were known all over the world. Critics began to praise him for his honesty and insight into the political arena.

For instance, Lord Macaulay Thomas Babington asserted in 1827 that ordinary readers could be expected to view Machiavelli as the most depraved and shameless of human beings, but that, in fact, "[h]is works prove, beyond all contradiction, that his understanding was strong, and his sense of the ridiculous exquisitely keen."

By the end of the 1800s, Machiavelli's ideas had become so commonly accepted that critics seldom felt the need to soften their praise of him. The introduction to the 1891 edition of The Prince contained glowing praise from the eminent sociologist Lord Acton John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton.

Dalberg-Acton rejected the moral objections to Machiavelli's work, maintaining that they may be legitimate but that his great contribution to the world of political discourse made them necessary. He praised Machiavelli as "the earliest conscious and articulate exponent of certain living forces in the present world," contending that the events that had occurred since the publication of the book had only served to make his ideas more relevant.

Twentieth-century students of Machiavelli have addressed his personal motives for writing The Prince . Critic Garrett Mattingly ridiculed the idea of the book as a serious guide. In fact, Mattingly made the case that the book's apparent attempt to aid and justify dictators contradicts everything else that Machiavelli wrote.

The book must be a satire of totalitarian rulers, Mattingly concluded, written at a time when its author would have been most hesitant to openly criticize political leaders—when he had just been freed from jail.

Many other recent critics have examined the specific question of what is meant by Virtu . Entire books have been written debating Machiavelli's meaning, while other critics have concluded that he had no set meaning for the word at all.

Interestingly, the word "Machiavellian" is still used as an insult—implying dishonesty and greed—but there is seldom a question of Machiavelli's historical importance.

Cite this page as follows:

"The Prince - Critical Overview." Novels for Students, Vol. 9. Gale Cengage, 29 Aug. 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/prince/critical-essays#critical-essays-critical-overview>

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Already a member? Log in here.

Essays and Criticism

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Machiavelli

By: History.com Editors

Updated: January 9, 2020 | Original: March 23, 2018

According to Machiavelli, the ends always justify the means—no matter how cruel, calculating or immoral those means might be. Tony Soprano and Shakespeare’s Macbeth may be well-known Machiavellian characters, but the man whose name inspired the term, Niccolo Machiavelli, didn’t operate by his own cynical rule book. Rather, when Machiavelli wrote The Prince , his shrewd guidelines to power in the 16th century, he was an exiled statesman angling for a post in the Florentine government. It was his hope that a strong sovereign, as outlined in his writing, could return Florence to its former glory.

Machiavelli’s guide to power was revolutionary in that it described how powerful people succeeded—as he saw it—rather than as one imagined a leader should operate.

Before his exile, Machiavelli had navigated the volatile political environment of 16th-century Italy as a statesman. There were constant power struggles at the time between the city-states of Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, France and Spain.

As leaders rapidly rose and fell, Machiavelli observed traits that, he believed, bolstered power and influence. In 1513, after being expelled from political service with the takeover of Florence by the Medici family , Machiavelli penned his outline of what makes an effective leader in The Prince .

Unlike the noble princes portrayed in fairy tales, a successful ruler of a principality, as described in Machiavelli’s writings, is brutal, calculating and, when necessary, utterly immoral.

Because people are “quick to change their nature when they imagine they can improve their lot,” he wrote, a leader must also be shrewd. “The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. Therefore, if a prince wants to maintain his rule he must be prepared not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not according to need.”

Until Machiavelli’s writing, most philosophers of politics had defined a good leader as humble, moral and honest. Machiavelli shed that notion, saying frankly, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot have both.”

Cruelty can be better than kindness, he argued, explaining that “Making an example of one or two offenders is kinder than being too compassionate, and allowing disorders to develop into murder and chaos which affects the whole community.” Keeping one’s word can also be dangerous, he said, since “experience shows that those who do not keep their word get the better of those who do.”

Moreover, Machiavelli also believed that when leaders are not moral, it’s important they pretend they are to keep up appearances. “A prince must always seem to be very moral, even if he is not,” he wrote.

Fortune and Virtù

Finally, leaders must not rely on luck, Machiavelli wrote, but should shape their own fortune, through charisma, cunning and force. As Machiavelli saw it, there were two main variables in life: fortune and virtù.

Virtù (not virtue) meant bravery, power and the ability to impose one’s own will. Fortune, he wrote, was like a “violent river” that can flood and destroy the earth, but when it is quiet, leaders can use their free will to prepare for and conquer the rough river of fate. An effective leader, Machiavelli wrote, maximizes virtù and minimizes the role of fortune. This way, “fortune favors the brave.”

Cesare Borgia

One of the real-life models Machiavelli took inspiration from when writing The Prince was Cesare Borgia, a crude, brutal and cunning prince of the Papal States whom Machiavelli had observed first-hand. During a visit with Borgia to discuss relations with Florence, Machiavelli witnessed as Borgia lured his enemies to the city of Senigallia with gifts and promises of friendship and then had them all assassinated.

Ultimately, even Borgia would succumb to ill fortune when his father, Pope Alexander VI, became ill and died. Borgia died a few years after the death of his father at the young age of 32.

Despite Borgia’s premature demise, Machiavelli believed that a strong leader like Borgia was just what Florence needed to raise morale, unite the people and raise the city state’s prominence to its former glory.

Machiavelli Quotes

"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."

"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."

"Whoever believes that great advancement and new benefits make men forget old injuries is mistaken."

"The best fortress is to be found in the love of the people, for although you may have fortresses, they will not save you if you are hated by the people."

"Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great."

"There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you."

"Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are."

Impact of The Prince

But Machiavelli would not find an audience for his work before his death and Florence was not restored to its former glory in his lifetime. France, then Spain and Austria, invaded Italy and its warring city-states were unable to defend themselves, leading to nearly 400 years of dominance by outside rulers.

Eventually, The Prince was published in 1532, five years after Machiavelli’s death. Over the centuries that followed, the principles it espoused would trigger outrage as well as admiration and establish Machiavelli as a controversial and revolutionary political thinker.

In 1559, all of Machiavelli’s works were placed on the Catholic church’s “Index of Prohibited Books.” The recently formed Protestant Church also condemned The Prince , and it was banned in Elizabethan England. Nonetheless, the book was widely read, and its author’s name became synonymous with cunning and unscrupulous behavior.

The Art of War

Years after writing The Prince , Machiavelli penned  The Art of War , a treatise written in the form of a dialogue between a military expert and citizens. 

The Art of War discusses the role that citizens have in supporting and using military troops to the citizens' advantage, the role of training and the best use of artillery in disarming one's enemies. Drawing on themes he introduced in The Prince , Machiavelli also notes how deception and intrigue are valuable military strategies.

Machiavellian History

Machiavelli would be blamed for inspiring Henry VIII to defy the pope and seize religious authority for himself. William Shakespeare would cite Machiavelli as “the murderous Machiavel” in Henry VI , and many of his characters would embody Machiavellian traits.

Philosopher Edmund Burke would describe the French Revolution as bearing evidence of the “odious maxims of a Machiavellian policy.” In the 20th century, some would point to Machiavelli as playing a role in the rise of dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin .

Hitler kept a copy of The Prince by his bedside and Stalin was known to have read and annotated his copy of the book. Business leaders have looked to the work as a cutthroat approach to getting ahead, and the book has been called the “ Mafia Bible” with gangsters, including John Gotti , quoting from its pages.

Some scholars have questioned whether Machiavelli intended that readers take him at his word. Instead, they propose that The Prince was actually a satirical work and intended as a warning of what could happen if power is left unchecked.

But most take it at face value as a cold-blooded blueprint for how to gain and hold onto power. Francis Bacon , the English statesman-scientist-philosopher, was among those who appreciated Machiavelli’s frank reflections early on, writing in 1605, “We are much beholden to Machiavel and others that write what men do and not what they ought to do.”

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, published by Dover Publications, 1992. Machiavelli: Renaissance Political Analyst and Author by Heather Lehr Wagner, published by Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. Machiavelli: A Brief Insight by Quentin Skinner , published by Sterling, 1981. “The Florentine: The man who taught rulers to rule,” by Claudia Roth Pierpont, September 15, 2008, The New Yorker . “Machiavelli’s Dangerous Book for Men,” by Michael Arditti, January 19, 2008, The Telegraph “Machiavelli’s Main Man,” by Alexander Stille, March 11, 2007, The Los Angeles Times . “Machiavelli’s The Prince, part 1: The Challenge of Power,” by Nick Spencer, March 26, 2012, The Guardian . “Machiavelli’s The Prince, part 7: The Two Sides of Human Nature,” by Nick Spencer, May 7, 2012, The Guardian . “Have We Got Machiavelli All Wrong?” by Erica Benner, March 3, 2017, The Guardian . "The Art Of War, By Niccolò Machiavelli," by Angelo M. Codevilla, The Hoover Institution . "15 Surprisingly Great Leadership Quotes From Machiavelli," by Erika Andersen, Forbes . “Political Morality?” by Andrew Curry, January 13, 1999, The Washington Post .

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

45 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Dedication-Chapter 11

Chapters 12-14

Chapters 15-23

Chapters 24-26

Key Figures

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise of the Renaissance period written by Italian diplomat and philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli . The work, which was likely distributed for years prior to its official publication in 1532, is one of the most influential works of political philosophy in human history. Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a guide for new and future rulers, instructing them on how to seize and hold onto power, frequently citing specific examples from history as lessons. Each of the book’s primary themes focus on ways in which a ruler can and should manipulate the citizenry, often through the use of immoral means for a desired result . As such, The Prince and Machiavelli spawned the pejorative term “Machiavellian” to represent this type of manipulation in politics.

Plot Summary

Although The Prince eventually found widespread circulation and fame, its original intent was to serve as a handbook for one specific ruler and to ingratiate Machiavelli back into the political elite. He begins the book with a dedication to Lorenzo de Medici, a member of the ruling Medici family which had previously imprisoned, tortured, and banished Machiavelli following its rise to power. Early in his work, Machiavelli lays out two disclaimers important to his philosophy of how princes should seize and maintain power. The first is to explain his usage of the word state to refer to any distinct sovereign region and to clarify that all states are either republics, in which the people hold power through electing a representative, or principalities, which are monarchies. The second disclaimer explains that his discussions will concern only principalities because he has written of republics at length in other works.

Each of the book’s 26 chapters explains Machiavelli’s vision as to what actions that a prince should take in order to maintain power. The chapters can be divided into four basic sections: types of principalities, defense and military, the qualities and behavior of a prince, and prudence and fate. Chapters 1 through 11 discuss the several different types of principalities, such as those inherited by the ruler through family, those which are a mixture of inherited and newly annexed territories, those which are entirely new and have been acquired through force, and those which are Ecclesiastical in nature and under the direct sovereign rule of the Pope. Chapters 12 through 14 discuss the prince as military leader and the different types of armies, including those consisting entirely of native troops, those consisting entirely of hired mercenary soldiers , those consisting of auxiliary troops borrowed from other rules, and those which consist of a mixture of native, mercenary, or auxiliary troops. Chapters 15-23 discuss the behavior of a prince in regard to characteristics such as generosity, cruelty, faithfulness, and reputation. Over the final three chapters Machiavelli discusses Italy’s current political state and how the issues of prudence, chance, and free will contributed to it being under the control of foreign powers. 

Related Titles

By Niccolò Machiavelli

The Discourses

Featured Collections

Books About Leadership

View Collection

Challenging Authority

European History

Italian Studies

Nation & Nationalism

Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics

Politics & Government

Required Reading Lists

School Book List Titles

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

Niccolò Machiavelli

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

Laws and Arms

Machiavelli asserts that the "main foundations" of every state are "good laws and good arms," meaning that a ruler must anchor his state to sound legal and military codes if he wishes to maintain his power. Without this two-fold foundation, Machiavelli argues that the state and its prince are "bound to come to grief." Yet while Machiavelli states that both laws and military might are necessary for the survival of the prince and his state…

Fortune and Prowess

According to Machiavelli , the twin forces of fortune and prowess conspire to determine the outcome of history and, therefore, the success or failure of all princes and states. With the term "fortune," Machiavelli refers to the unpredictability of fate, meaning the ways in which chance, opportunity, and pure luck often influence the course of life. In opposition to fortune, Machiavelli places the idea of "prowess," referencing the skills and abilities that men possess and…

Goodwill and Hatred

Machiavelli is probably most famous for his opinion concerning "whether it is better to be loved than feared." But according to Machiavelli, a wise prince may be better served by focusing on the distinction between goodwill and hatred. Above all else, a ruler "must only endeavor . . . to escape being hated," for the "best fortress that exists is to avoid being hated by the people." Of only slightly lesser importance, the prince must…

Virtue vs. Vice

In The Prince Machiavelli blurs the line between virtue and vice, arguing that, for princes, the value of an action rests solely on the context and end result of its performance. Virtue and vice are not fixed terms, and Machiavelli states that a prince "will find that some of the things that appear to be virtues will, if he practices them, ruin him, and some of the things that appear to be vices will bring…

The Masses and The Elite

Machiavelli regularly juxtaposes the masses, or "common people," against the ruling elite in The Prince . To justify his decision to write the book, Machiavelli invokes this class-based contrast, stating, "To comprehend fully the nature of princes one must be an ordinary citizen." As with other opposing pairs described in The Prince , Machiavelli argues that the two entities, while vastly different, rely on each other for mutual survival and understanding. The "friendship" of the…

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

by Niccolo Machiavelli

The prince essay questions.

Does Machiavelli believe in free will?

Possible Answer:

The fact that Machiavelli's work is written as a sort of guidebook suggests his belief in free will; were man unable to choose his path, he would have no use for a tome like The Prince. Machiavelli believes that the choices that a man - or, specifically, a prince - makes over the course of his life have a significant impact not only on the man himself, but on all those around him.

Machiavelli argues for the importance of history throughout The Prince , weaving examples from the past throughout his treatise. Does he acknowledge his own place in history? How does he think he will be viewed in the years after his passing? Can we even find answers, or is this a futile line of inquiry? If the latter -- why?

The fact that Machiavelli addresses parts of The Prince to historical figures with whom he had direct contact suggests that he was acutely aware of his own place in history. However, the ambiguity of his references to contemporary leaders speaks to his uncertainty about how later generations would view him, as well.

Offer an interpretation of The Prince as personal text. What biographical details from Machiavelli's life are relevant to the text? In what ways does the first-person intrude on the omniscient narrator-as-philosopher?

Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a gift to Lorenzo de Medici, after suffering through years of exile and torture. It is impossible to imagine that the horrors that he experienced did not to some extent inform the views that he voices in the work. His past seems particularly to bubble to the surface during his discussion of cruelty: how can a man who has suffered so be willing to commend cruelty in any form? And yet Machiavelli is willing to endorse cruelty nonetheless, holding that in many cases the ends justify the means.

Analyze Chapter XVII: "On Cruelty and Clemency: Whether It Is Better to Be Feared or Loved".

Machiavelli is acutely aware of mankind's failings, and seems to feel that the safer approach to life is to embrace these flaws. If a man behaves in accordance with his "rotten" nature he is likely to be feared, but it is safer to rule in this manner than to encourage love amongst one's subjects. Love, Machiavelli seems to believe, is far too fickle and fleeting to be useful to rulers.

Machiavelli was a republican; yet The Prince has often been criticized as a manual for and justification of absolutist/totalitarian tactics. Discuss.

Many critics have argued that Machiavelli's text has been largely misinterpreted, and that its totalitarian tactics have been emphasized while its more politically moderate viewpoints have been largely ignored. Machiavelli's work is in fact an intricately layered, infinitely complex analysis of the human condition as much as it is a treatise on the acquisition of power.

Discuss the use of Cesare Borgia in The Prince - as character, example, model, warning sign, narrative cog.

Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli cites Cesare Borgia, son of Alexander VI, as an example of an individual who was prudent and clever in his quest to attain power. Borgia, Machiavelli feels, is someone who did everything right, only to lose all that he had gained through a stroke of bad luck. This suggests Machiavelli's belief that though man may certainly exercise free will in his actions, he is ultimately not the master of his own fate, and must leave some things up to the grace of God.

Machiavelli was often openly contemptuous of the Church, but these feelings are sublimated to a certain degree in The Prince . Examine the instances in which Machiavelli explicitly analyzes or describes the Church. What does his position seem to be?

Machiavelli seems aware in this work of his audience - indeed, The Prince is positioned as a gift to Lorenzo de Medici - and thus must have been conscious of the need to temper his animosity towards the Church. However, the entire text directly refutes traditional religious values, arguing that a truly successful political leader simply cannot be a perfect Christian. Religion, Machiavelli seems to believe, has very little place in the political realm.

Why is Machiavelli so often called a "secular" humanist? Do you agree with the appellation?

Machiavelli's approach to humanism represents a dramatic shift from traditional, Christian ideas of virtue to a belief in the importance of self-interest, as justified by secularism. He expresses the opinion that virtue is not a black-and-white concept, and holds that actions should be judged as "right" or "wrong" based on their utility.

Does Machiavelli favor cruelty in government?

Machiavelli does not decry the use of cruelty by governments, but believes that it has a place only when it is useful. While kindness is favorable, cruelty should be employed when failing to do so would lead to greater harm (e.g. a civil uprising).

Explicate the Petrarch verse that closes The Prince in relation to the rest of the book.

The Prince ends with the following quote: “Then virtue boldly shall engage/And swiftly vanquish barbarous rage,/Proving that ancient and heroic pride/In true Italian hearts has never died." Machiavelli's ultimate goal in this work is to provide present and future rulers with the tools with which to uplift the Italian state and return it to its former splendor. By closing the work with these words, Machiavelli reveals his deep-seated passion for Italy and determination to inspire pride in the hearts of all who read his tome.

The Prince Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Prince is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

The chatterbox prince

Is this a book or short story? Who is the author?

What were the five errors committed by Louis XII of France? How did the ancient Romans and Alexander the Great avoid some of these mistakes?

From the text:

''Louis made these five errors: he destroyed the minor powers, he increased the strength of one of the greater powers in Italy, he brought in a foreign power, he did not settle in the country, he did not send colonies . ''

Suggests that the author mainly believes that people

Can you quote the first line of the paragraph so I know where you are meaning?

Study Guide for The Prince

The Prince study guide contains a biography of Niccolo Machiavelli, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Prince
• The Prince Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Prince

The Prince literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Prince.

• How Aristotle and Machiavelli Use the Middle Class and the Masses to Achieve Stable Political Organizations
• Hamlet, the Machiavellian Prince: An Exploration of Shakespeare's Use of Machiavellian Politics
• The Christian Ethics of Machiavelli
• Did Machiavelli Feel That Autocracy Was the Best Form of Government?
• The Nation State: How Machiavelli Gave Birth To the Modern Conception of Rule

Lesson Plan for The Prince

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Introduction to The Prince
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Prince Bibliography

E-Text of The Prince

The Prince e-text contains the full text of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.

• Introduction
• Chapters 1-5
• Chapters 6-10
• Chapters 11-15

Wikipedia Entries for The Prince

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Essay (Book Review)

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Imperativeness of the book and its theme, the book’s ideals and key concerns or areas, discussions.

This paper presents a detailed review of an interesting book titled “The Prince” that convey vital principalities of leadership. The book was a masterpiece work of an Italian who was a renowned historian, and a diplomat called Niccolo Machiavelli. The writer was also known as a strong politician who had noble political ideals and theories.

Despite developing his writing skills from a humble background, his insightful narratives have been instrumental in transforming individual’s social and political lifestyle. This explains why the book that has been branded as a traditional peace of work by critics due to its “mirrors of prince style” remains one of the innovative political narrations of the day.

Indeed, the information contained in the book has been instrumental in transforming political activities in various settings. It has been helpful in inculcating noble ruling guidelines and principles among leaders.

It adopted a political theme with an aim of enhancing leadership by fostering democracy and understanding through integration of effective ruling principalities (Machiavelli, 2004). The author focuses on the theme due to the unfair experiences and treatment that he was facing because of bad governance and oppressive rule.

The book focuses on leadership ideals and effective principalities that shape good governance or political practice. Its aim is to convey credible information about political issues and the role of leaders in the development of cohesive societies (Landon, 2005). Machiavelli opens his narration or political observation by stating that all forms of dominion in various jurisdictions are republics or principalities.

He asserted that, any leader who seeks to exercise good leadership should adopt noble principalities (Machiavelli, Skinner & Price, 1988). Such leaders should ensure that the set rules that guide operations in their territories are favorable and acceptable. That is the rules should be ideological, socially relevant and economically viable. In the book, the author’s concern is seen to be exclusively with principalities.

He noted that ethical ruling principalities are the primary virtues that leaders are under obligation to practice or adopt especially in the current environment. He innovatively concentrated on the best techniques of governance and holding up to the noble principalities in the first eleven chapters of the book (Machiavelli, 2004). This shows how individuals can achieve greatness in their respective areas of operation.

Imperatively, the author provided educative information that seeks to foster unity and excellent leadership. He distinguishes the three types of principalities in the first eleven chapters. He also analyzed the best techniques of acquiring the principalities and the process of achieving their absolute maintenance.

Firstly, he considers hereditary principality that pose minimal difficulties in various settings. Marriott (2012) noted that hereditary principalities are consistent ruling ideals that “princes” or territory leaders acquire through experiences, historical studies and predecessors.

Secondly, he considers mixed cases that explain the process through which rulers’ annexes new possessions in their territories. He asserted that this is where key issues that threaten political integration begin. This is because the annexing process leads to unfair acquisition or expansion of territorial setting by some leaders.

This happens especially in territories whose leaders lack democratic ideals and regard for other peoples basic rights (Machiavelli & Rebhorn, 2003). In this regard, the author insists that leaders or rulers should hold and practice complete composite principalities. This is essential in ensuring that they foster peaceful coexistence and political stability. It is also vital in ensuring that they exercise total political control in their territories.

Other chapters of the book focus on the procedures of acquiring new principalities and its consequences. The chapters state that individuals can acquire new principalities or control ideals by their own arms, ability or good lack.

They also convey essential information on the consequences of obtaining leadership principalities through wickedness. This is why the author emphasizes on the need for civilization and adoption of civil principalities (Landon, 2005)

Notably, leaders should get full acquaintance with the way one can measure ruling principalities and potential leadership ideals. The measurement guidelines are crucial in providing them with a viable benchmark through which they can gage their performance. It is also significant to ensure that their actions are executed with good intentions to boost social and economic integration.

In addition, the author affirmed that ruling principalities affect human affairs and productivity. They influence communication and understanding between individuals especially leaders and the public.

This hinders progress since inferior operating principles impede sharing of ideas and development of innovative concepts through teamwork (Marriott, 2012). Lack of noble principles in leadership also compromises liberty and execution of activities under democratic guidelines.

Indeed, the book provides insightful information that has been significant in shaping individuals perception on the significance of good leadership in our societies. It gives essential leadership principalities that leaders should adopt to foster unity among locals where democratic ideals have been cited. It also recognizes that rulers should exercise composite guiding principles within their territories.

Machiavelli, N. (2004). The prince: And, the art of war . London: Collector’s Library.

Machiavelli, N., Skinner, Q., & Price, R. (1988). Machiavelli: The prince . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Machiavelli, N., & Rebhorn, W. A. (2003). The prince and other writings . New York: Barnes & Noble Classics.

Marriott, K. (2013). The Prince . Web.

Landon, W. J. (2005). Politics, patriotism and language: Niccolò Machiavelli’s “secular patria” and the creation of an Italian national identity . New York.

• Describe the ways in which Chekov conveys the transformation in Lady with Dog
• A Review of Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in Small Town Canada by Lily, Cho
• Niccolo Machiavelli’s Philosophy
• Niccolo Machiavelli Views on Political Decisions
• Niccolo Machiavelli: Events Determination by Fortune
• Doctor Faustus as a Tragic Hero Essay
• Voltaire: "Candide" Conclusion
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
• Deception Role in "The Odyssey" by Homer
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Improvement in Society
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, April 16). The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/

"The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli." IvyPanda , 16 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli'. 16 April.

IvyPanda . 2019. "The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli." April 16, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli." April 16, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli." April 16, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-prince-by-niccolo-machiavelli/.

YOUR FINAL GRADE - GUARANTEED UK Essay Experts

Due to internal staff training, any orders placed today after 5pm UK cannot be processed until tomorrow, please keep this in mind when selecting your delivery. Our phone lines will reopen tomorrow at 9am UK time.

August 28, 2024

Disclaimer: This essay is provided as an example of work produced by students studying towards a politics degree, it is not illustrative of the work produced by our in-house experts. Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers.

This essay is not an endorsement of any political party or statement. UKEssays.com does not accept payment of any kind for the publishing of political content.

The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli

Reference this

Get Help With Your Essay

If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Find out more about our Essay Writing Service

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

Related Services

Essay Writing Service

• Dissertation Writing Service

• Assignment Writing Service

DMCA / Removal Request

If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please:

Our academic writing and marking services can help you!

• Find out more about our Essay Writing Service
• Undergraduate 2:2
• 7 day delivery
• Marking Service
• Samples of our Service
• Full Service Portfolio

Related Lectures

Study for free with our range of university lecture notes!

• All Available Lectures

Freelance Writing Jobs

Looking for a flexible role? Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher?

Study Resources

Free resources to assist you with your university studies!

• Dissertation Resources at UKDiss.com
• How to Write an Essay
• Essay Buyers Guide
• Referencing Tools
• Essay Writing Guides
• Masters Writing Guides

Machiavelli Prince Essay

Machiavelli The Prince

Machiavelli’s, “The Prince”, exemplifies an early depiction of several “modern” ideological principles that would sustain and preserve nations (especially after the separation of the church and state) in the sixteenth century. In this critically acclaimed work, Machiavelli satirically bequeaths a map of qualities that princes should steadfastly uphold and advance. Expressly, the qualities mapped out are frequently criticized as, “crafty, cunning and unscrupulous methods by which a prince can acquire and

Contemporary politicians use the work of Niccolò Machiavelli as a guide to successfully lead a country to a better future. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a writer and a civil servant who wrote a book called, “The Prince” during the Italian Renaissance. He wrote this book on how to rule the people of his country and dedicated, “The Prince” to Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence, Italy at the time. The guidelines on to how to rule (govern) a country are given clearly and accurately and provides

The Prince Machiavelli

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored the

The Prince, By Machiavelli

In The Prince, Machiavelli doesn’t hesitate to recommend that a ruler employ conventionally immoral methods against his own subjects to maintain authority over them, but he does imply that whatever a ruler does should ultimately benefit the community. A Prince’s actions may be cruel, manipulative, or otherwise immoral, but they put him in the position to govern. On occasion, Machiavelli even suggests that gaining power through immoral acts is the best way to improve a community because immorality

Machiavelli : The Power Of The Prince As A Prince

Machiavelli also goes to mentioning how a Prince can become a prince with four of the principles he has listed in the text. It is said that one “Cannot be called prowess to kill fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be treacherous, pitiless, irreligious. These ways can win a prince power but not glory,” (Pg.174) This statement was to show how a prince can come to power through the use of crime, the second one is hereditary. In most cases the prince is the next one for the throne and to lead so it’s

The Prince Of Machiavelli 's Prince

leader that wields his power the most like Niccolo Machiavelli’s Prince, from his book The Prince, that leader is President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. Although, Putin does not hold the title of Prince, he has held influential positions throughout the years, i.e. Prime Minister and Acting President, that hold power similar to the Prince. Every position that Putin has held in Russia he has acted as if he were a Prince. Putin has held such all-consuming control and influence over Russia

The Machiavelli And Machiavelli 's The Prince

I have always found great interest in the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli and his ways of thinking; my eye was drawn to him long before I knew I would be studying at Colorado State and even before I had any interest in politics. It was from young man know as Tupac Shakur, and let me tell you it is great to finally understand who Machiavelli is and the things he has done for the outlook on politics after hearing about how much respect and praise he got from the iconic rapper of the 1990s. In this paper

Machiavelli : The Ideal Prince

of that time, Machiavelli comes to the conclusion that the most important task is the formation of a single Italian state (Machiavelli 15). Developing his thoughts, the author comes to the following inference: only a prince can become a leader capable of leading people and building a unified state. It is not a concrete historical personality but someone abstract, symbolic, possessing such qualities that in the aggregate are inaccessible to any living ruler. That is why Machiavelli devotes most of

The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince by: Niccolo Machiavelli really tries and is successful at dividing politics and ethics to decipher the characteristics of a good and bad political/government ruling leader in this novel. In this reading, I seen 5 points that Machiavelli talked about, and those were: Free Will, Being Hated vs Goodwill, Virtue, A Good Military, and finally Human Nature. These are a necessity to the recipe that Machiavelli is making in this book. In the first few chapters of the book, Machiavelli begins

The Prince Vs Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli. His two famous works The Prince and The Discourses are two books which discuss monarchy and republic government and how both need to work to be efficient. The question asked is how can the author of The Prince also have written The Discourses? How can Machiavelli write about a republic with separation of power, then write about how a new established monarchy can work and survive? We will discuss the ideas set forth in both books and decide whether or not Machiavelli works are

Popular Topics

• Macintosh Essay
• Macroeconomics Essay
• Madame Bovary Essay
• Madness Hamlet Essay
• Madonna Essay
• Mafia Essay
• Maggie Essay
• Magical Realism Essay
• Magna Carta Essay
• Magnet Essay