How Does Machiavelli Show Virtue
Constance Lee
Joseph Dowd
HumCore Seminar MWF
1 December 2014
Virtue in Machiavelli’s The Prince Modern society accepts virtue to simply mean behavior illustrating high moral standard. The Latin word, virtus, originates from vir, meaning “man,” and based upon this derivation, Machiavelli associates virtue with a definition more closely identified with manliness and a man’s ability to succeed. In Machiavelli’s The Prince, Machiavelli defines virtue to be the ability to achieve success by any means necessary, despite his lack of genuine ability to lead as a prince. To begin with, according to Machiavelli, virtue allows one to achieve success without complete dependence on fortune. “But to come to those who by their own virtue and not by fortune …show more content…
“For, since men always walk in paths beaten by others, and they proceed by means of imitation in their actions, and since one cannot completely hold to the paths of others, nor arrive at the virtue of those whom you imitate, a prudent man should always enter by paths beaten by great men and imitate those who have been the most excellent, so that if his virtue does not arrive there, at least it gives off some scent of it. And he should do as the prudent archers do when the place they wish to strike appears to them too far off. Since the archers know just how far the virtue of their bow reaches, they place their aim much higher than the intended place, not in order to reach a place so high with their arrow, but to be able, with the help of so high an aim, to achieve their goal” (55). Machiavelli first defines virtue simply as the ability to transform fortune into opportunity and finally into success; however, Machiavelli amplifies virtue to be the ability to persuade others that one is capable of ruling, when in reality, the ruler may be lacking in ability to rule as prince. Machiavelli compares a ruler to an archer, as an archer gauges how much strength he must put into the shot and the height of his aim. An archer may gauge that his shot may be short in distance; therefore, he makes the decision to aim higher so the height may account for the short distance. Just as an archer accounts for the shortcoming of his shot, a ruler may account for his own shortcomings by copying his predecessors and creating an illusion that he is a man capable of leading. By following the already paved paths of previous successful rulers, and taking the opportunities given by fortune, an authoritative figure may deceive others into believing that he is an able leader. Machiavelli suggests that despite the façade of
Joseph Dowd
HumCore Seminar MWF
1 December 2014
Virtue in Machiavelli’s The Prince Modern society accepts virtue to simply mean behavior illustrating high moral standard. The Latin word, virtus, originates from vir, meaning “man,” and based upon this derivation, Machiavelli associates virtue with a definition more closely identified with manliness and a man’s ability to succeed. In Machiavelli’s The Prince, Machiavelli defines virtue to be the ability to achieve success by any means necessary, despite his lack of genuine ability to lead as a prince. To begin with, according to Machiavelli, virtue allows one to achieve success without complete dependence on fortune. “But to come to those who by their own virtue and not by fortune …show more content…
“For, since men always walk in paths beaten by others, and they proceed by means of imitation in their actions, and since one cannot completely hold to the paths of others, nor arrive at the virtue of those whom you imitate, a prudent man should always enter by paths beaten by great men and imitate those who have been the most excellent, so that if his virtue does not arrive there, at least it gives off some scent of it. And he should do as the prudent archers do when the place they wish to strike appears to them too far off. Since the archers know just how far the virtue of their bow reaches, they place their aim much higher than the intended place, not in order to reach a place so high with their arrow, but to be able, with the help of so high an aim, to achieve their goal” (55). Machiavelli first defines virtue simply as the ability to transform fortune into opportunity and finally into success; however, Machiavelli amplifies virtue to be the ability to persuade others that one is capable of ruling, when in reality, the ruler may be lacking in ability to rule as prince. Machiavelli compares a ruler to an archer, as an archer gauges how much strength he must put into the shot and the height of his aim. An archer may gauge that his shot may be short in distance; therefore, he makes the decision to aim higher so the height may account for the short distance. Just as an archer accounts for the shortcoming of his shot, a ruler may account for his own shortcomings by copying his predecessors and creating an illusion that he is a man capable of leading. By following the already paved paths of previous successful rulers, and taking the opportunities given by fortune, an authoritative figure may deceive others into believing that he is an able leader. Machiavelli suggests that despite the façade of