Machiavelli's The Prince: An Analysis

All leaders, whether a king, president of a nation or kingdom should be beast-like to a certain extent. In the book, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli explains that there is a difference between how a prince should live and how he lives, but he (the prince) must learn not to be virtuous. However, Machiavelli elaborates on the idea that rulers must have the appearance of goodness, kindness, and honesty. Throughout, the novel Machiavelli uses examples of other leaders from Italy (when ruled as city-states in the 14th to 17th century) and a historical perspective of the rulers. But also examining the strengths and weaknesses of these past leaders to expose the reader (which was written for Lorenzo de Medici) on how to be a great and effective …show more content…
Furthermore, Machiavelli elaborates on the idea that a prince must learn from these two particular animals which are the lion and the fox. The characteristics of the fox are that they are strategic, crafty, and clever. Though the weakness of the fox is that they are defenseless against wolves (allegorical symbol of the aristocrats within Florence, Italy). On the other hand, the qualities of the lion are that they are brash, lazy, and irrational. However, their weakness is that they are susceptible against the traps. The prince should be equally like the fox when identifying the traps, but also have the qualities of the lion when it comes to scaring off the wolves. For example, in the book The Iliad by Homer the most prominent character is Achilles, a Greek hero who fought in the Trojan War, but was taught by two centaurs which were Phoenix and Chiron. This is an allegorical lesson of the balance between being humane towards the citizens to a certain extent and beast-like when necessary for the …show more content…
First, is an internal revolt from his subjects within the state and the second is external threats from foreign nations. However, there are solutions for each of these problems which is, if there are external threats from foreign powers. The prince can defend against foreign antagonists by utilizing a strong military and helpful allies. On the other hand, a prince can defend against an internal revolt by making sure he is not loathed or mocked by the citizens. For example, the only way a schemer will have the courage to carry out with his plot will be if he (the schemer) believes that the people will be satisfied when he kills the ruler. Though, by default plots of overthrowing rulers are at a disadvantage because they require the support of citizens, each of whom may face severe punishment or death if the scheme is discovered. Furthermore, each supporter can also profit lavishly by informing the ruler or prince about the plot. Machiavelli presents the facts that a prince must portray a false aura of virtue which is one kind of the deception that the a prince must learn to master. Machiavelli’s input still remains true even in contemporary politics (21st century).