The Prince

Historical Context

The Prince was written in 1513, a time when Italy was in a prolonged state of political upheaval and instability. Charles VIII of France invaded Italy at the end of the 15th century and a long period of almost continuous domination by foreign powers began, For centuries, Italy served as a battleground between France and Spain and was not an independent state. One result of the French invasion was the expulsion of the Medici, the republic of Florence’s rulers. Florence was weakened by dissenting political factions until their return in 1512.

During this period, Machiavelli worked in government service as a diplomat. Upon their return to power in 1512, he was dismissed from public service and banished from Florence. When a plot to overthrow the Medici was discovered and foiled in 1513, Machiavelli was thrown in prison and tortured, but was eventually released after he paid a fine. It was at this time that Machiavelli wrote The Prince, after being deprived of his office, thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, and exiled from Florence. Obviously the bitter tone of his writings was in some part attributable to the misfortunes of his life and the turbulent political state in his homeland. His conclusions about the attributes required to rule successfully were drawn from observing first-hand the struggle and political intrigue taking place between France, Spain, and the ruling powers in Italy at that time and rose from his desire to see a stable, unified, powerful ruling class in Italy.

Machiavelli wrote for the common man about the truth of politics and the practical guide for ruling. The Prince was written about the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de’Medici.

The Prince is concerned with a government run by one person having unlimited power. The Prince deals with the various types of principalities and princes.

In chapter 7, Machiavelli tells us about how the rulers come into power. A prince acquires states through their own abilities, rather than the good fortune of a noble birth, inheritance or lucky circumstances. A state acquired by a ruler’s natural skill will be easier to maintain control over the state. Rulers who rely on their own skills are more successful in holding power over states because they can take on the challenge of establishing a new order. Laying a good foundation is crucial for maintaining power. A prince must get rid of enemies and win the trust of his loyal followers. Cesare Borgia was made duke of Romagna thought the good fortune of his father, however he was unable to maintain his power. Despite all his efforts he could not keep his position as ruler, but he layed a strong foundation for the future ruler.

In chapter 15, Machiavelli turns his discussion from the strength of rulers to the correct behavior of the prince. He argues that a set of practical rules is needed instead of theoretical rules. Some personal characteristics of a good ruler are courage, compassion, faith and generosity. A prince would generally posses all the qualities deemed good by other men. The characteristics given condemnation are cowardice, cruelty and stubbornness. But a prince’s first job is to safeguard the state and sometimes having bad characteristics is necessary for the welfare of the state. Other men must never influence a prince; he must be strong enough to stand on his own.

In chapter 17, Machiavelli tells us that compassion and generosity is admired. If a prince is too compassionate and does not punish disloyal subjects, he creates an atmosphere of disorder. Crimes harm the communities, where an execution harms only the person who commits the crime. Machiavelli asks whether being feared or loved is preferable. A prince should be both loved and feared, but it’s hard to do this, but forced to make a choice it’s better to be feared than to be loved. For this reason Machiavelli states, “The reason for my answer is that one must say of men generally that they are ungrateful, mutable, pretenders and dissemblers, prone to avoid danger, thirsty for gain.” So the prince must stand firm on the punishment of criminals, which in turn will make him trustworthy of his people.

In chapter 18, Machiavelli tells about how a prince should keep their word, his people generally praise a prince who honors his word. History has demonstrated that princes achieve the most success when they are crafty and cunning, but a prince must live by fighting on of two ways: by law or by force. A prince must learn how to fight both with the law and force. When a prince uses force he acts like a beast, where law comes naturally to men. When using force he must learn to act like two types of beasts: lions and foxes. A fox is defenseless against wolves and a lion is defenseless against traps. A prince must learn, like the fox how to recognize traps and like the lion, how to frighten off wolves. Men will judge their prince on appearance and results, so if a prince appears virtuous and successful, he will be regarded as virtuous.

In chapter 25, Machiavelli states that often fortune controls half of human affairs and free will determines the other half. Fortune is like a flooding river, it ‘s only dangerous when men have not built dykes against it. Fortune varies one may succeed while another may fail, even if they take the same path. A prince must adjust with time in order to succeed. Being marked by force and violence is better than using caution. The younger prince will triumph over the cautious older prince.

To conclude, Machiavelli states in chapter 26, that for Lorenzo to succeed he must create a national army. Lorenzo’s army needs a cavalry and infantry to defeat the Spaniards and the Swiss. The prince should receive unending glory and be embraced in all the provinces with love.

The Norton Anthology World Masterpieces. Seventh Edition/Vol. 1. 

Tarlton. Charles D., “Machiavelli’s The Prince as Memoir.” Texas Studies in Lieterature & Language. Spring 2004, Vol. 46 Issue 1, p1, 19p