Virtue In The Prince And Julius Caesar

Virtue’s significance in society has changed over time and its relevance can be used to contrast differing social and cultural contexts. The prescribed non-fiction text, “The Prince,” written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1532, is a didactic explanation of the political struggles of Renaissance Italy. Similarly, William Shakespeare’s play, “Julius Caesar,” composed in 1599, depicts the historical events surrounding Julius Caesar’s assassination. The ideas of manipulation and fate versus free will are presented through literary devices in “The Prince” and dramatised staging features in Shakespeare’s play. While virtue is presented as a key theme in both texts, its portrayal differs due to the context in which it was set or written. While manipulation is not
This is most explicitly demonstrated in the line, “You can see the country is praying God to send someone to save her from the cruelty and barbarity of these foreigners,” where Machiavelli personifies Italy to persuade Lorenzo de Medici that he has the potential to assist him in uniting his nation, increasing Machiavelli’s social standing in the process. This idea of manipulation is exemplified where Machiavelli writes, “The crowd is won over by appearances and final results. And the world is all crowd.” By establishing a metaphor comparing the world to a crowd, Machiavelli conveys the idea that if a ruler can maintain an upright image, obscuring his true intent, he will be able to hold power over any people in the world. Similarly, at the time when “Julius Caesar” was set, Rome was a highly individualistic society. As a result of this, the characters in the play use manipulation for similar reasons as those expressed by Machiavelli in “The Prince.” That is to maintain an appearance of righteousness while increasing their personal power. This is clearly depicted in a duologue between Marc Antony and Octavius where the former speaks of Lepidus saying, “Do not speak of him but as a property.” This