Machiavelli's philosophy was that "The end justifies the means." This meant that the end result is the most important, and how you got there was of no importance. The Prince was a book of advice to rules on how to found a state and how to stay in power. Machiavelli explained in his book the many different ways to gain power. One way was to acquire land. The four methods that he discusses to acquire more land is: Your own arms and virtue, fortune, others' arms, and inequity. To Machiavelli, the word virtue meant manliness and strength. Machiavelli also advocates the use of evil to achieve any goals. He gives an example of Agathocles of Syracuse as a proof that this works and will enable the prince to rule the land peacefully through fear. "Born of a potter, this one always had an iniquitous life throughout his years: nonetheless, he accomplished his iniquities with such virtue of spirit and of body that, having joined the militia, he rose through its ranks to become praetor of Syracuse. Being established in rank, and having decided to become prince and to keep with violence and without obligation to others what had been conceded him by agreement... ...one morning he convened the people and the senate of Syracuse, as if he had had to deliberate things pertinent to the republic; and at a preordained nod…
Machiavelli believes that a government should be very structured, controlled, and powerful. He makes it known that the only priorities of a prince are war, the institutions, and discipline. His writings describes how it is more important for a prince to be practical than moral. This is shown where he writes, "in order to maintain the state he is often obliged to act against his promise, against charity, against humanity, and against religion" (47). In addition, Machiavelli argues that a prince may have to be cunning and deceitful in order to maintain political power. He takes the stance that it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. His view of how a government should run and his unethical conduct are both early signs of dictatorship.…
The main or at least one of the main characters is a Jewish money-lender called Shylock living in Venice. The Jews in that time were segregated and abused by Christians. Between them the Jews and the Christians there has been a long, ancient grudge. Shakespeare puts the play in at the time where the ancient grudge is still strong. Shylock is a very controversial character as he in cases is a villain in some cases a victim and even in some cases both. As we are focusing the point on whether Shylock is a victim or a villain, let’s see first why Shylock is a villain.…
Machiavelli – a diplomat exposed to decadent, cynical of the true nature of humanity, reflecting darker aspects of Humanism that man is essentially corrupt, self-serving and treacherous…
Overall, Machiavelli shows that in order to be an effective prince, one must disregard the morality of one’s actions in certain times for the welfare of the state. This strong belief shows that Machiavelli’s best interests are in the state and not in the general population. Because he…
In Machiavelli’s The Prince, he tackles of issues in society and the government as a whole. Machiavelli believed a good ruler is one that could give justice and provide some type of order to his citizens. He believed that a good ruler should focus more on the present rather than what could be. Machiavelli used several examples to demonstrate his way of thinking in a humanistic way and running a government. He used the fox and the lion for an example. A good ruler should be able to use cunningness and brute force per situation in which it is called for. Machiavelli believes that there are two ways of fighting something, that is by law or by force and he believed those are…
In Lynn Coady’s The Antagonist, the pressure Gordon Rankin experiences from his dad, hockey coach, and college roommate influence him to make decisions which change his character and lead him through the loss and regaining of his identity.…
Machiavelli’s The Prince is teaching the politically ambitious rulers how to use violence in order to secure the power as a personal end. Machiavelli advises a ruler to use violence as part of politics in order to maintain the rule but most importantly he should use violence to aim at political stability and the overall benefit of the community. In this regard, Machiavelli opposes the illicit use of political violence because he believes that ultimately that will be destructive to the user. Machiavelli’s view on political violence does seem to be strict however it distinguishes the practical and moral use of violence. The two historical figure whom Machiavelli uses models in order to explain his theories are Cesare Borgia and Agathocles. These…
In the book, “Machiavellian” came to refer the use of deceit on politics. In our world, Vladimir Putin defines this because he wants all of the power for himself, but he makes it look like he is doing it for his country. This is Machiavellian because The Prince is all about how well rulers can lie to their people, and he is doing exactly that.…
Machiavelli believed in the idea of a strong leader. The leader should be feared more than he is loved, if he is even loved at all. A leader shouldn 't be hated, a hated leader will be rebelled and possibly killed, but a leader can not be loved at all. He believes that if a leader is loved, he wouldn 't be feared and no one will listen to him or what he wants to do. Machiavelli believed that war was needed and a nation should keep a strong military at all times. War shouldn 't be high on taxes though, because taxes have a possibility to cause a rebellion. A rebellion is an act of hatred and could possibly lead to death of the…
In today's society, one does not need to wear a cape or be able to fly to be a hero. Someone does not need to wear black and have an evil laugh to be a villain either. Today, an ordinary, everyday person can be transformed into a hero or villain almost instantly.…
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), Italian historian, statesman, and political philosopher, whose amoral, but influential writings on statecraft have turned his name into a synonym for cunning and duplicity.…
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, the founder of the belief known as Machiavellianism, once said “Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know who you are.” To put this quote in context, Machiavelli was instructing a prince to appear to be a trustworthy and merciful guy and then to be prepared to act in a manner contrary to the appearance. Iago from the play Othello, employs this exact strategy--appearing to be an honest man only to use this good reputation to get what he wants. Throughout the play, Iago capitalizes on the gullibleness of others and his reputation as a righteous individual. Whether it be a poor lovestruck young man, his fellow…
In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, Iago is seen by many as an honest and trustworthy person, though in reality he is a man of deceit and malevolence. This duplicitous nature of Iago’s is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing antagonists. From the outset, the audience is immediately drawn in by his sinister, yet unclear motives by revealing to them – “I am not what I am”. Iago is truly an evil character: he is extremely immoral and wicked, associating himself with the devil. He shows no remorse as he inflicts misery on those around him, but rather showing pleasure in their misfortunes. How Iago is able to manipulate those around him is largely attributed by his ability to act convincingly in different roles, adapt to different situations as well his brilliant use of language to fool his victim. This suggests that despite his evil nature, he shows the characteristics of a genius. By the end of the play, the audience becomes fascinated by Iago’s ability to manipulate others and the duplicitous nature of Iago and this shows that he is an “evil genius”.…
Machiavelli indicates that a number of traits are instinctive in human nature. For example, “In general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you.” (Machiavelli) Machiavelli sees people as deceptive, greedy and extremely unreliable. As noted in his advice about those who claim to be trustworthy in good times, but are always dishonest and will abandon you in times of distress. Said humans can be described as treacherous and not at all loyal.…