Plato, Locke and Machiavelli deal with addressing the concepts of power, legitimacy and authority through illustrating constant contrasts and the underpinning of authority.
Plato deals especially with the legitimacy of those in power focusing on the morality of politics and the need for the enlightenment of authority (Spragens, 1997:41), but looking at the status quo with an air of introspection; with The Apology being a core example of the crisis of legitimacy. Locke further builds on the notion of the crisis of legitimacy when dealing with the social contract, to argue that rulers rule at the behest