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Gloria Cao In Machiavelli's The Prince

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Cao Cao as the perfect Machiavellian ruler. Luo’s Three Kingdoms shapes the character of Cao Cao in a way that exhibits him to be not only a conniving emperor but a charismatic and crafty warlord. Machiavelli creates a political treatise named The Prince, that depicts the qualities to make a successful ruler. Many of the qualities Machiavelli writes have direct parallels that would illustrate that Cao Cao makes the perfect Machiavellian ruler. Three Kingdoms can be read in a way that highlights the political importance showing the multiple warlord’s search for power and authority. Through the use of anecdotes, Luo characterises the ruthlessness of Cao Cao’s character that mirrors attitudes formed in Machiavelli’s ideal “Prince”. Reading Machiavelli’s The Prince can contribute in shaping the true …show more content…

Although Cao Cao makes a comment on what seems to be on a sensitive situation such as finance, he makes what he perceives to be a light-hearted comment. Readers come to understand that generosity is not a genuine character trait that comes out of Cao Cao regularly. “Cao Cao showed unusual generosity, giving him small banquets every third day, large ones every fifth.” (Luo, 82) This shows that generosity and kindness aren’t traits that others commonly associate with Cao Cao. However, Cao Cao’s charisma is inclusive of not only showing playfulness but also the occasional acts of generosity in order to achieve his desired outcome. Machiavelli writes that it is not necessary for a ruler to genuinely possess any of the qualities that people see on the surface of their character. Machiavelli states, “A ruler, then, need not actually possess all the above-mentioned qualities, but he must certainly seem to.” (62) Although Cao Cao’s charisma may be a mask, he achieves results nonetheless. By appearing to show the qualities that give him a certain humanising element, people will follow under his power and

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