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Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince: Book Analysis

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The way in which one rules, and the way in which that person’s power is obtained, becomes fundamental to the success of the nation being governed and the individual ruler. Niccolò Machiavelli, a renowned philosopher during the Renaissance periods, explores the aforementioned ideas in order to set a precedent for how a dignitary should properly and favorably rule under given circumstances. Machiavelli’s work, The Prince, grapples with three distinct ways of coming to power in Chapters Seven, Eight, and Nine. Each chapter follows the last in a progression that encompasses the full scope of multiple types of rulers. Coming to power by the grant of others and luck, nefariousness, and the support of a given group highlight the main points that drive …show more content…

Despite the possibility of being morally and ethically wrong, acquiring power through egregious actions can be a powerful mechanism. Agathocles of Syracuse is the epitome of a ruler who rose to power this way. Having grown up poor, Agathocles lived a wicked life, and eventually became the King of Syracuse. In Agathocles’ case, his vast wickedness spoke to how much strength he had, allowing him to rise quickly through the ranks of the army until making it to supreme command. One such action that speaks to his wickedness was the slaughtering of the senators of Syracuse which ensured the members and richest citizens would provide no resistance on his rise to power. Having achieved dominance, Agathocles was successfully able to defend his city from the Carthaginians, subsequently taking Sicily in an agreement for the security of Africa; however, despite Agathocles’ many achievements, the majority of them cannot be to anything but wickedness and skill. Machiavelli illustrates that Agathocles’ action of slaughtering his fellow citizens is not an example of virtù; Agathocles achieved what he did by nefariousness “undergoing infinite dangers and discomforts.” From a Machiavellian standpoint, Agathocles should be admired for his bravery, character, and his strength to overcome

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