Power Is Not Evil In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

A leader’s job should be involved so that his reputation is boosted. Leaders should choose clever advice-givers and dodge brown noses. With each of these character behaviors, Machiavelli goes against the grain. He knows that princes are always in the public eye. Their behavior will shake their public image and their status will involve their ability to keep

Author John Bradshaw once said, “Evil is a source of moral intelligence in the sense that we need to learn from our shadow, from our dark side, in order to be good”. The dark side can be a flaw in human nature, which could be seen out of one’s control. Each piece explores the dark side of human nature in different ways. Shakespeare’s Macbeth portrays hunger of power, which leads one to do immoral acts. Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road, illustrates the struggle for survival in a world that is coming to an end, which will unconditionally make one do anything for survival.

Machiavelli argued that the most victorious kings were not those who acted in line with dictates of law, or justice, or conscience, however those willing to try to do anything that was necessary to preserve their own control--and therefore indirectly preserve the goodness of the state. Machiavelli tells us that the sovereign should take any action that is important to keep up the order in society. In time this may result in the most compassionate decision too. Machiavelli explains that, Cesare Borgia, by by making use of cruelty was able to accomplish order, goodness and obedience in Romagna. On the other hand, due to the inaction of the Florentines, allowed internal conflict to develop in Pistoia, leading to devastation of the town.

What does it mean to be a Prince? According to Niccolo Machiavelli there is various qualities that are needed to be a Prince. In the chapter, “The Qualities of the Prince,” Machiavelli list qualities a Prince must uphold to be considered a good Prince. In order to be a Prince one must know how to protect his state and people. Some qualities that he mentions are: being feared rather than being loved, being hated, being cruel, being generous, and being deceitful.

“Man Jeete Jag Jeet” in Japji Sahib by Guru Nanak is a world famous teaching of controlling over the desires of mind lest one gets corrupted by them. It means, one can win the world but one cannot easily win over the mind/ desires. Therefore, a man who has controlled his mind is greater than the one who has conquered the world. The characters – Marlow and Kurtz – in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness display such contrast. The present study is aimed at understanding the symbolic darkness in the novella in the light of above given line by Guru Nanak.

Evil comes in various shapes and sizes. While good is found all over, it is also masked by the evil that overpowers it. Controlled through physical, and verbal manipulation, people are easily tricked into thinking that what is right, is wrong and what is wrong, is right. Whether they are committed to being good, there will always be a moment where evil will darken the bright side of a person 's soul. In the novel The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt, the author portrays the good and evil side of human nature through the main characters to show how susceptible it is to manipulate a person’s mindset to be good or evil.

Demise Will Seelman “Any system that values pleasure over human life is a very dangerous one indeed.” (Kassem). Franz Kafka’s notorious work, In the Penal Colony, incorporates the main element of power, all while creating subsidiary arguments about subversion and authority. The reason why Kafka highlights these features is that it shows the extent to which a person or regime can reach, as evident in the story, while conversely showing what it takes to resist it. The four characters in the story (The Traveler, The Officer, The Condemned Man, and The Soldier) all have roles that contribute to the overarching theme of power, with some contributing more than others. The short story centers around ‘The Apparatus’, which is the main ‘power’ device, and the characters’ roles are based in relation to it.

He is a noble character who ultimate brings about his complex reversal thanks to his hubris. These characteristics are all carefully chosen in order to heighten Oedipus the King’s effectiveness as a tragic work. Oedipus’ capability as a ruler not only leads his people to endure great suffering once they lose him, but it also contributes to the audience’s catharsis by amplifying the emotion Oedipus evokes. They feel both pity and fear, as they watch the tragic fall of the once-great Oedipus and fear that such a fate may befall them, if they too are unable to reign in their hubris. This hubris ultimately brings about Oedipus’ fate, as his assuredness in his own infallibility causes him to recklessly attempt to prove that his judgment is correct.

The hunger and desire for power can lead to relationships being damaged. However, bad relationships can lead to the loss of power. It is also seen that kind people make better rulers, whereas unkind rulers are easily overthrown. The Tempest does a good job of showing the effect power has on relationships, and the way it can either strengthen or ruin a bond. This is important because the way a ruler treats his subjects strongly affects how much influence he has over them.

The first is that “without freedom there can be no morality.“this is also used as justification for his view that only action can have a moral judgement associated with it. The second is that morality is an innate function of humans “we have it within ourselves”. Jung also heavily implies that the collective unconciuos is a force of good and that styling our actions in accordance with its “wishes” we can find the “right” path. This is not the same as trying to be “normal” which Jung calls “a hell of sterility and hopelessness” but rather the act of conforming to the moral ideal of society. The third is that the“shadow“is necessary for moral behaviour which coincides with his belief that for good to exist there must be evil.

Society itself is working in contradiction to the protagonist’s aims and aspirations. The responder can develop a superior knowledge of dystopian societies through the comparison of Victor Kelleher’s novel ‘Taronga’ and Neil burgers Film ‘Divergent’, as both can be perceived as instable tales. This reveals the destruction of society’s values by one individual; they are compelled to confront the brutality, fear, and misuse of power that results.