Machiavelli The Prince Quote Analysis

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, is a gift to Lorenzo de Medici, the future prince at the time. Machiavelli spent a very long time compiling information about the decisions rulers have made in the past to determine the best way to rule a kingdom. He took many examples from leaders like King Ferdinand, King Charles VIII, and Emperor Maximilian II. He used these examples to determine how a prince should act and what qualities they should have. According to Machiavelli's The Prince, the qualities a prince should possess are deception, military knowledge, and wisdom.

According to Machiavellian, concerning the secretaries of a prince, it is significant for a prince to be careful to select a servant because the servant represent a prince. The loyal servant will represent an image of a good prince, but disloyal will represent an image of incomplete prince. The servant must have less thinking about personal than the rules, if not, he can never be a good servant. Also a characteristic of Machiavellian will have scheming plan, and be cunning. Claudius had done terribly and graceless, which make him the archetypal as Machiavellian character.

Laws may be sufficient in peace time but in time of war, force must prevail. He compares the capable leader to two beasts: the fox and the lion. The fox using his wiles to avoid being caught in a trap while the lion, due to his size, can overpower his natural enemies. Machiavelli posits that keeping one’s word is not a necessity when it is not in one’s best interest or when circumstances no longer apply. He references the treachery of men who do not keep their word as justification for doing the same.

Being hated or praised by his people is a sector that comes with the high ranking of a prince. A prince cannot possess all the qualities that are regarded as honorable. Some of a prince’s acts that appear to be wicked are beneficial to the state. Due to the impracticality of a perfect ruler, a prince should contain some aspects of evil, despite the hatred of his people. What some may believe to be the acts of a malicious ruler are, in fact, in the best interest of the state.

He described it as another evil. Paine believed it was “an insult and an imposition on posterity.” (15) Paine questions the idea that just because one man may be worthy of the throne, who is to say that his descendants will also be worthy enough. With posterity in mind he questions who holds the right to say that the king’s children should reign over the people’s children forever. It would be unfair, in Paine’s eyes. An important point Paine suggests people should remember is that when planning for future generations, “virtue is not hereditary.” (44) Unfortunately, Paine does state that it is an evil that cannot be removed easily, once it is

His loyalty to his King, his uncle, is his call to action, prompting him to step forward and incur the risk. The struggle is evident, however, as Gawain also realizes that he is putting himself in harm’s way, as he is not as skilled as the rest of the court. This belief in his inferiority is also tested throughout the poem, as he is placed into situations in which he is cherished and worshiped, forcing him to decide whether or not to resist

I. Machiavelli In his famous work the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli exposes what it takes to be a good prince and how only this good price and keep control over his state. There are many different qualities that make a man a good ruler but there are some that are more essential than others. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virtù and vices. Without these attributes there was no way that a prince could hold together their state and their people. This is a work that still influences us today and is still relevant in today’s complex society.

Frederick had the courage to say no, so surely Werner had it too. The courage to say no, to say nichts, is what ensures good prevails over evil in the world. Werner’s story taught us there will always be evil, but as long as there is courage and community, good will prevail. By making the choices that align with our morals, by utilizing our free will, we can ensure the outcome. Werner asks himself and the reader, “Is it right to do something only because everyone else is doing it?” (Doerr 246).

Machiavelli argues the perfect prince will be both feared and loved by his people, and if unable to be both he will make himself feared and not hated. Machiavelli believes it is much safer to be feared than to be loved because people are less likely to offend and stand up against strong characters, also people are less concerned in offending a prince who has made himself loved. Accordingly, Machiavelli believes generosity is harmful to your reputation and the choice between being generous or stingy, merciful or cruel, honest or deceitful, should only be important if it aids the prince in political power. All in all, Machiavelli believes the ruler must be a great deceiver and do what is essential to uphold power over the

According to Machiavelli’s standards, Adolf had part of a good leader right. Adolf was extremely fierce like a lion, which is how Machiavelli wanted a prince to be, but Adolf was just too fierce by going to the point where he was killing people for no good reason. When Machiavelli says he wants a prince to be fierce he isn 't talking about killing people, he is more so talking about having the courage to make a risky law change or do something people may not like, but will help them in the long run. He was not smart in any way like a fox is. Throwing people into