Machiavelli

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

-Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli

1469-1527

About

Niccolo Machiavelli was born May 3, 1496, and was from Florence, Italy. He was a diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, writer, playwright and poet during the Renaissance period. He was a diplomat while the Medici family was in exile for 14 years, and started his writing career afterwards. He died June 21, 1527.

Machiavelli’s Top 3 Works

Il Principe

Il Principe, or The Prince, was published in 1532. It’s a book about how to acquire and maintain power in politics. It involves the different types of principalities of or states, the different types of armies, and how to be military leader as a prince, character and behavior of a prince, and Italy’s political situation. The book also shows how a person of low social rank has the best perspective of the person in power above him. Pope Clement Ⅷ condemned the book because of what it said about choosing to lead by fear instead of by love. This book also created Machiavellianism, which is a political theory saying that to maintain in power, one must use any means necessary.

Art of War

This book was published in 1521, being one of Machiavelli’s only works to be published during his lifetime. It’s a dialogue between the warrior Lord Fabrizio Colonna and Florentine nobles, discussing European war tactics and military affairs. It also predicts new war tactics and military affairs based on social, economic, and technological evolutions. As well as all that, it includes 27 “general rules” of war, including some like:

  • Change your proceeding when you become aware that the enemy has foreseen it
  • Discipline in war counts more than fury
  • What benefits the enemy, harms you; and what benefits you, harm the enemy

The Mandrake

Not only did Machiavelli write political dialogues, but wrote plays as well. The Mandrake is one of those. It is a comedic play with 5 acts, written in 1518. It was first performed in 1526. The play tells the story of Callimaco, a man who moved from Paris to Florence. He wishes to be with the pure Lucrezia, who is married to a florentine judge. Callimaco must devise a plan to be with her. He disguises as her doctor, pretending to give her advice on having children. He tells her that drinking the potion of mandrake root will give her a child. He convinces her husband to convince a friar to tell her to drink the potion, and then sleep with another man. He has to do this, because the only way she would sleep with another man is if a friar gave her permission. He tells the judge that by drinking the potion, the next man that sleeps with Lucrezia will die. This is why he agrees to convince her to sleep with another man. Callimaco, disguised as a stranger, sleeps with Lucrezia. She enjoys it, and they end up together after she ditches the judge.