Machiavelli The Prince Research Paper

When examining the political philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli one should not expect to reach a hasty or even concrete conclusion; instead an inconclusive conversation on a topic that is unfathomably complex. In much of the contemporary literature concerning the writings of Machiavelli, he is portrayed as the classical Florentine ‘civic humanist’- a tradition awarded to ideals of nationalism, republican government and civic duty. As it is often supposed, Machiavelli was no pioneer of political thought or herald of modernity however his intrinsic study of the contemporary political environment of his time, inspired him to write veraciously on the necessary course of actions needed to acquire and secure a state. Calicles and Thrasymachus, who set forth the evil doctrine behind closed doors, are Platonic characters and the Athenian ambassadors, who provided a similar doctrine on the island of Melos in the absence of the populous, are Thudydidean characters. Machiavelli openly proclaims a seemingly evil doctrine which writers before him taught only covertly
This view is by all means plausible considering Italy’s festering political instability. Furthermore, in the final chapter of The Prince, sometimes overlooked by readers who stress the author’s pessimism, Machiavelli urges the Medici Prince to expel the ‘barbarians’ and return Italy to its former salvation. His attitude towards Italian liberty helped to make Machiavelli a symbol of Italian nationalism and heroism. It also displays how he believed leadership should be used. The once vilified Machiavelli was now the apotheosis of righteousness and symbol for public