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Machiavelli The Prince Quote Analysis

Good Essays

Daniele Citti
Professor Brusseau
Final Draft
16 October 2014
To Be Loved, or to Be Feared? That is the Question.
Question: Should a leader be feared over being loved? Machiavelli’s The Prince is an influential text that has long been a guideline for our leaders ever since it was originally published in 1532 for Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici. It describes, in detail, the cunning, unscrupulous methods that a prince who may be reading can acquire political power and maintain it. Though it provoked a lot of controversy when it was first written in 1513, The Prince became an important text for many of the world’s leaders and leaders such as Benito Mussolini, Napoleon Bonaparte, and John Adams, all of whom had studied or made reference to The …show more content…

He feels like a leader achieves their ultimate power from being feared, while still avoiding the hatred of their people. “A wise prince should establish himself on that which is his own control and not that of others; he must endeavor to avoid hatred” (XVII). This seems slightly contradictory to many of the things that Machiavelli states throughout the book, which lulls us into thinking that he believes violence and aggression are crucial for a prince to keep his power. While he does discuss the benefits and essentiality of violence in many points of the book, he almost always will back it up with softer elements. One example is that a prince might need to use violence on a group of unruly citizens to instill fear in them, but “the prince should make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being hated.”[II]. This quote leads us to believe that Machiavelli doesn’t believe a prince should be cruel just because he has the power to be so; violent force is only the short-term solution. Machiavelli also talks about honor and a sense of glory. You can be as feared and strong as you’d like, but you can’t be a great ruler unless you have honor. This is evident when Machiavelli talks about the uses of violence. He calls it a necessary evil, however he does not agree on a prince being cruel at …show more content…

A leader that is loved by his people has more than their simple obedience; he has their undying loyalty, and the full support of each and every one of them. Should the kingdom be attacked, everyone would rally under the banner of their Prince because their undying devotion would stir them to battle and protect him. A populace that did not view their prince in such a light would not be as inclined to fight and die for him, opting instead for the enemy to overcome the prince and overthrow his rule. Furthermore, an unhappy kingdom is a volatile one, one that may turn against their prince at any moment. If a prince is well-loved, then he doesn’t have to live in fear that the next day, there could be a revolt against the

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