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...
Cruelty is distinct from Virtù – it is the way to power
but not glory – but economy of violence has an
important role in Rule. ...
Hmpt01mach12
Virtù; Economy of Violence and Raison D’Etat
M’ is not just a fan of violence
Virtù in a Prince is instrumentalised or
operationalised in Raison D’Etat (reason of state)
Acting to accommodate necessity
Acting to resist the blows of fortune
In the interests of a stable, free and
Glorious state requires a virtù that
Is not bounded by conventional morality
A Prince should always try and appear moral
But should not shy away from being seen to
Do whatever is necessary. ...
Hmpt01mach12a
Ch 15 – 19 The character of Princes
15: What causes Princes to be praised or censured
16: On Generosity and Parsimony
17: On Cruelty and Compassion
18: On Keeping one’s word
Here M’ returns to the theme of value free analysis
and economy of violence
“the gap between how people
ought to behave and how
they actually behave is so
great that anyone who ignores
everyday reality in order to live
up to an ideal will soon find that
he has been taught how to
destroy himself” (ch15)
Borgia’s actions in Romagna
More compassionate than a
Seemingly gentle Florence that
Let Pistoia tear itself apart
Hmpt01mach13
In discussing the qualities of a virtuous ruler M’
draws several themes together
Most important
Necessity Human Nature
No mention of fickle and wicked
Christian virtues
The fox and the lion/ feared rather than loved/
prepared to give promises lightly
Ch 14 returns to Fortune and then ends with an
exhortation to free Italy from the barbarians
The Prince does seem to lend itself to the image of M’
that we saw in the beginning but the Discourses add
an extra layer of theory to M’s legacy
Hmpt01mach14
M’s main theme (ch’s 10-14) focuses on military
matters but can only be understood fully in relation
to his view of the relationship b/w fortune, necessity
and the virtù of a successful prince
The common good requires a stable state
Which requires a virtuous Ruler
Who acts according to necessity
Takes account of fortuna
And human nature
Who makes good laws
But who cannot do anything without a stable base
And who thfr requires Good armies
“since there cannot be good laws where there are not
good armies, and since where there are good armies
there must be good laws, I will omit any discussion of
laws, and will talk about armies”(P ch12)
A citizen militia
Hmpt01mach15
Summarizing The Prince
Public Morality and Religion are overlooked because
M is only concerned with the political (what the
Prince must do to secure stability and how [eg]
religion might be used to ensure stability.
Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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