The Prince – Fortune is a Woman
By Niccolo Machiavelli
ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
Time and Setting
The Prince is set against the backdrop of the Italian Renaissance, a period of intense activity in art,
science, and literature. Rich, sophisticated, and cultured, Italy was the center of intellectual achievement in
the Western world, and scholars and artists from all over Europe flocked to it to absorb its heady
atmosphere.
It was also a period of religious change. The decadence and corruption of the Catholic church,
exemplified by the conduct of Pope Alexander VI, brought about a backlash against Catholic authority. In
Germany (at that time, the Holy Roman Empire), the Protestant Reformation was gathering strength, led
by Martin Luther, the famous German reformer. In politics, as well, change was brewing. The scattered
feudal territories of the medieval period were slowly being brought under centralized leadership, so that the
outlines of what would become the modern European nations were becoming visible.
Characters
Niccolo Machiavelli
Serves as both the narrator and a protagonist of The Prince.
Lorenzo de Medici
The ruler of Florence from 1514 to 1519, he was part of the influential Medici family and the dedicatee
of The Prince.
Cesare Borgia
The illegitimate son of pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia pursued military campaigns throughout Italy
with the aid of his powerful father.
Alexander VI
Elected pope in 1492, Alexander VI was a skilled politician and leader who considerably expanded the
territorial power of the Catholic Church through diplomacy and warfare.
Leo
Elected pope in 1513, Leo X was a member of the Medici family of Florence.
Maximilian
As Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 to 1519, Maximilian was a perennial opponent of the French and
Venetians.
Charles VIII
King of France from 1483 to 1498, Charles VIII invaded Italy in 1494, subduing Florence before marching
to Naples.
Louis XII
The successor of Charles VIII of France, Louis XII continued the Italian campaigns pursued by his
predecessor, conquering Milan in 1500 and Naples in 1501.
Francesco Sforza
A skilled mercenary who fought for Filippo Visconti, the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza married
Visconti's daughter in 1441.
Ludovico Sforza
The son of Francesco Sforza, Ludovico ruled as Duke of Milan from 1489 to 1500.
Hannibal
The commander of the army of Carthage, an enemy of Rome.
Commodus
The son and heir of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus ruled Rome from 180 to 193 A.D.
L. Septimius Severus
A military commander under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, Severus became emperor of Rome in 193
A.D.
Plot
The first two chapters describe the book’s scope. The Prince is concerned with autocratic regimes, not with
republican regimes. The first chapter defines the various types of principalities and princes; in doing so, it
constructs an outline for the rest of the book. Chapter III comprehensively describes how to maintain
composite principalities—that is, principalities that are newly created or annexed from another power, so
that the prince is not familiar to the people he rules. Chapter III also introduces the book’s main concerns—
power politics, warcraft, and popular goodwill—in an encapsulated form.
Chapters IV through XIV constitute the heart of the book. Machiavelli offers practical advice on a variety
of matters, including the advantages and disadvantages that attend various routes to power, how to acquire
and hold new states, how to deal with internal insurrection, how to make alliances, and how to maintain a
strong military. Implicit in these chapters are Machiavelli’s views regarding free will, human nature, and
ethics, but these ideas do not manifest themselves explicitly as topics of discussion until later.
Chapters XV to XXIII focus on the qualities of the prince himself. Broadly speaking, this discussion is
guided by Machiavelli’s underlying view that lofty ideals translate into bad government. This premise is
especially true with respect to personal virtue. Certain virtues may be admired for their own sake, but for a
prince to act in accordance with virtue is often detrimental to the state. Similarly, certain vices may be
frowned upon, but vicious actions are sometimes indispensable to the good of the state. Machiavelli
combines this line of reasoning with another: the theme that obtaining the goodwill of the populace is the
best way to maintain power. Thus, the appearance of virtue may be more important than true virtue, which
may be seen as a liability.
The final sections of The Prince link the book to a specific historical context: Italy’s disunity. Machiavelli
sets down his account and explanation of the failure of past Italian rulers and concludes with an impassioned
plea to the future rulers of the nation. Machiavelli asserts the belief that only Lorenzo de’ Medici, to whom
the book is dedicated, can restore Italy’s honor and pride.
Point of View
First Person (Peripheral Narrator)
The narration of The Prince is pretty straightforward. He's not really telling us a story, but instructing us.
Sure, we have some "characters," but Machiavelli doesn't tell us about their feelings, thoughts, or emotions.
All that matters is what these guys do. And that's what Machiavelli tells us about.
Machiavelli's choice of point of view makes sense for the type of work that he is writing. He refers to
himself as "I" rather than Machiavelli, and all of his advice is addressed directly to us.
Theme
Laws and Arms
Fortune and Prowess
Goodwill and Hatred
Virtue and Vice
Moral Lesson
1. Be present
2. Be careful who you trust
3. Learn from the best
4. Be picky about who works for you
5. Read
6. Prepare for the worst
7. Don't be cruel
8. Don't steal
9. Appearances matter
10. Sometimes your enemies are your friends
11.Avoid flatterers
Themes
Statesmanship & Warcraft
Machiavelli believes that good laws follow naturally from a good military. His famous
statement that “the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound
laws” describes the relationship between developing states and war in The
Prince. Machiavelli reverses the conventional understanding of war as a necessary, but
not definitive, element of the development of states, and instead asserts that successful
war is the very foundation upon which all states are built. Much of The Prince is devoted
to describing exactly what it means to conduct a good war: how to effectively fortify a
city, how to treat subjects in newly acquired territories, and how to prevent domestic
insurrection that would distract from a successful war. But Machiavelli’s description of
war encompasses more than just the direct use of military force—it comprises
international diplomacy, domestic politics, tactical strategy, geographic mastery, and
historical analysis. Within the context of Machiavelli’s Italy—when cities were constantly
threatened by neighboring principalities and the area had suffered through power
struggles for many years—his method of viewing almost all affairs of state through a
military lens was a timely innovation in political thinking.
Goodwill & Hatred
To remain in power, a prince must avoid the hatred of his people. It is not necessary for
him to be loved; in fact, it is often better for him to be feared. Being hated, however, can
cause a prince’s downfall. This assertion might seem incompatible with Machiavelli’s
statements on the utility of cruelty, but Machiavelli advocates the use of cruelty only
insofar as it does not compromise the long-term goodwill of the people. The people’s
goodwill is always the best defense against both domestic insurrection and foreign
aggression. Machiavelli warns princes against doing things that might result in hatred,
such as the confiscation of property or the dissolution of traditional institutions. Even
installations that are normally valued for military use, such as fortresses, should be
judged primarily on their potential to garner support for the prince. Indeed, only when he
is absolutely sure that the people who hate him will never be able to rise against him
can a prince cease to worry about incurring the hatred of any of his subjects. Ultimately,
however, obtaining the goodwill of the people has little or nothing to do with a desire for
the overall happiness of the populace. Rather, goodwill is a political instrument to
ensure the stability of the prince’s reign.
Free Will
Machiavelli often uses the words “prowess” and “fortune” to describe two distinct ways
in which a prince can come to power. “Prowess” refers to an individual’s talents, while
“fortune” implies chance or luck. Part of Machiavelli’s aim in writing The Prince is to
investigate how much of a prince’s success or failure is caused by his own free will and
how much is determined by nature or the environment in which he lives. Machiavelli
applies this question specifically to the failure of past Italian princes. In Chapter XXV,
Machiavelli discusses the role of fortune in determining human affairs. He attempts to
compromise between free will and determinism by arguing that fortune controls half of
human actions and leaves the other half to free will. However, Machiavelli also argues
that through foresight—a quality that he champions throughout the book—people can
shield themselves against fortune’s vicissitudes. Thus, Machiavelli can be described as
confident in the power of human beings to shape their destinies to a degree, but equally
confident that human control over events is never absolute.
Virtue
Machiavelli defines virtues as qualities that are praised by others, such as generosity,
compassion, and piety. He argues that a prince should always try to appear virtuous,
but that acting virtuously for virtue’s sake can prove detrimental to the principality. A
prince should not necessarily avoid vices such as cruelty or dishonesty if employing
them will benefit the state. Cruelty and other vices should not be pursued for their own
sake, just as virtue should not be pursued for its own sake: virtues and vices should be
conceived as means to an end. Every action the prince takes must be considered in
light of its effect on the state, not in terms of its intrinsic moral value.
Human Nature
Love endures by a bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their
advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Machiavelli asserts that a number of traits are inherent in human nature. People are
generally self-interested, although their affection for others can be won and lost. They
are content and happy so long they are not victims of something terrible. They may be
trustworthy in prosperous times, but they will quickly turn selfish, deceitful, and profit-
driven in times of adversity. People admire honor, generosity, courage, and piety in
others, but most of them do not exhibit these virtues themselves. Ambition is commonly
found among those who have achieved some power, but most common people are
satisfied with the status quo and therefore do not yearn for increased status. People will
naturally feel a sense of obligation after receiving a favor or service, and this bond is
usually not easily broken. Nevertheless, loyalties are won and lost, and goodwill is
never absolute. Such statements about human nature are often offered up as
justifications for the book’s advice to princes. While Machiavelli backs up his political
arguments with concrete historical evidence, his statements about society and human
nature sometimes have the character of assumptions rather than observations.
1. Be present
"... if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can
quickly remedy them; but if one is not at hand, they are heard of only
when they are great, and then one can no longer remedy them."
2. Be careful who you trust
"... he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined; because
that predominancy has been brought about by astuteness or else by
force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power."
3. Learn from the best
"A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and
to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not
equal theirs, at least it will savour of it."
4. Be picky about who works for you
"The mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they
are, you cannot trust them, because they always aspire to their own
greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others
contrary to your intentions; but if the captain is not skillful, you are
ruined the usual way."
5. Read
"... to exercise the intellect the prince should read histories, and study
there the actions of illustrious men, to see how they have borne
themselves in war, to examine the causes of their victories and defeat, so
as to avoid the latter and imitate the former."
6. Prepare for the worst
"A wise prince ought to observe some such rules, and never in peaceful
times stand idle, but increase his resources with industry in such a way
that they may be available to him in adversity, so that if fortune changes
it may find him prepared to resist her blows."
7. Don't be cruel
"... every prince ought to desire to be considered clement and not cruel."
8. Don't steal
"... above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others,
because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss
of their patrimony. ... he who has once begun to live by robbery will
always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others; but reasons for
taking life, on the contrary, are more difficult to find and sooner lapse."
9. Appearances matter
"... men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, because it
belongs to everybody to see you, to few to come in touch with you. Every
one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those
few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have
the majesty of the state to defend them; and in the actions of all men, and
especially of princes, which it is not prudent to challenge, one judges by
the result."
10. Sometimes your enemies are your friends
"I must not fail to warn a prince, who by means of secret favours has
acquired a new state, that he must well consider the reasons which
induced those to favour him who did so; and if it be not a natural
affection towards him, but only discontent with their government, then
he will only keep them friendly with great trouble and difficulty, for it
will be impossible to satisfy them. And weighing well the reasons for this
in those examples which can be taken from ancient and modern affairs,
we shall find that it is easier for the prince to make friends of those men
who were contented under the former government, and are therefore his
enemies, than of those who, being discontented with it, were favourable
to him and encouraged him to seize it."
11. Avoid flatterers
"It is that of flatterers, of whom courts are full, because men are so self-
complacent in their own affairs, and in a way so deceived in them, that
they are preserved with difficulty from this pest, and if they wish to
defend themselves they run the danger of falling into contempt. Because
there is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting
men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you; but when
every one may tell you the truth, respect for you abates."
“Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.”
“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be
feared than loved”
“And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather
than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both; but since love and fear can
hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.”
