PDP4- "The Prince"

Author Bio: Niccolo Machiavelli lived during the Italian Renaissance, working and fighting mainly against the powerful Medici family. After being put in jail, tortured, and exiled for going against the family after they won the war, Machiavelli wrote a book called "The Prince" to try and earn back their approval, which didn't work. The book, because wanting to impress Lorenzo de Medici, was straightforward in what Machiavelli thought were the best tips for a "prince" in his situation, with little bias towards leaning away from that type of government and more towards a republic.

Data/Context: The document fits into the understanding of history and culture because it is in the middle of a time where Italy was divided into city-states and politics and morals blended together. Machiavelli was one of the first people to separate politics, saying that it is not about people liking a person, but about power and no morals. At the time, this was very controversial as no one saw it as true, but progressing into modern times more people identify with his statements and agree that those characteristics are becoming more prominent.

Summary: The main idea of the document is that the "prince" or ruler of an empire or kingdom is going to face many hard decisions, and that ultimately in politics the goal is to gain power and not favor. In the first section, Machiavelli discusses how a prince should live with the goal of getting the most benefit instead of living constantly by good morals. In the next section, he talks about if a ruler would rather be feared or loved, citing successful people who were cruel, but achieved great gain for their territories. In general, Machiavelli believes that it is better to be feared because people will be less likely to turn on that person. Finally, he touches on how faithful princes should be in keeping their word, making comparisons to foxes and lions as one is cunning and deceitful while the other is strong in defending themselves from wolves. Machiavelli points out that a prince should be both, so that he will not be fooled or attacked. He then connects it to being good all the time, and how a prince usually needs to keep being good and honest in the back of his mind, while also being able to use the evil when needed.

Key quotation: "Nevertheless, the prince must make himself feared in such a way that, although he does not acquire love, he avoids hatred..."