Telling the Story of Machiavelli's The Prince

 Telling the Story of Machiavelli's "The Prince"

Published by: Alec Barbour

What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler

Throughout the course of history, we have seen a number of arguments in which Machiavelli presents his theories as an ethical thinker, because ultimately, as a republican, he has been known to show the readers that the consequences of becoming a prince are ensued when trying to practice by the means of our language and provides how we can distinguish them. From the course of “The Prince”, we have been presented by a number of writers who have been inspired by the work of Machiavelli and try to present their case or means in an article formation, and one of those being names is Erica Benner who was one of them and published her article entitled “Machiavelli's Prince: A New Reading”. Benner’s work in regards to “The Prince” is presented in a way to show the irony that went into play by Machiavelli’s novel, but since she establishes her thoughts through the course of democracy, she argues on the matter which doesn’t consist of what both republicans and democrats would do together if Machiavelli’s theory of being prince would signify their beliefs together. To go further into the article, one thing that Benner argues about the mindset of the republican ambition is “Machiavelli describes and seems to commend republican Rome’s ambition to dominate the ‘free’ province of Greece, although he also states that there was no pressing necessity for the conquest” (Benner, 304). Looking back on the novel, there is a clear understanding in regards to his view on politics that free republics are better by having power structures that can Harnish the principalities. Another example we can see from Benner’s argument is “Machiavelli’s subtle criticisms of any policy that depends on the advantages he identifies with fortune” (Benner, 308). Benner’s words show the praise for Machiavelli because it seemed as if he was trying to make the most wretchedness out of his accomplishments so that he can educate his viewers and show them they are not to succumb to the rhetoric’s of a prince’s work. Ultimately, Benner’s main theme for the article was to provide details from the early chapter of Machiavelli’s Prince and show that people need to take into account of what a ruler or republican can conduct with the course of popular sentiment. 

This photo represents an Italian Impression during the 16th century where the family of Darius III would be conquered by Alexander the Great. This was something that was relevant to Machiavelli because he based his opinions upon the Near East where it would eventually be ruled again by the Ottoman Empire.

After reading Benner’s article, and making a comparison to Machiavelli’s novel, one of the main point of views is that Benner was wanting to address the importance of the people’s safeties and needs that are going to be brought by the orders of the prince. One of the points that she makes early in the article if when a prince that understood the reliance of his people and having to make a principality that will be stable for the future, will virtually become impossible to overcome. To make a link to this claim, what Benner claims about Machiavelli’s use of teaching is provided when she quotes “the Prince seeks to teach princes how to convert their quasi-monarchies into republics” (Benner, 309). This is relevant to what Machiavelli claimed in his novel because one of the things that he mentions about the use of forming monarchies is early in chapter three when he quotes “hereditary states which have grown used to the family of their ruler are much less trouble to maintain than the new ones are” (Machiavelli, 5). From these two different opinions, it provides a great detail that Machiavelli was willing to provide the usage that it can make a prince more equipped to turn smaller and less troublesome families into their own state of monarchy which shows that Benner believed Machiavelli was more focused on the means of his reputation as prince than the necessary needs of the people surrounding this republic.  

https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/machiavelli-s-prince-a-new-reading/

The idea and mindset that Machiavelli was willing to achieve was in a manner of a faithless brutality. In regards to that, his belief was that is not sufficient to redeem the combat of the law and that people like him should recourse themselves in order to force the worst of all situations and that can be not considering the natures of combining both law and force together. One of the things that can be consistent to what Machiavelli was trying to claim was something that he mentions in chapter fifteen, “he should not worry about incurring the infamy of those vices without which it would be hard for him to save his state, for carefully taking everything into account, a man will discover that something resembling a virtue would, if it were put into practice” (Machiavelli, 49). The circumstances that Machiavelli brings to the rest of the world are equipped with the collapsing of the both tyranny and also kingship because from his perspective, good laws can be naturally followed if it came from a good military, in other words the understanding of wars in a conventional sense are deemed necessary for his republic. This was one of the examples set by Machiavelli, and in my opinion, it shows a great detail that many viewers will get equipped and obsessed with these skills of becoming someone powerful that they will lose sight of the true importance’s of democracy and organized systems. Which is why from Benner’s article, she goes into detail about the importance of hereditary princes that will go further into being equipped with the use of having an “ordinary industry” and also be able to provide good orders, so that it will not lack "extraordinary vices" which will allow them to work harder and have their states maintained in a good manner for all. One of the things that was most important to present to Benner’s overall meaning of the article was “"while the necessity to offend is a natural and ordinary consequence of becoming a new prince, the wish to be or to create a new prince is not itself natural, ordinary, or necessary" (Benner, 333). This translates to the importance of what the word ordinary was defined as in regards to Machiavelli’s belief, that principality is not something that can be considered ordinary or even naturally, it is something that can be equipped if the person has the free-will and understanding to combine forces of both law and stability that can make a union or place flow more naturally in the renaissance. 

Work Cited 

Benner, Erica. "From Machiavelli's Prince: A New Reading". Third Norton Critical Edition. Published 2013

Erica Benner, Machiavelli's Prince: A New Reading, Oxford University Press, 2013, lv + 343pp., $85.00 (hbk), ISBN 9780199653638.