From Esther Lombardi,
Your Guide to Classic Literature.
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Several years ago, I saw a documentary about the continuing impact of Nicolò Machiavelli's "The Prince." The film depicted Machiavelli wandering pensively through a forest, while the narrator recited excerpts from the treatise, which sounded practical but often sinister. Curiosity compelled me to read the treatise.

In 1512, de Medici had been restored to power. Machiavelli, a Florentine public official, fell from favor, and was exiled to the countryside, where he devoted himself to studies of antiquity. In 1513, Machiavelli presented "The Prince" to de Medici, hoping to regain favor; but the effort failed.

"The Prince" offers a calculating common sense approach to maintaining the rule and preservation of principalities. Machiavelli distinguishes between hereditary principalities and new ones, citing advantages and disadvantages.

Machiavelli argues that opportunism is an impetus of change in rule: "…you have enemies in all those whom you have injured in seizing that principality, and you are not able to keep those friends who put you there because of your not being able to satisfy them in the way they expected..." Both the ruler and the ruled can be ruthless. We need not refer our attention to the past to notice this, for this conduct can also be found in business, where Machiavellianism figures as something akin to Social Darwinism.

The treatise is a guide to actualizing an intention, and Machiavelli weighs the methods in achieving that intention. There are cold streaks in his discourse, some of which cut like a scythe into the soul of a pacifist reader. Machiavelli had an impressive insight into the political mechanisms of bygone regimes and dynasties, and he was equally gifted at analyzing and relaying the cause for victories and defeats of powerful historical figures.

The message and interpretation of Chapter XVII of "The Prince" is especially interesting, for here the author asks whether it is better to be loved than feared. Which trait will prove effective in dealing with governed subjects--cruelty or clemency? He examines what measures must be taken when cruelty rebounds and clemency fails, and provides anecdotes from history, concluding the chapter with a subjective verdict.

Machiavelli thought not only of how his work could benefit rule in Florence; in a visionary manner, he urged his contemporaries to purge from Italy the spread of barbarism. His final thoughts on the subject invoke the hope for national redemption. Of course, while the treatise is Machiavelli's best known work, it was not the most popular work during his lifetime. His comic "Mandragola" brought him fame as a writer, though he would have no doubt much preferred to become famous for "The Prince," since his greatest desire was to be re-instated as a Florentine public official.

"The Prince" is a detailed blueprint that highlights the nuances of persuasion and power, but the text of this early sixteenth-century document can be transferred into our age. Rulers decide for themselves whether it is best to be loved or feared, and that decision can make a real difference in our lives.