Essay about Niccolo Machiavelli - 1653 Words

According to legend, just before his death, Niccolo Machiavelli told his friends that had remained faithful to him up until the very end about a dream he had had. In his dream, he had seen a group of peasants, wretched and decrepit in appearance. He asked them who they were. They replied, ‘We are the saintly and the blessed; we are on our way to heaven.’ Then he saw a crowd of formally attired men, aristocratic and grim in appearance, speaking solemnly of important political matters. Again, he asked them who they were and where they were going. ‘We are the damned of Hell’ was their answer. Machiavelli later remarked that he would be far happier in Hell. This story was from Viroli’s Niccolo’s Smile (â€Å"The Mask and The Face†). The crowd of†¦show more content†¦There were many new ideas and theories popping up during that era. The cultural revolution was causing civil unrest throughout Italy. Machiavelli’s family was par t of Florentine nobility and well educated, but they were considered middle class financially. Machiavelli loved to read classic literature, a characteristic of both his parents, and his thinking was influenced by the Medici, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Seneca, and his education at the University of Florence. Born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Italy, his father was Bernardo di Niccolà ² Machiavelli and his mother was Bartolomea di Stefano Nelli, both from noble families. In 1502, at the age of thirty-three he married Marietta Corsini and proceeded to have four sons and two daughters. He died on May 22, 1527 in Florence, Italy with a bad reputation from his theories being misunderstood. His grandson, Giovanni Ricci, was important because he preserved many of Machiavelli’s letters and writings for future generations to read and interpret. Machiavelli had, overall, a very successful career and accomplished many things as an important political figure in Italy. He was well renowned and considered the first great politician of his time. He was also the first politician to apply Aristotle’s scientific method of separating morals from facts. But, he was also accused of plagiarizing theories from others. At the relatively young age of twenty-nine, he secured the high public office of Show MoreRelatedNiccolo Machiavelli Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli is a great influence on many poloticians, philosophers, and leaders alike. His name has also come into our grammer as Machiavellian or Machiavellism meaning a brutal or realist view of something perhaps not the most moral of methods but it is effective. In Niccolo Machiavellis day and age he was one of the few that could read and write literacy was left primarily to preists and poloticians. He was oviously a very skilled politician and had a knowledge for the art of war. Read MoreThe Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli885 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli was born in Italy in 1469 and began his political career in 1498. At that time, Italy was struggling politically. The government was so corrupt and was comprised of several independently operated city-states. What further complicated matters was that this is where the pope lived. He was leader of the Catholic Church, controlled his own te rritory, and had more influence than any prince of any of the other city-states in Italy. Machiavelli was suspected of being an enemy ofRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli Around 1513 Niccolo Machiavelli while writing The Prince would not be considered a theologian. When thinking of Machiavelli many people confuse him together with the names of rulers who have abused his writings. It also seems other people confuse Machiavelli with the rapper who took his name. Either way people confuse Machiavelli it seems they fail to look at his true message, bettering the state and the greater good. Machiavelli may seem evil to some but his politicalRead MoreEssay on The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli700 Words   |  3 PagesThe Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince by Niccolà ² Machiavelli was written in the year 1513 A.C.E. in Italy during a time in which his views were greatly detested by others. They were so hated that he was exiled from his own country for writing them. When hearing this, one must ask oneself, what kinds of views did Machiavelli have so that his own country would cast him out? His ideas, though written very complexly, were very simple. One must gain success and to do so, any means were justifiableRead MoreNiccolà ³ Machiavelli: Fear or Love540 Words   |  2 PagesMachiavelli: Fear or Love? 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Stating that there are a number of way you can become a prince by Favor of the people, but must maintain a healthy friendship and offer protectionRead More Changing Interpretations of The Prince and Niccolo Machiavelli2638 Words   |  11 PagesChanging Interpretations of The Prince and Niccolo Machiavelli After five hundred years, Niccolo Machiavelli the man has ceased to exist. In his place is merely an entity, one that is human, but also something that is far above one. The debate over his political ideologies and theories has elevated him to a mythical status summed up in one word: Machiavelli. His family name has evolved into an adjective in the English language in its various forms. Writers and pundit’s bandy about this newRead MoreThe Prince and The Discourses by Niccolo Machiavelli1753 Words   |  7 Pagesputs Florence in an even worse situation. As a person working at the office of the second chancellery of Florence with great interest in politics, Machiavelli tries to come up with some possible solutions that could get Florence into a better situation. Through his political career as a diplomat and secretary under the regime of Piero Soderini, Machiavelli realizes how important the role of the populace is in order for the Florentine government to get close to wh at he thinks of as the ideal model ofRead MoreThree Points that Niccolo Machiavelli Illustrates in The Prince743 Words   |  3 PagesThree Points that Niccolo Machiavelli Illustrates in The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli is a very pragmatic political theorist. His political theories are directly related to the current bad state of affairs in Italy that is in dire need of a new ruler to help bring order to the country. Some of his philosophies may sound extreme and many people may call him evil, but the truth is that Niccolo Machiavelli’s writings are only aimed at fixing the current corruptions and cruelties that filled theRead MoreBiography of and Principles Taught By Niccolo Machiavelli Essay1047 Words   |  5 PagesMachiavelli Essay: Question 1 Born in the 15th century, Niccolà ² Machiavelli was an Italian historian, politician, philosopher, diplomat and humanist. Following his career as an official in the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli was a founder of modern political science and political ethics. In the political treatise The Prince, written in 1532, Machiavelli outlines several key traits of a successful princedom such as; how to incorporate newly acquired provinces, the most successful way to conquer territories