According to Niccolo Machiavelli’s, The Prince, there are five traits that make up a successful leader. The five traits that are necessary in determining a leader’s success involve being feared, being virtuous, having the support of the people, having intelligence and the use of arms. In this paper, I will argue that the Duke Vincentio of William Shakespeare’s, Measure for Measure, is an ineffective leader because he loses virtue acting deceitful and spying on his subjects as a friar. Also, when he realizes that his people do not fear him, he allows for Angelo to come so that he can win their respect by becoming the better option of the two. It is portrayed by his constant presence in the play as the friar, that instead of earning the support of his people, he treats them as puppets and himself as the master puppeteer.
The people do not fear the Duke so he tries to win them over another way; he selfishly puts Angelo in power, knowing that Angelo’s faults will make the Duke look like a better leader. The duke is a soft ruler and cannot bring himself to punish his people when they commit a crime. When his loses the respect and fear of his people, he puts Angelo in charge of the people, knowing that he may not be fit for the task. The duke may have saw putting Angelo in power and dressing as a friar as a way to establish law and order in Vienna but still being the merciful leader he is known as. When the Duke asks Lord Angelo to take over, Angelo refuses and says that his skill must be tested some other way first. The Duke responds by saying:
My haste may not admit it;
Not need you, on mine honour, have to do
With any scruple: your scope is as mine own,
So to enforce or qualify the laws
As to your soul seems good. Give me you...
... middle of paper ...
...e is going to tell next to deceive his power. Throughout his presence in the play as the friar, the Duke is never recognized as his true self. This portrays an intelligent man, experienced in the art of scheming and lying.
Niccolo Machiavelli would classify the Duke as an ineffective ruler because he fails to uphold virtue when constantly deceives his subjects. The duke may be intelligent in his scheming ways, but this is the only on of Machiavelli’s five traits that the Duke portrays throughout the play. His people does not fear the Duke Vincentio as Machiavelli believes a good leader should be and he tries to steal the respect of his people by putting a harsh ruler into power. His huge role in the play both as his role as the friar and the Duke, shows that instead of earning the support of his people, he treats them as puppets and himself as the master puppeteer.
Niccolò Machiavelli was a man who lived during the fourteen and fifteen hundreds in Florence, Italy, and spent part of his life imprisoned after the Medici princes returned to power. He believed that he should express his feelings on how a prince should be through writing and became the author of “The Qualities of a Prince.” In his essay, he discusses many points on how a prince should act based on military matters, reputation, giving back to the people, punishment, and keeping promises. When writing his essay, he follows his points with examples to back up his beliefs. In summary, Machiavelli’s “The Qualities of a Prince,” provides us with what actions and behaviors that a prince should have in order to maintain power and respect.
It has been shown again and again throughout history and literature that if there is a perfect human he is not also the perfect ruler. Those traits which we hold as good, such as the following of some sort of moral code, interfere with the necessity of detachment in a ruler. In both Henry IV and Richard II, Shakespeare explores what properties must be present in a good ruler. Those who are imperfect morally, who take into account only self-interest and not honor or what is appropriate, rise to rule, and stay in power.
William Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’ presents a kingdom in turmoil, largely due to the Fascist ideals of the King’s brother, Richard. In this essay I will explore how Richard, the titular character represents the ideals of Fascism, mainly in the Italian style. These include; encouraged Nationalism and Patriotism, Disregard of human rights, Militant supremacy, Manipulation, Heavy punishment and fear mongering. I will go on to discuss how a monarchy and the role of kingship can affect these theories.
The novel Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding. Golding wanted the story to be about a group of young boys whose plane crashed on an island, trying to escape war. The whole concept of this was so that he can show what a group of people can become given a set of inflicting conflicts that can change them for better or for worst. He gives great detail on how they go from sane to insane in a matter of time and turn into someone completely different all together. One of the boys on the island is named Simon. Simon’s personality and traits are similar to Jesus Christ because they both posse a form of insight, spirituality, and compassion.
The events that take place in the play are all made possible by the original usurpation against Prospero, the right Duke of Milan by Antonio, his brother, the usurping Duke of Milan. The usurpation itself is made possible initially because Prospero has become increasingly more spellbound by his library of books, the same books which he later uses to exact his revenge. This is to say that not only are these books primarily the sole cause of Prospero's loss of power, but they are also entirely responsible for Prospero's dukedom being reinstated, because the magic they grant him gave him the power to do just that. This is one example of how power will always end up back in its rightful place.
Although Machiavelli gives numerous points on what it takes to excel as a prince, he also shows some raw examples of how he feels a prince should act in order to achieve maximum supremacy. First, when he says, "ought to hold of little account a reputation for being mean, for it is one of those vices which will enable him to govern" proves Machiavelli feels mighty adamant about his view that being mean will help a prince achieve success (332). It is absurd to imagine the meanest prince as the most successful. Also, when Machiavelli states, "our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft" revealing his attitude to manipulate people into fearing and respecting the prince (335). Also, Machiavelli shows that for a prince to be successful, he must not think about good faith.
In conclusion, through the use of caesura and rhetorical questions, Duke Ferrara exposes his controlling, egotistical character. Through his description of the Duchess and his recount of her reactions to others’ gifts, Duke Ferrara reveals a motive for murdering the Duchess. Through his aside comment concerning the curtain, Duke Ferrara connects the two together and unearths his crime to the audience. Through the exaggerated example of the Duke killing his Duchess in an attempt to control her, Robert Browning successfully demonstrates a social commentary: men go to extremes to sustain control. By fabricating the Duke as an evil individual, Browning effectively renders the audience receptive to his message.
Two powerful leaders, one power hungry whose ambitious ideas lead to his downfall, the other mindful of people who deserve their higher positions. A true leader is someone who has a vision, a drive and commitment to achieve what's best. In the play written by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Brutus and Caesar are one of the main characters. They demonstrate leadership qualities that are still relevant to today. They are both very ambitious characters; however, they do so for different reasons and differ in their openness to others. There are many similarities and differences that lie between them. Both are noble and great men with loyal followers and neither man questions the rightness of his own path. Both made crucial mistakes that resulted in their death. However, Caesar acts out of love for for himself, his country, and to retain his power as ruler of Rome. Brutus on the other hand acts out of love for freedom of Rome. This essay will discuss and compare their qualities as leaders as well as their styles and how they are effective/ineffective in the play.
Within Measure for Measure, the character of Angelo can be seen as a case study of will over moral nature. Angelo, a deputy, is given the Dukes authority to act in his behalf while the Duke is away. The story unfolds as Angelo uses the agency he's been given in ways that many men in authoritative positions have done. It is interesting to follow his line of thought and to realize that this is a man who is not unlike many others. The main conflict between Isabella and Angelo is a contemporary problem. Measure for Measure is a unique opportunity to investigate the personality types of the characters involved in the conflict, and the study of these complex characters can give meaningful insights into the nature of human emotion and action.
“The Prince”, by Niccolo Machiavelli, is a series of letters written to the current ruler of Italy, Lorenzo de’ Medici. These letters are a “how-to” guide on what to do and what not to do. He uses examples to further express his views on the subject. The main purpose was to inform the reader how to effectively rule and be an acceptable Prince. Any ruler who wishes to keep absolute control of his principality must use not only wisdom and skill, but cunning and cruelness through fear rather than love. Machiavelli writes this book as his summary of all the deeds of great men.
Through his many years of experience with Italian politics Machiavelli wrote “The Prince”; a how-to guide for new rulers. We are given descriptions of what a leader should do to effectively lead his country. A leader should be the only authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy to serve his best interests. These interests are gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. Machiavelli’s idea is that a ruler should use a variety of strategies (virtues) to secure his power. Machiavelli lists five virtues that a ruler should appear to have; being compassionate, trustworthy, generous, honest and religious. A ruler should possess all the qualities considered good by other people.
benefit to them as individuals. Machiavelli further goes on to question the loyalty of the citizens and advises the Prince that men
The time of the Renaissance is one filled with growth of intellect, beauty of nature, the dignity of mankind, and the rising of artists. It is characterized from the move of scholasticism, a devotion specifically for the theological and philosophical teachings of the Church to humanism, a devotion to the humanities of rhetoric, arithmetic, and other subjects. One example of this movement can be seen in Machiavelli’s The Prince in which describes Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and how to obtain stability, which was lacking as during the time of his writing this, there was a power shift from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. How Machiavelli describes his ideal prince and his leadership is one that in which he is
Shakespeare’s use of disguise has left the audience in suspense. The audience is left waiting to
Two historically contrasting examples from past can help illustrate Shakespeare’s significance and meaning in his quote. Both Martin Lu...