The Prince and The Discourses: a Study in Sovereign Power

When Machiavelli originally wrote The Prince at the end of 1513 and perhaps early 1514, it had been written quickly by an author who was, among other things, seeking to regain his status in the Florentine government. Since many of his colleagues in the republican government had been quickly rehabilitated and returned to service under the Medici’s, Machiavelli felt that he needed a fair advantage in order to regain his previous post. It was originally written for presentation to Giuliano de'Medici, who might have actually appreciated it. But the dedication was changed when Giulianos died and it was then rededicated to Lorenzo de'Medici who probably did not read it when it came into his hands in 1516. Then in 1515-16, when he wrote the Discourses (a much longer process) it was probably the result of many discussions he might previously have had with scholars knowledgeable in political theory. In any event, when looking at these two books it becomes evident that the Prince was meant for an audience who wouldn’t take it completely seriously but would look to it as a satirical reminder of what could be; and then with the Discourses, of how it should be done.

Machiavelli's political treatise, The Prince, has previously been seen as a departure from traditional thinking of the time. Machiavelli wanted a new theory that was free of stagnate ideals and ethical codes. The way he described government was as if it were a practical, efficient machine that made its own rules to fit the situation at hand instead of abiding by laws, morals, or culturally created traditions. Every political thinker before Machiavelli treated the use of power as a means to an end; their only differences lying in what they considered that end to be and how far...

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...when connected to the Discourses; it is a way for a sovereign to compare the ideal and the reality of his/her sovereignty. Since the Prince seems to be on the extreme yet ideal end of the governmental spectrum, a sovereign (with the right amount of intelligence) could rightfully look to The Prince as an end and The Discourses as a means to that end. In effect, both books have created a full coherent philosophy, just not from outside appearances. But with a little more introspection, a coherent line of thought begins to appear.

Works Cited

Wooton, David ed. “Modern Political Thought: Readings from Machiavelli to Nietzsche.” Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2008.

Nederman, Cary, "Niccolò Machiavelli",The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.standford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/machiavelli.