The Prince Group

Question:

myaryah
myaryah
Student
High School - 9th Grade

In "The Prince," how does Machiavelli argue for what a prince needs in order to maintain power?

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Posted by myaryah on Thursday December 27, 2007 at 2:23 PM and tagged with power, prince, the prince, themes.

Answers:


  1. renelane Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    It used to be that a prince needed to be moral-and his power relied on it. To gain power as a prince, the public noted his church-going habits, his sinfulness, and his lifestyle. Machiavelli wrote of a change in the politics of power. He noted that the prince need only give the perception of morality-not live it. The public perception-that he appeared moral-was key to gaining power. It didn't matter if his private life was not a morally/ethically correct manner, as long as he pretended to be of sound character. Showing his subjects what they expected of a prince was the most important quality necessary.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/prince/themes

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    Posted by renelane on Thursday December 27, 2007 at 3:17 PM