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Machiavelli on role of prince
Machiavelli on role of prince
Critically examine the principles of machiavelli in 'the prince
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Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3rd, 1496, in Florence Italy. He was born in a time of intense political confusion when blackmail, violence, and power struggles were rampant. Machiavelli thought that if he were to write a book advising a prince how to maintain his kingdom he might change his leaders. Thus The Prince came to be. In his book, Machiavelli lays down rules, guidelines, and suggestions for princes, kings, and rulers to follow.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during a time of great political stability, around 1604. He even based some of his characters off of real people. Banquo was a tribute to the current king whose lineage was thought to have come from the Scottish noble-men. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest, bloodiest, and most popular tragedy. (Sparknotes)
In the beginning, Macbeth, the main character, showed his courage and brevity when he and his army single handedly defeated the Irish and Norwegian armies. A captain later reported back to the king, he asked him if Macbeth had been frightened during the battle. He replied “Yes, as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion (Shakespeare 2).”
Macbeth’s display of courage followed Machiavelli’s principalities to be a king with strength and patriotism. Not only does a king need to have strength and patriotism, but he also needs to instill the same qualities in his army. It is essential for his army to have the same enthusiasm about war as their leader, if not more enthusiasm. Macbeth was able to prepare his troops for any attack. So when Norway attacked, his army was able to obtain victory. Out of all Machiavelli’s rules, this is the one that Macbeth initially performs the best.
King Duncan was impressed ...
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...ctive, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler (Machiavelli 46).” When it was all said and done, Macbeth had failed to perform the simplest king duties. Macbeth let his paranoia of being discovered get the better of him and his time, because of this he neglected his army. Macbeth obviously never read The Prince, because if he had he would not have messed up so badly. In the end Macbeth lost. He had not fulfilled his duties like a true king would have.
Works Cited
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Second. 5. Mineola, NY: Dover Thrift Edition, 2003. 146. Print
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Second. VII. Mineola, NY: Dover Thrift Edition, 1993. 82. Print.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Prince.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 23 Sept. 2011
In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.
This is my account of Macbeth’s downfall from a popular, successful soldier, quote “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won”, who has received great honours for his loyalty, his courage, his bravery and his nobility. At the end of the play the only respect he has is because of the fear that his subjects have of him.
The drastic measures for the attainment of power are necessary for any upcoming ruler to obtain what they desire. Macbeth had the right ambitions and aspirations when stepping up to rule Scotland, but unfortunately the increase in power increased his greed and paranoia which also painted a larger target upon his back. The people did not appreciate the means of how he obtained his power and especially did not appreciate the ways he kept and defended it. No evidence in the play exists to say Macbeth ruled as a tyrant one could speculate he was an excellent ruler like many that came before him but that would be a large speculation to make. Under the circumstances, Macbeth had great potential, but became corrupted and sank due to his greed, desires, and the opinion of his
Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, portrays Macbeth as a kinsman, subject and trusted friend to King Duncan I of Scotland. A trusted friend, that is, until Macbeth has a chance encounter with the “three witches” (Shakespeare) or the “Weird Sisters”. The witches predict that Macbeth will become the next King and that his fellow companion, Banquo, will be the father of a line of kings. A change comes over Macbeth after his meeting; he is no longer content to be a follower of the King, he will “be” King at any cost. After killing the King and his friend Banquo, losing his wife to madness and ordering the execution of many, Macbeth is killed in much the same fashion as he has killed. But does this really reflect the real King MacBeth of Scotland? While examining the characteristics and actions of the two Macbeths and decide if Shakespeare’s writing was historically sound or was it just “double, double, toil and trouble” (4.1.22-26) playing with MacBeth’s character.
“I have almost forgot the taste of fears/The time has been, my senses would have cool'd/ To hear a night-shriek/and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir/As life were in't/I have supped full with horrors/Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts/Cannot once start me." During Macbeth, the kingdom of Scotland fell into the hands of three different kings. The allegiant (?) and famous Malcolm and Duncan exhibited the qualities of a great king. However, Macbeth had the skills of an unqualified king because he was a tyrant that abused his power by killing innocent people, not holding power over the citizens of his kingdom, and by forcing the kingdom-ship under his own power. All three of the kings were honorable and had great military skills. Thesis?
Other theme that the story has is: never think you are invincible; your confidence might led you to your own death. Trough the story Macbeth gain a lot of enemies, but because of the witches prophecies of him not being beaten by any one born from and woman and other ones that where really difficult to occur, he felt that he was invincible, and this confidence led him to his own grave. In the book there are lot of examples in which Macbeth acts cocky towards his impossibility to be killed. There are two examples that show my point: “Don’t bring me any more reports. I don’t care if all the thanes desert me. Until Birnam Wood gets up and moves to Dunsinane, I wont be affected by fear. What’s the boy Malcolm? Wasn’t he born from a woman? The spirits that know the future have told me t...
“If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacle” -Carl von Clausewitz. This quote depicts Macbeth and how his actions of ambition drove him to what he did and how he completed it. He not only had ambition but he had greed that will often play a more important role in their actions then thoughts. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth we see that greed and ambition has driven Macbeth and has crushed the moral support of Scotland and ended the lives of multiple lords and innocents. At first we see Macbeth as the effulgent hero who “unseam’d” (1.2.23) the traitor Macdonwald in the protection for not only the King but also for the Country, yet turns into
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
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Macbeth doesn't seem to be anything but a scared coward who cannot stand for himself. He couldn’t even tell Lady Macbeth that he had killed Banquo.
In terms of this particular advice, Macbeth is completely lacking in Machiavellian foresight (the ability to foresee the ruin of one's own principality). Instead of gathering all of his potential competitors for the throne, as well as the likely accusers of immoral action, into one location and having them all killed at once, as evidenced i...
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Once said by Marc Twain, this is an excellent example of the human nature that is represented in the play: Macbeth. Shakespeare demonstrates that all humans have the ability to do good or evil. This is strongly affected by the choices that we make and by our actions. These decisions will have a huge impact on our lives and the lives of others. Throughout the play, Macbeth experienced a huge decent into evil and violent action that lead him to his death. With his thirst for power and constant paranoia, he killed his way to seize the crown. By killing Duncan at the beginning of the play, Macbeth soon realizes that nothing can be undone and his blood stained hands can never be cleaned. “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.3 70) said by Lady Macbeth after Duncan’s murder. But what they don’t know is that this is the start of the bloody massacre that will change who they are and how they think forever. Macbeth has multiple hallucinations and his paranoia leads him to hire murderers to kill Macduff’s family out of anger and spite. Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and gets to the point of madness when she kills herself at the end of the play. This demonstrates that our actions can be affected by human nature and our thoughts can be easily corrupted by temptation.
Muir, Kenneth, and Philip Edwards. Aspects of Macbeth: Articles Reprinted from Shakespeare Survey. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1977. Print.
Macbeth is a courageous and honourable general in Scotland. His success in the battle against the