Political Philosophy in Machiavelli’s The Prince and Discourses on Livy

The term political philosophy cannot be mentioned without Machiavelli’s The Prince coming to mind. This is one of the most notable books ever written on the topic of politics and one of the most well known books to come from the Renaissance, but it is not the only book from this time period that focused on politics. Machiavelli also wrote Discourses on Livy, which gives a very different view of the political world and Francis Bacon wrote about the reign of Henry VII. Each of these manuscripts focuses on the different traits that a prince ought to have, their views on how to gain political power, and their political philosophies. In The Prince, Machiavelli believes that the key to power is a combination of fear and love; in the Discourses on Livy, he writes that knowledge of the past is important, and Bacon seems to think that being a private man while knowing much about others is most vital.

Machiavelli’s The Prince shows how to gain political power in anyway possible. He is almost completely pragmatic in the book with little regard to morals. He states at the outset of the book that he is not dealing with republics but with princes and the best ways for them to rule over the people (1). Machiavelli believes that one of the most needed traits in a prince is that he be both feared and loved. He knew this was hard to accomplish and said that if a prince had to choose between being loved or feared he should choose fear. Machiavelli describes men as “Thankless, fickle, false, studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain, devoted to you while you able to confer benefits upon them… but in your hour of need they turn against you”(43-44). This low view of man that Machiavelli expressed impacted the way he felt a prince should rule. He seem...

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...ourses on Livy shows a very different side to Machiavelli. Instead of focusing only on the prince (though he does somewhat) he spends most of his time discussing the republic and why it is important. According to Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli still thinks a prince or king should rule but they should rely more on a republic. By doing this, all the power would not fall to one person. The key difference between Machiavelli’s The Prince and Discourses on Livy is that in The Prince he focuses on a prince who will do anything to have power and his primary method of maintaining control is through manipulation. Discourses on Livy focuses on how to retain control by being a good ruler and understanding the leaders who have come before you. Bacon shows a man who is able to maintain control by using the right amount of force when needed and by masterfully using secrecy.