Changing Interpretations of The Prince and Niccolo Machiavelli

Changing Interpretations of The Prince and Niccolo Machiavelli

After five hundred years, Niccolo Machiavelli the man has ceased to exist. In his place is merely an entity, one that is human, but also something that is far above one. The debate over his political ideologies and theories has elevated him to a mythical status summed up in one word: Machiavelli. His family name has evolved into an adjective in the English language in its various forms. Writers and pundit’s bandy about this new adjective in such ways as, “He is a Machiavelli,” “They are Machiavelli’s,” “This is suitable for a Machiavelli.” These phrases are almost always the words of a person that understands more about Niccolo’s reputation than the man himself. Forgotten is that Machiavelli is not an adequate example of the ruler he is credited with describing; a more accurate statement would be to call someone a “Borgia” or a “Valentino.” Most of the time they are grossly mistaken in their references. All these words accomplish is to add to the legend, and the misinterpretation, of the true nature of Niccolo Machiavelli.

In recent history, the last fifty years or so, modern businessmen and politicians have given Machiavelli a Renaissance of his own. Professional politicians have written novels they claim to be on the same philosophical level of Machiavelli’s The Prince. Gary Hart, in his book The Patriot: An Exhortation to Liberate America From the Barbarians attempts to update Niccolo to the modern age with his own political philosophies, and attempts to credit Machiavelli by quoting him frequently. “Hart makes an effort to mimic the form, if not the spirit, of the most famous work by his Florentine ‘mentor.’…There is a dedicatory le...

... middle of paper ...

...rt of War. In Peter Bondanella’s and Mark Musa’s (eds) The Portable Machiavelli. (pp. 480-517) New York, New York: Penguin Books.

Machiavelli, Nicolo (1532) The Prince. In Peter Bondanella’s and Mark Musa’s (eds) The Portable Machiavelli. (pp. 77-166) New York, New York: Penguin Books.

Manuel, Gren. (1999, February 26). Machiavelli just misunderstood. South China Morning Post.

W.W.J.O.B.O.M.D?: (What Would Jesus or Buddha or Machiavelli Do?) (2000, January 8) The Ottawa Citizen, p. B7.

Page, Clarence. (1998, October 25). Bill Clinton can teach Machiavelli a thing or two. The Houston Chronicle, p. 3.

Turner, Robert L. (1999, July 20). A cynical look at American politics; Book Review; The New Prince; by Dick Morris. The Boston Globe, p. E3.

Zimmerman, Martin. (2000, March 27). Raw power, weak humor. The Seattle Times, p. E3