FREE ESSAY ON MACHIAVELLI: MAN OR MONSTER?

MACHIAVELLI: MAN OR MONSTER?

When most people think of the word Machiavelli, they usually think of evil. Nicolo
Machiavelli is often thought of as a devil. Indeed, shortly after the book's publication,
he was vilified. Only recently has he started to be thought of as a perceptive analyst,
with a unique knowledge of human nature (Curry, 5). Francis Bacon, a noted writer,
philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, has been quoted as saying, "We are much
beholden to Machiavelli and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to
do."
His landmark book, of course, is the brief, intense, and powerful book, "The Prince".
When most people think of him, they only remember this book. However, he had many other
talents. He is the writer of several comedies, including "La Mandragola", "Clizia", and
"The Woman From Andros". He was the first author of the history of Florence, his
hometown. He was given the standard humanistic education available, which taught him
logic, rhetoric, grammar, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music (Curry, 17).
At the age of 29, he was elected to the post of second chancellor, probably thanks to
friends of his father. He soon became secretary of the Ten of War, Florence's military
and foreign affairs council. This means he was to report to the Ten of War on diplomatic
matters, and as messenger in negotiations. His real work, of course, was more involved,
and himself often assisted on sensitive issues himself (Curry, 31). Throughout this work,
he displayed what was to become steadfast dedication. In 1502, Machiavelli was sent to
meet the inspiration for "The Prince", Cesare Borgia. At the time, Borgia was rapidly
gutting a new domain for himself, something the Ten of War found threatening, of course.
Machiavelli was in shock and awe when he saw how Borgia dealt with plotters who intended
to kill him: he had them killed at dinner. However, he relied on fate than his ability
(Curry, 1502). Eventually, Borgia's luck ran out, and his empire fell apart when he
became sick (Machiavelli, 118).
In 1507, Machiavelli and a friend, Piero Soderini, proposed a militia to defend
Florence's interests. Until this point, Florence had used mercenaries, which had proven
useless in several campaigns. The proposal was accepted, and the "Nine of Militia" was
formed, with Machiavelli as secretary. He is regarded as a highly successful tactician,
and wrote a book on the subject, "The Art of War". Within two years, the city of Pisa was
regained. Pisa had been a source of constant embarrassment, it being lost in 1494 and
staying intact after two failed campaigns (Curry, 32, 40).
Then, three years after that, the Medici, the old ruling family, took power again.
Machiavelli was dismissed from his posts and tortured for a month. Luckily, in March, the
pope died, and the new pope came from the Medici family. Florence became a papal land and
amnesty was declared. Knowing he was still unsafe, he left the city of Florence and
retired to his private farm. There he adapted to a completely different style of life, by
day overseeing work, reading poetry, gossiping, drinking, and playing games with the
locals. At night, he would change dramatically. He would enter the house, exchange his
day clothes for his robes of state, and begin to write. The fruit of this labor was "The
Prince", written to win favor with the Medici family (Curry, 42-48)(Machiavelli, 31).
The Medici, however, had no need of him, and his political leanings made him a liability.
He realized that he would not be re-hired, and turned to writing. His first known play,
"La Mandragola", was written in 1518. It is a black comedy, and every bit as lewd as
modern comedies (Machiavelli, 67-106). He started becoming active again as a political
thinker, and soon found himself writing another book, "The Discourses on the First Decade
of Titus Livius", or as it's known today, "The Discourses". It is the longest and most
original of Machivelli's work, and absolutely essential, because it shows that he doesn't
believe in immorality for its own sake, and that the strongest, most united state is the
republic (Curry, 86-88).
In 1519, as his work on "The Discourses" was finished, the Medici ruler of Florence died.
He was again formally introduced in court, with the help of a good friend who was related
to Pope Clement VII. In 1520, he began work on "The History of Florence", presenting it
five years later to the Pope himself. The next year, the Pope formed an alliance with
France, and Machiavelli was at last given diplomatic work. Spain declared war on Italy,
and Rome was sacked instead of the targets given. Medici rule, without support from Rome,
quickly failed. However, the new republican government rejected Machiavelli because of
his ties to the Medici government. This could have been the fatal blow, as he died the
same year (Curry, 112-121).
Throughout his life, he showed a loyalty rarely spoken of in his famous work. His
desperation for employment in Florence forced him to betray his own Republican beliefs,
for which he was tortured by the same regime. In his writing, he still sticks to his
humanistic roots, while the topics he approaches are radical to say the least. This may
be one of the things that makes him relevant reading today. His life was a quiet one, in
which he lived a lifestyle totally unlike those described in "The Prince". He has no lust
for power, only to serve. It would make sense, then, that his genius, combined with his
application of it, show that he was not a violent man himself. In the language of today,
he was hardly Machiavellian.
Bibliography
Curry, Patrick. Introducing Machiavelli. New York: Totem Books, 1996
Fisher, Markus. "Machiavelli's Political Psychology." Review of Politics. Fall '97,
Vol. 59, Issue 4, p. 789.