Machiavelli Prince & Le Cid
It may not always begin as a conscious decision, but it remains clear that there are strong influences on works stemming from previous writings that manifest themselves in major concepts that have undergone changes across time. We can see multiple instances of these influences between Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince and the French play, Le Cid by Pierre Corneille. These influences can be analyzed to determine the social changes that have taken place in the interim between the creations of the two works. This can prove to be a difficult task as the author often times conveys a problem they may currently have with the social or economic structure of their native lands outright. The author may also present a double-edged argument, seeming to point towards one conclusion while leaving the hint of another lingering on each word, or the most self-defeating argument of them all, where the author is making a statement they never intended to make. Some very interesting topics presented in one form or another in both works includes the role of women, aspects of power, aspects of honor. By examining the different arguments and methods used to present them, it can be suggested that the writings of Machiavelli may have had an impact on C
It would appear that one could suggest a correlation between the writing of The Prince by Machiavelli in the early 16th century and the writing of Le Cid by Corneille in the mid-17th century. The analysis of both works in terms of women, power, honor, and appearances strongly suggest that Corneille brought a lot of what he read in The Prince into his own works. This statement cannot be proven without a much greater amount of comparative research; including the analysis of other works by Corneille before and after the time he is believed to have read The Prince and a more in-depth analysis of the social structure Machiavelli would presume a good prince to put in place. What can be said at this point is that if Corneille's writings did not show the Machiavellian influence before his hypothesized time of reading, almost a decade before Le Cid was published, it could be said that a correlation exists. This is expected due to the simple fact that we as a species subconsciously retain everything we ever hear, touch, or see. Even in this analysis, traces of other writing styles and previously studied works can be noticed without a tremendous amount of research. When those of us who study history and philosophy ask why a mistake was made twice, or why a solution worked twice, the answer can be found in the analysis of these two works, separated by time, place, and purpose. Our experiences in life will dictate how we convey our fears, dreams, and all our thoughts; and the ones listening will always hold a little piece of us in their minds, for we are all under the influence of our past. One spurs my pride, the other stays my hand. Machiavelli and Corneille appear to show the clearest disagreement when discussing the role that women play in society, family, and otherwise, but inherently point to the same conclusion. Looking at The Prince, we can clearly see that a women's place is far lower on the social ladder than in the mind of Corneille as Machiavelli, throughout his dissertation, does not make mention to women, except in a comparison to fortune. In this tiny female implication, he says that "fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her..." (Machiavelli, Ch. 25). This indicates that women were not frequently in a position of importance during this time period, and for a woman to reach such a position, it would have to result from dire straights where female rule was the only way out. A contemporary example shows the mother of Louis XIV as the temporary ruler of France, but wrapped around the finger of a male cardinal, who quietly ruled behind the scenes. One of his more subtle creations would later be the French Academy, the powerful critic of Corneille's work. Machiavelli continues, "she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous..." which creates an image of slavery between the male and female partner in the relationship. And lastly, as if to twist the knife inside the modern woman just a little more, he says that a woman is therefore "a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her." Th
Some common words found in the essay are:
Machiavelli* Ch, Le Cid, Machiavelli Corneille's, Don Rodrigue, Corneille's Machiavelli, Pierre Corneille, Count Gomas, Cid Corneille, Cid Prince, French Academy, le cid, strong sense, don rodrigue, strong sense honor, sense honor, flame live shame, love's flame, flame live, writing le, live shame, shame vi, love's flame live, live shame vi, role women, betray love's flame,
Approximate Word count = 2113
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
