The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli’s The Prince represents one of the most significant political works of all time. Although it is nearly five hundred years old, it is still a work applicable to major world events. Many major themes including the imitating of past figures, the balance of cruelty and mercy, and the retention of power were emphasized in this political marvel. Each of these themes can be seen in the 20th and 21st century as well as in The Prince. One of the first themes Machiavelli discussed is the imitating of past figures. He stated that the best way to succeed was to study those who had succeeded in the past, to find their flaws and learn from them, and to imitate their victorious actions. To express this, he wrote, “But for the exercise of the mind, the prince must read the histories, and in those consider the actions of excellent men, see how they carried themselves in the wars, examine the causes of their victories and losses, to be able to avoid the latter and imitate the former.” This is supported by the fact that many famous figures that should be imitated were only triumphant in their time because they themselves had mimicked someone else before them that was also successful. “And above all to do as some excellent man has
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Approximate Word count = 1460
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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