Prince (The Four Theories)

This past week we have been reading “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli. There are four theories on why Machiavelli wrote this book. The first is that he wrote it as a handbook for princes. I can partially understand this one since it sounds like he is explaining how a prince should run things and what he should do or not do. The second is that it is a pagan subversive humanist attack on the church and state. I understand this one also since he is pretty much going against all of the teachings of the church. He feels that a prince should use any means to get what he wants and hold what he owns. The third is that he wrote it as a response to his exile. This one I had a hard time figuring out since I didn’t know Machiavelli’s past, but after we went over it in class I can understand why he might have written the book in response to his exile. The reason that he was exiled was that he was suspected of plotting against the madici. He was first fired from his job, then he was tortured, and then he was exiled. It was during his exile that he produced most of his major works including this book. The fourth is that he wrote it as a satire and parody of the Italian government. In other words he wrote it to make fun of the Italian government. This is the most commonly believed theory. I felt that I should start with these four theories and next week I will begin discussing what Machiavelli actually wrote.