The Prince and The Discourses: a Study in Sovereign Power Essay

When Machiavelli originally wrote The Prince at the end of 1513 and perhaps early 1514, it had been written quickly by an informant who was, among other things, seeking to regain his status in the Florentine regime. Since many an(prenominal) of his colleagues in the republican government had been quickly rehabilitated and returned to service under the Medicis, Machiavelli felt up that he needed a fair advantage in tramp to regain his previous post. It was originally written for presentation to Giuliano deMedici, who might bugger off actually appreciated it. But the dedication was changed when Giulianos died and it was then rededicated to Lorenzo deMedici who probably did non read it when it came into his hands in 1516. Then in 1515-16, when he wrote the Discourses (a untold longer process) it was probably the result of many discussions he might antecedently have had with scholars knowledgeable in political possibility. In any event, when tone at these two books it become s evident that the Prince was meant for an audience who wouldnt take it alone seriously but would look to it as a satirical monitor lizard of what could be and then with the Discourses, of how it should be done.Machiavellis political treatise, The Prince, has previously been seen as a departure from traditional thinking of the time. Machiavelli wanted a new theory that was free of stagnate ideals and ethical codes. The way he described government was as if it were a practical, efficient machine that made its own rules to encounter the situation at hand instead of abiding by laws, morals, or culturally created traditions. Every political thinker before Machiavelli treated the physical exercise of power as a means to an end their only differences imposition in what they considered that end to be and how far... ...when connected to the Discourses it is a way for a sovereign to compare the ideal and the reality of his/her sovereignty. Since the Prince seems to be on the extreme p oint yet ideal end of the governmental spectrum, a sovereign (with the accountability amount of intelligence) could rightfully look to The Prince as an end and The Discourses as a means to that end. In effect, both books have created a full dogged philosophy, just not from outside appearances. But with a little more introspection, a coherent line of thought begins to appear.Works CitedWooton, David ed. Modern governmental Thought Readings from Machiavelli to Nietzsche. Indianapolis Hackett Publishing Company, 2008. Nederman, Cary, Niccol Machiavelli,The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http//plato.standford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/machiavelli.