Machiavelli: Hero or Villain? Essay

pen nonpareil and only(a) of the roughly acclaimed books of all time must not fool been easy not one bit. Stating that, the fact that Frederick Douglas, among many others, is capable of criticizing Machiavelli and his dash work on The Prince, really infuriates me. Unconsciously, Niccolo Machiavelli became one of the first and most all-important(a) philosophical leaders of all time after writing The Prince. Although The Prince is considered one of the greatest pieces of political opening in history, it is not always looked upon favorably, and a clear example of this comes from Frederick the Great. In 1739, Frederick the Great wrote a puckish brushup of The Prince entitled Refutation of The Prince of Machiavelli in which he expressed that he notion Machiavelli corrupted politics, and in doing so hoped to destroy the real percepts of sound religion.This is an idea with which I dont particularly side with. In his critique of The Prince, Frederick the Great talks ab step forwa rd how this book is one of the most dangerous pieces of literature that has ever been released to the world. He describes how if this book were to fall into the pass of new-made, naive princes whose judgment hasnt fully developed, their perspectives would be corrupted. Honestly, Frederick has this all wrong. The Prince is meant to be looked at as a type of handbook or unravel which Machiavelli created in order for the current prince to have a successful public life as commander in chief. He is hoping to help and facilitate the travel the person who is the acting prince, which in that case was de Medici. It is clear that Frederick the Great intellection that Machiavellis intentions in writing the story were to corrupt the mind of young princes, but the wise words on the go along had only one unique function to ease the roll of the universe a prince.This is wherefore Frederick is certainly wide of the mark concerning his opinions. In the midst of Fredericks severe evaluation of The Prince, he mentions a quote made by Machiavelli which appears in the book. The citation went as following, Since all men are villainous and lead not living their word with you, there is no obligation for you to keep faith with them. Frederick the Great then goes on to critiquing Machiavelli by saying that he is implying that the prince should act without mercy and be a cruel ruler of his people. He then goes on to complain about how Machiavelli is of evil influence and that he is out to corrupt politics and in doing so hoped to destroy the very percepts of sound morality. Honestly, this quote mad by Niccolo is one which postulate to be looked at figuratively. Machiavelli is trying to convince the prince to become a powerful, epoch-making figure with his people, who doesnt let himself get pushed over.Hes is implying that the prince be one who is firm in his decisions and but is also feared by his people. He explains why this should be reasoning that being feared is the equ ivalent of being treasureed. Machiavelli potently recommended a leader with no remorse meaning the certain respect from the people he ruled over. Near the end of the critique, Frederick the Great points out how Machiavelli thought that the, people would be more impressed by the indicate of devotion, than revolted by the bad treatment they have received from the prince. There is no room for doubt concerning this matter. Machiavelli is very clear concerning his perspective. A prince who wishes to be see and looked well upon must be a demanding one who shows his commitment and loyalty to his duties.Frederick is completely wrong in believing that Machiavelli wishes the prince to treat his people incorrectly. only that Machiavelli is implying is that the prince must not be one who doesnt show his straw man as a leader. He must be demanding and at times harsh. This lead make him seem as a leader who doesnt care about his people, but in reality, he is just doing what is trounce f or them. Machiavelli also previously stated that it is better for a prince to be feared than love because of the amount of respect received when he is feared. This does not mean that the prince be a diabolical one, it means he must be devoted(p) to all he sets mind to without caring for anything else but his people.All in all, the prince must not be a push over in the eyes of the public and this is all that Machiavelli meant to say. Although The Prince is considered one of the greatest pieces of political theory in history, naturally, it is not always looked upon favorably. It is clear that not all will see eye to eye concerning this piece of literature, as is the case with Frederick the Great. This being said, this book is not a list of what princes actually do, moreover, it is a guide to help a man become a prince looked up to by the people he governs over. This is clearly what Machiavelli wanted to get through, and it is how Machiavelli and his work on The Prince should be rememb ered for many years to come.