Study notes: The Prince
A short book of advice to a ruler of Renaissance Italy on how to gain and keep power. Machiavelli is famously blunt about fear, love, and fortune, which is why 'Machiavellian' became a word. This is W. K. Marriott's translation.
Themes
Power and leadership. Fortune and skill. Ends and means.
People to follow
Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia, and the rulers of Italy.
Talk about
- Is it better to be loved or feared?
- What does Machiavelli mean by fortune?
- Do his ideas still apply today?
Public-domain text. First published in 1908; W. K. Marriott died in 1945, so this text is in the public domain in the US, Canada, the EU and India. Summary and notes written by ViralScopeHub.