Machiavelli_On_Fortune

Machiavelli On Fortune Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince is a commentary which the philosopher composed both as an attempt to assume a political position under Lorenzo di Medici and as a manual of sorts regarding the rule of princes. Machiavelli discusses how he believes a nation-state should be ruled. He goes into great detail, which includes examples from ancient and contemporary rulers, in explaining his proposals. One theme that continues to reappear throughout The Prince is that of fortune. Machiavelli discusses fortune in depth throughout his text and attempts to show the reader how it influences the rule of a prince. In Chapter VI of The Prince, Machiavelli proposes that it is opportunities that allow princes to shape things, which in turn makes them fortunate. It is these opportunities, according to Machiavelli, that allow the great qualities of the prince to show and his merits allow his good fortune to become success. This theory seems to be valid. Machiavelli provides us with examples from such great mythological figures as Moses and Romulus. He proposes that these men would not have been as great as they were had they not been given the opportunities that they were afforded. fortune, prince, machiavelli, rule, while, believes, man, success, seems, changes, opportunities, misfortune, allow, result, one, chapter, way, should, prepared, poor, great, good, examples, been, rather, princes, people, life, duke, valid, valentino, through, possible, position, opportunity