The Prince

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1532

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Dedication-Chapter 11

Chapters 12-14

Chapters 15-23

Chapters 24-26

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Explain why Machiavelli argues that it is easier for a hereditary prince to hold and maintain his state.

Analyze Machiavelli’s recommendation that a prince reside in a recently annexed state which differs in language and customs.

Discuss the dichotomy that exists between the two types of people that can be found in every city.

According to Machiavelli, when a private citizen becomes a prince through either fortune or through the favors of others, they have little trouble in obtaining power but great difficulty in keeping it. Explain the reasons for this.

Why does Machiavelli describe the use of mercenaries as useless and dangerous for a prince?

Discuss and analyze Machiavelli’s declaration that it is better for a prince to be feared than to be loved.

What does Machiavelli mean when he argues that princes who have done great things have known “how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft” (69)?

Analyze why Machiavelli insists that rulers never remain neutral but rather always choose a side when neighbors fight.

Explain Machiavelli’s metaphor in Chapter 25 comparing a destructive flood to fortune.

10.

When appealing directly to Lorenzo Di Piero de’ Medici, what does Machiavelli blame for Italy’s recent downfall and what does he recommend “before anything else” to correct it?