1. Much of Machiavelli’s discussion of The Prince is dedicated to teaching politicians how to gain and retain power. What is power? Give your own, 1-sentence definition of the term. Who or what has power over your life? Who or what do you have power over?
2. One of the most famous quotations from the text is the question, “whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse” (pg. 54)?

• • Before reading Machiavelli’s answer, make your own argument for whether it is better to be loved or feared? Is it better to be loved in some cases and feared in others?
  • After reading the text summarize Machiavelli’s answer to this question. 

Re-read Machiavelli’s extended metaphor of the fox and lion (pgs. 55-58, 63-65). Describe in your own words the behaviors of a “fox” and those of a “lion.” Why does Machiavelli believe that a good leader needs to embody the characteristics of both these animals?

Machiavelli’s advice is primarily aimed at political leaders, but does he show any interest in promoting the common good (i.e. is he interested in helping common people as well as their “Princes” or does his advice only further the interests of the ruling class)? Choose a position and then select two passages from the text that defend your decision.

In chapter XXI Machiavelli addresses how princes can “win honor.” He advises: “nothing brings a prince more prestige than great campaigns and striking demonstrations of his personal abilities” (71). As an example, Machiavelli cites Ferdinand of Spain saying that the prince’s actions, “have always kept his subjects in a state of suspense and wonder” (72). Modern political leaders, celebrities, or popular figures often follow Machiavelli’s advice of making “striking demonstrations of his personal abilities.” Find an example in of a modern public figure who you feel makes “striking demonstrations.” Cite a specific example of the individual’s “demonstrations” as recounted by the media, then explain how you feel the individual’s actions align with Machiavelli’s thinking. How do these public actions build the individual’s reputation? What is the importance of “reputation” today and in the time of Machiavelli?

Machiavelli states, “Prudence consists in being able to assess the nature of a particular threat and in accepting the lesser evil” (73). What does he mean by this statement? You may want to follow the steps below as you analyze Machiavelli’s meaning:

• Define “prudence” (you can look up the definition if you do not already know it).
• Paraphrase the quotation (restate the meaning in your own words).
• Briefly describe the context of this quotation–what is Machiavelli’s larger argument in the chapter?

Summarize Machiavelli’s viewpoints on friendship as stated on pages 72-73. Is what Machiavelli describes “true” friendship, or opportunism? Defend your reasoning.

In chapters XXII and XXIII Machiavelli discusses the types of people with whom a prince should surround himself. Using the text of these two chapters, write a “help wanted” add from a prince seeking an advisor. Include the qualities the advisor should have, and those which he/she must not. Include a sentence or two about how the prince will treat his new counselor according to the recommendations given by Machiavelli.

Paraphrase the following quotations and then give a 2-3 sentence description of how the quotations fit into the larger argument of the chapter from which each is drawn.

XV: “The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.” (50)

XVI: “You hurt yourself only when you give away what is your own.” (53)

XVII: “Men sooner forget the death of their fathers than the loss of their patrimony.” (55)

XVIII: “Those who simply act like lions are stupid.” (57)

XIV: “One of the most powerful safeguards a prince can have against conspiracies is to avoid being hated by the populace.” (59)

XX: “When he has the chance an able prince should cunningly foster some opposition to himself so that by overcoming it he can enhance his own stature.” (69)

XXI: “He has always planned and completed great projects, which have always kept his subjects in a state of suspense and wonder.” (72)

XXII: “The first opinion that is formed of a ruler’s intelligence is based on the quality of the men he has around him.” (74)

XXIII: “All the same, he should be a constant questioner, and he must listen patiently to the truth regarding what he has inquired about.” (76)

XXIV: “The only sound, sure, and enduring methods of defense are those based on your own actions and prowess.” (78)

XXV: “She shows her potency where there is no well-regulated power to resist her, and her impetus is felt where she knows there are no embankments and dykes built to restrain her.” (79)

XXVI: “I believe that so many things conspire to favor a new prince, that I cannot imagine there ever was a more suitable time than the present.” (82)

Identify the speaker and context of the following quotes.

“They told me he was here in this country, / your father, I mean. But no. The gods are impeding his passage. / For no death on the land has befallen the great Odysseus, / but somewhere, alive on the wide sea, he is held captive, / on a sea-washed island, and savage men have him in their keeping, / rough men, who will somehow keep him back, though he is unwilling.” (32)

“They seized the beam of olive, sharp at the end, and leaned on it / into the eye, while I from above leaning my weight on it / twirled it, like a man with a brace-and-bit who bores into / a ship timber, and his men from underneath, grasping / the strap on either side whirl it, and it bites resolutely deeper. / So seizing the fire-point-hardened timber we twirled it / in his eye, and the blood boiled around the hot point, so that / the blast and scorch of the burning ball singed all his eyebrows / and eyelids, and the fire made the roots of his eye crackle.”(147)

“and the souls / of the perished dead gathered to the place, up out of Erebos, / brides, and young unmarried men, and long-suffering elders, / virgins, tender and with the sorrows of young hearts upon them, / and many fighting men killed in battle, stabbed with brazen / spears, still carrying their bloody armor upon them. / These came swarming around my pit from every direction / with inhuman clamor, and green fear took hold of me.” (169)

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