Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Relationship

¶ … Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli [...] relationship between "fortuna" and "virtu." How does Machiavelli use this relationship to construct his idea of politics? Fortuna (loosely translated as "fortune"), and virtu (loosely translated as "virtue"), are two of the most compelling concepts Machiavelli explores in his classic work "The Prince." Written as a tribute to Lorenzo de Medici in 1513, the book was a look at religion, politics, and society at the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy. Today, it is considered a classic, and professors and teachers use it to study everything from business and economics to political science. The book is short, but Machiavelli packs quite a bit into the pages. Sometimes it reads like a novel, and other times like a textbook, but always, fortune and virtue are intertwined on the pages, making the reader stop and think about life, politics, and how to live a decent life.

In "The Prince," fortune and virtue share a volatile and sometimes stormy relationship. Machiavelli sees fortune as a "lady," and refers to fortune as the incidents in human history that helped create the world and society, as it was known in his time. Machiavelli admits that fortune is part of political power, but certainly not the most important part of power to cultivate, for relying on fortune rather than skill will ultimately result in a ruler who loses power and position. He writes, "he who relies upon fortune less maintains his position best" (Machiavelli 20). This is where fortune and virtue begin to differ. Virtue, according to Machiavelli is fine, but it contributes little or nothing to a powerful political state, and so, like fortune, it should only be cultivated when necessary. Often, ruthless actions are far more desirable than virtuous ones. For example, fortune may drop an opportunity into a Prince's lap, but choosing to act on that opportunity and acting on it in the correct way proves the man has true "virtue" or the political power necessary to succeed. Machiavelli continues about some natural leaders, "they received nothing from fortune except the opportunity, which gave them the material they could mould into whatever form they desired; and without that opportunity the strength of their spirit would have been extinguished, and without that strength the opportunity would have come in vain" (Machiavelli 21). Thus, fortune and virtue are interrelated, but the wise ruler knows better than to rely on fortune - rather, he should rely on his own instincts and knowledge to gain and maintain the most power, which is the ultimate form of success in Machiavelli's mind.

While Machiavelli's ideas on fortune and virtue are still extolled today, and many people use his principles in both business and politics, many of his ideas were scandalous at the time and are today seen as old-fashioned and sexist. Machiavelli called fortune a "woman," and advised those who wanted to be successful to "struggle" with her. He writes, it is necessary, in order to keep her down, to beat her and to struggle with her. And it is seen that she more often allows herself to be taken over by men who are impetuous than by those who make cold advances; and then, being a woman, she is always the friend of young men, for they are less cautious, more aggressive, and they command her with more audacity (Machiavelli 84).

Clearly, this is not the most popular view of women today, and it indicates not only how society viewed women of the time, but how ruthless Machiavelli thought leaders had to be to hold on to their power. Fortune is a woman, and virtue is definitely a man. Machiavelli saw virtue as not only morality, but as "manliness" or the ability to enforce their wills on others. This may seem callous, but when Machiavelli wrote "The Prince," he felt that Italy was in great political stress, and that it would take strong measures to save her. Thus, his ideas for strength and virtue were also strong, and caused controversy when they were written. People felt Machiavelli distained morality and ethics, but in reality he did not, he simply felt that to attain and hold power, and power over the state, that a person had to be virtuous enforcers, rather than moralists with little effectiveness. Virtue in Machiavelli's world does not mean the same thing that most people think of today and this is why some of Machiavelli's ideas may seem so disturbing. Virtue translates to skill, ability, and ingenuity to Machiavelli, and so, it is quite understandable that his idea of virtue would share a stormy relationship with fortune.

The relationship between fortune and virtue in this work may seem to be convoluted at best, but in reality, the relationship makes perfect sense for the time. Reduced to its lowest level, the relationship is simply one between a strong and demanding man and a subservient woman. The man must never solely rely on the woman for his fate and fame. Instead, he must learn how to master fortune, and then mold it to his own will, and need. Thus, the relationship is volatile from the first, and will remain volatile as Machiavelli sees it. Fortune has no place in the planning of a political state, because fortune cannot be counted on. However, virtue, as Machiavelli defined it, has every place in a political state, because it equates to good, sound leadership that is good for the leader and good for the people. While Machiavelli believes a good and powerful ruler must be strong and even ruthless, he does not condone cruelty in the name of power. He writes, "Badly used are those cruelties which, although being few at the outset, grow with the passing of time instead of disappearing" (Machiavelli 32). Thus, a virtuous ruler is powerful and cunning, and knows how to use his power effectively to master the weak and to master his own fortune. That does not give him the right to gain power by cruel or unscrupulous means.