Machiavelli\'s the Prince, a Number

Machiavelli's the Prince, a number of points are made that require the thinking person to contemplate on a somewhat deeper level than what could be considered 'pleasure reading'. For instance, Maniavelli states that "there is such a difference between the way men live and the way they ought to live." On the surface this is a statement that is self-evident, but some of the other statements made by Machiavelli, while making total sense, were still very progressive for his time, and that remains true even now. A number of statements made in Machiavelli's "Princely Virtues" certainly qualify as good examples of Machiavelli's progressive style, but there are a couple of the statements that will be used in this lens comparison paper to assist in understanding how characters in the Red Lotus of Chastity would have been viewed by Machiavelli. The statements made by Machiavelli concerned the manner in which a Prince must conduct himself in order to be successful in his reign. Machiavelli contends that a prince must not be troubled if he gets a bad name because of vices without which it would be difficult for him to preserve his position. Machiavelli also contends that "a prince needs only to conquer and to maintain his position" (p. 2529].

For the purposes of this essay however, the lens through which the two characters in Somadeva's "The Red Lotus of Chastity" will be viewed is how Fortune is likened until a woman, who (according to Machiavelli) "if you wish to keep her down, you must beat her and pound her. It is evident that she allows herself to be overcome by men who treat her in that way rather than by those who proceed coldly" (p. 2531).

In "Lotus" the reader discovers two sets of characters that will be dissected by this essay. The first character is Devasmita, who is a beautiful young lady from Archipelago. Devasmita sees Guhasena, a young man seeking a bride, and falls in love with him. Guhasena's father however is not happy with the pairing so Devasmita takes his son and departs for their homeland.

Devasmita, in a similar fashion to what Machiavelli believes is good behavior, acts the part of the young and rash by following after Guhasena and marrying him anyway. This is a good example of what Machiavelli believes Fortune would act like. Regarding Fortune, Machiavelli states "she is always the friend of young men, because they are less cautious, and more courageous, and command her with more boldness" (p. 2532). In this case, the young men is a woman, but the premise is the same. Later in the story, Devasmita acts in a much less rash manner by coldly planning the degradation of four young men who also act in a very rash manner. Machiavelli believes that Fortune would smile on Devasmita because she acts in a rash and bold manner. In this case, Machiavelli is correct. Fortune does smile on the young maiden, she marries Guhasena, and they are blessed with a business and a family.

In a twist against Machiavelli's premise, however, the other set of characters are the four young men in the story who discover that Guhasena is away on a business trip and that with him he carries a Red Lotus. The Red Lotus that he carries signifies his love and devotion to Devasmita whom he had to leave in order to conduct business.

The young men see the Red Lotus and rashly decide to travel to Guhasena's home in an effort to abscond with Devasmita's virtue. As they approach Guhasena's home, they find a nun who would assist them in their venture. They lay their plan before the nun who agrees to help them. Again, this is a prime example of the rashness of youth. These four young men were traveling many miles on the idea that they would be able to take advantage of a young maiden's loneliness and solitude. They did not plan on Devasmita's ability to see through their machinations, and to plan retaliation accordingly. Fortune does not smile on these young men at all. They not only do not succeed at absconding with Devasmita's virtue, they also are marked for life as Devasmita's slaves.

It is a simple matter to state that Machiavelli's premise that the young act in a much more rash manner than do the old. Both characters show that such rashness is the manner of youth. The young men act rashly by deciding to travel to Devamita's abode in an attempt to steal her virtue. Devasmita herself acts rashly and boldly by following Guhasena and his father to their homeland in order to marry Guhasena.

Devasmita is also very contradictory to Machiavelli's premise that the young act brashly. She sees through their plans, and makes her own plans accordingly. She follows through with those plans and marks the men on their forehead; she does this on four separate occasions and is successful each time. This is a contradiction to Machiavelli's statement; at the same time it confirms his statement that Fortune smiles on those who beat and pound her.