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Dedication, Chapters 1 - 2 Summary The Prince is a gift from Machiavelli to the Magnificent Lorenzo, son of Piero de' Medici, offered as 'proof of [the author's] devotion. ' Machiavelli writes that it is the most precious thing he has to offer. The book consists of 'the knowledge of the actions of great men, acquired by long experience of modern affairs, and a continued study of ancient history, ' which Machiavelli indicates he has studied for a long period of time. Although the book is 'unworthy' of the Magnificent Lorenzo, the author hopes he will accept it. After all, the book offers its reader, in a concise form, learning which has taken its author many years of study and much personal danger. Machiavelli emphasizes that the book is short and direct, and written without without resort to 'pompous phrases' or 'embellishment. ' Its strengths are that it goes to 'the truth of the matter' and addresses an important subject. He does not wish to seem presumptuous by daring to discuss the affairs of a prince, but, he suggests, just as only a prince, from his vantage point above the people, can understand them, only one of the people can truly understand the prince.
He hopes that his Magnificence will see in the work his hope for the prince's future greatness, which has been promised by 'fortune' and his 'great qualities. ' And if his Magnificence will lower his gaze, he will discover how undeservedly Machiavelli has had to suffer misfortune. Chapter 1: 'How Many Kinds of Principalities There Are and the Way They Are Acquired' There are two kinds of states or governments: republics and principalities. There are also two kinds of principalities: 'hereditary' and 'new. ' Further, 'new' principalities are either 'entirely new' or a territory annexed to 'the hereditary state of the prince who acquires them. ' Annexed principalities can be put under the rule of a prince, or set up as 'free states. ' New principalities can be won by using another state's military, by the conqueror's own military, by luck, or by personal courage and ability. Chapter 2: 'On Hereditary Principalities' Machiavelli indicates that this book will not be about republics, which he has discussed in a previous work. Hereditary states are easier to hold onto than new states, since, barring the appearance of an extraordinary force, if the prince is not stupid, he will hold onto power by doing what his predecessor did. Even if an extraordinary force does take a principality away from its hereditary prince, he will get it back when the newcomer totters.
Such was the case of the duke of Ferrara around the turn of the sixteenth century. A hereditary prince 'will naturally have the affection of his people. ' Commentary The brief Dedication and first two chapters set the tone and subject matter for the entire book, and they are summarized and discussed in more detail than later sections of the work. In the Dedication, Machiavelli speaks in the obsequious language usually used to address nobles. In the main body of the book, the author drops this sort of language, but maintains his deferential attitude toward his 'prince. ' He never questions the desirability of the prince -- whom we today would call a dictator -- controlling the state.
In the Dedication and these chapters, Machiavelli further establishes the form of the book. It is a handbook for princes rather than a straight treatise, and is written both in the first person and with frequent use of maxims -- statements of fundamental truths or principles of conduct. Further, Machiavelli intends it to be both 'realistic' and concise. Machiavelli also makes frequent use of taxonomies -- orderly classifications -- and references to historical events. In the Dedication, Machiavelli addresses the new prince Lorenzo de' Medici, who might be called an 'oligarchic despot' -- he is a non-elected ruler whose power is based on his massive wealth rather than on his ancestry. Machiavelli humbles himself on the page, begging that his prince will accept the gift he has to offer.
Indeed, at the end of the Dedication, Machiavelli asks Lorenzo to take notice of his undeserved plight -- Machiavelli's exclusion from the political affairs of his native city, Florence. After a period of self-imposed exile during a previous regime -- during which he wrote The Prince -- Machiavelli presented the book as a gift to the new prince as a way to win favor and a position in the government. A few critics have charged that this was Machiavelli's main reason for writing the book, and that the 'ends justify the means' philosophy expressed in its pages resulted from a desire to endeared himself to the prince, rather than from honest conviction. At any rate, Lorenzo was unimpressed by the work -- unlike many later rulers -- and, in any case, died prematurely, leaving Machiavelli's hopes for him unfulfilled.
Though Machiavelli drops the obsequious language in the main body of the book, he maintains the deferential attitude that he makes explicit in the Dedication. Machiavelli never questions whether the principality is a desirable form of government. At the start of Chapter 2, he simply states that the current book will be about principalities, as he has already written about republics (he may be referring to his Discourses). But the author is being a bit disingenuous with this statement; in reality, he goes further than simply discussing principalities as another subject for analysis. Throughout the book, Machiavelli gives practical, step-by-step advice for his prince, showing him the means to achieve his aggrandizement. Indeed, in his Dedication, he affirms his hope that the young de' Medici will act on his advice to achieve the greatness to which he is destined.
Not only does Machiavelli dedicate the book to Lorenzo, he also declares that the book was written for him so that he could achieve greatness. Thus, except for a brief lapse into coyness, Machiavelli makes it quite clear from the very start of the book what his aims are: to write a book for and about princes. Critics frequently argue -- usually on the basis of Machiavelli's other work -- that Machiavelli was really a democrat or republican at heart, but the reader will find little evidence of this in The Prince; as the author himself states in Chapter 2, it is a book about 'principalities' rather than republics. Furthermore, Machiavelli seems to go out of his way to make himself and his work available to his prince. Machiavelli's aims in writing The Prince affect the form he gives it. He has written the book as a handbook for princes, and as such it is structured in twenty-six short chapters, each of which discusses a practical subject, such as 'How Many Kinds of Principalities There Are, and in What Manner They Are Acquired. ' The book tends toward the instructional rather than the purely theoretical.
As Machiavelli declares in the Dedication, the book really is written for Prince Lorenzo -- and other princes -- rather than for other writers, theorists, or the people. Furthermore, Machiavelli does not shy from writing his book in the first person. Indeed, in the dedication, he rests the reliability of the book on its author's expertise regarding his material, saying it is based 'many years of study, ' and 'much trouble and danger to myself. ' Despite Machiavelli's emphasis on concrete, first-hand experience, he often phrases his ideas as sweeping statements of principle. For example, in Chapter 2, he writes that 'hereditary states are maintained with much less difficulty than new states. ' Furthermore, as a handbook, the work has been made concise, a 'little work' offering a wealth of knowledge 'in only the briefest time. ' Machiavelli also affirms the realism of his book; of course, the author of a handbook would naturally hope his work to be realistic, but whether it really is is a judgment for the reader to make.
In addition, consistent with its practical and concise form, Machiavelli avoids unnecessarily florid language or 'pompous phrases. ' Indeed, The Prince stands out among the political literature of the Renaissance -- and since -- for its simple but elegant prose. Machiavelli also makes frequent use of taxonomies for the concepts and phenomena he discusses. For instance, in Chapter 1, he discusses 'principalities' and 'republics, ' dividing the principalities into 'new' and 'hereditary. ' He also refers to historical events to support and illustrate his arguments; for instance, he writes that a principality can be new 'as was Milan to Francesco Sforza. '
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