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Machiavelli s Principles And King Lear In The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli presents a view of governing a state that is drastically different from that of humanists of his time. Machiavelli believes the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy which would serve his best interests. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. His understanding of human nature was a complete contradiction of what Shakespeare believed and taught. Machiavelli strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but in fact stood in the way of an effectively governed principality. Though in come cases Machiavelli's suggestions seem harsh and immoral one must remember that these views were derived out of concern Italy's unstable political condition. (Goodman, 73).
Shakespeare believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state; Machiavelli was quick to mock human nature. He generally distrusted citizens, stating that .".. in time of adversity, when the state is in need of citizens there are few to be found. " (Machiavelli, 25). Machiavelli further goes on to question the loyalty of the citizens and advises the Prince that .".. because men a wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need keep your word to them (Machiavelli, 49). However, Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat the citizens.
This suggestion once again serves the Prince's best interests. One character that examines some of these issues is a character named Kent. Kent is a significant character in King Lear, as he is involved from the beginning to the end. Kent is the ideal first mate to the commander of the ship of state. From the moment we meet him and observe his tactful response to Gloucester's bawdy chatter, we know we can rely on this good man.
It does not take long for us to become better acquainted. When Lear banishes Cordelia, and Kent speaks up in her behalf, he is bold but courteous. And he sticks to his guns, even at the risk of his own banishment. The measure of his devotion to his master, the king, is shown by his assumption of a disguise. This enables him to continue in Lears service. There are several additional facets of Kent's personality.
He can be hotheaded, as in the outburst that infuriates Lear in the very first scene. And his treatment of Oswald is hardly gentle. Kent even shows a sense of humor in his lengthy description of Gonerils steward. Kent is not a great philosopher, but he does acknowledge that there are greater forces determining our fates. He endures disfavor and discomfort stoically.
His devotion and faithfulness are always in our minds. In the midst of the final turmoil, we still have compassion for Kent when he tells that he cannot fulfill the only formal request made of him. He cannot share the responsibility for restoring order to England because he is nearing his own end. As mentioned before, Kent clearly believes in a greater sense of fate and fortune. This is exactly what his speech is about in act two, scene two. Kent is at the bottom of the wheel of fortune, and he is looking for the wheel to turn in his favor.
Dissecting the speech line for line is the only real way of understanding the speech. The first line, "Good king, that must approve the common saw, " (Shakespeare, 62) is an allusion to Lear and his duties as his subjects perceives them to be, with the word "saw" meaning proverb. "Thou out of heavens benediction cost to the warm sun, " (Shakespeare, 65) means that Lear, out of heavens blessing once again will be in the sun, or recognized as the king. "Approach thou beacon to this under globe" is the idea that King Lear is a timeless tale of honor, betrayal, usurpation of power and greed. Clearly Shakespeare was not only a great poet, but he was also an observer. He recognized certain qualities and emotion that all humans exhibit. The reason that he was so incredible was that he was able to balance between the fiction and magic of Lear and his daughters, and the truth and realities of greed and power. Machiavelli's fame or notoriety rested (and rests) on the fact that he insisted as a first prerequisite of effective political rule that the ruler should forget about traditional notions of virtue and morality.
The essential quality of a ruler was the effective use of power to guarantee his own survival. And The Prince is full of advice on how the ruler should skillfully use whatever resources are available to maximize his own power and to reduce the power of his enemies. Machiavelli is the great exponent of the popular maxim "The end justifies the means, " (Machiavelli, 125) and the end he has in mind is the continuing political survival of the ruler. If, to stay in office, one needs to lie, cheat, deceive, or kill, that is all part of what the ruler must do without moral scruple. (Goodman, 49).
This requires, Machiavelli insists, a complex set of practical abilities (what he calls virtue), and it may well require the appearance of virtue (because that is a useful cloak to wrap oneself in for public consumption). But it does not require any strict adherence to old-fashioned notions of charity, honesty, clemency, or other components of traditional Christian virtue. Hence comes the old saying, with Machiavelli there is no virtue in virtue. References 1. Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, trans. Daniel Down, 1981. 2.
William Shakespeare, King Lear. The Complete Works, ed. Hardin Craig and David Bevington, 1973. 3. Walter F.
Goodman, "Marcos, Machiavelli, and the Media, " The New Leader 10 March 1986.
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Research essay sample on Machiavelli S Principles And King Lear
