The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli, the author, was an Italian. (Born 3rd may 1469, died 21st June, 1527). he was a diplomat, philosopher, historian, politician and writer. He is best known for his book ‘The prince’. his notable works are ‘the prince’ and ‘discourses on livy’. ‘the prince’ is basically a political treatise and a sort of guide for new princes and royals. It was published five years after niccolo’s death. When he was alive, there was some controversy in his book. It was published only after seeking permission from the Medici Pope Clement VII. The prince is one of the best works of modern political philosophy, in which truth is highlighted rather than any abstract ideas or incidents. The beauty of the text is that it has a recognizable structure and the author has indicated himself in most of the portions. The book narrates mostly about princedoms. That too about hereditary princedoms. it’s easier to rule. Also, avoids comparison between monarchy and tyranny. Again, the beauty of his writing is that his character of the story, Cyrus the great, is totally different from those who have got their Thrones without any efforts IE as a successor and those who have acquired Crowns after putting their hard labour and efforts. He has cited Roman ways to the new princes. machiavelli has narrated about those kingdoms where one can enter in an easy way but difficult to hold such a kingdom. He has given one such example also IE, of France. He also writes that reforming an existing order is one of the most dangerous and difficult things for a prince, because in most of the cases the subjects are against or resistant to any such change or reform. Moreover, it is very difficult for the prince to satisfy or come out with everyone expectations. Other situations, when a prince comes to power due to his destiny then it will be very difficult to hold it for a long time. Some exceptions are always there. even if a prince is overly generous to his subjects, that situation will also not be appreciated and will cause greed for more. So, different sorts of kingdoms, princedoms need different styles of controlling any realm. The author has put his best efforts in narrating all such types of realms. The work is really commendable and very much beneficial to the rulers. a must read book for self development and how to be a good leader.