Our fourth assignment forces us to examine Machiavelli's theory of man and beast. He chooses two distinct animals that should represent the ideal prince, which are the fox and the lion. Machiavelli draws his conclusion from the teachings of ancient Greece, more specifically Achilles and Chiron. Achilles was sent to Chiron who was half man and half beast to be trained to become a great warrior. "To have as a teacher a half-beast, half-man means nothing other than that a prince needs to know how to use both natures" (Mansfield 69). Machiavelli proposed this to illustrate that a warrior should be taught in the aggressive conduct of men and animals equally. Machiavelli alleged that a prince should undoubtedly obtain the characteristics of both the fox and the lion; one property has proved to be inadequate without the other. A fox has to the ability to recognize traps but he is unable to ward off attackers; a lion holds the power to defend itself against attackers but he is unable......
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Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |