Redeeming ‘The Prince’: The Meaning of Machiavelli’s Masterpiece

Machiavelli’s The Prince has served as political propaganda for centuries, with little agreement on the Renaissance-era politician’s actual intent. Viroli (Niccolo’s Smile) argues that it is actually a 500-year-old plea for a moral and “astute” leader who can reverse course from the Medicis’ cruel and corrupt control of Italy’s city-states. Using previous scholarship to create a dialogue with opposing viewpoints, Viroli stresses that The Prince is neither satirical nor morally bankrupt but instead serves as a genuine call for a redeemer, supplementing his assertions with Machiavelli’s body of work—especially “The Exhortation to Liberate Italy”—and personal correspondence. Surprisingly, Viroli doesn’t address Machiavelli’s bitterness at losing his own powerful position because of the Medicis and relies heavily on Machiavelli’s sense of honesty, even though he was known to embellish his arguments and mythologize his subjects. As it presents limited historical context in favor of passionate philosophical discussion, Viroli’s examination of the “realist with imagination” looking for a political savior, is most suited for those familiar with Italy’s tumultuous political history. Illus. (Nov.)