Abstract The paper discusses how Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of Pope Alexander VI, appeared to be one of the most independent and privileged women in the country at her time. The paper reviews her upbringing, her many forced marriages and the fates of her husbands. The paper discusses her questionable moral behavior but highlights how Lucrezia was not in control of her life so much as she was a political pawn in Alexander VI's master plan for the success and wealth of the Borgia family. The paper contends that Lucrezia's life may be looked on as an example of the situation of women in the Renaissance, in that even the illusion of power which surrounded her in her early years was created by a man, her father, who controlled her life.
From the Paper "Along with lacking any political rights, the women of the Renaissance, like those of the Middle Ages, were also considered legally inferior to their husbands. As expected by their position, women of all classes were to be dutiful housewives before anything else. However, some women were capable of breaking the established mold of an inferior subordinate to achieve in the least favor, if not freedom. Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of Pope Alexander VI, was one such woman. She is known for exactly two things: her father's reputation and her own possible involvement in his schemes."
Abstract In four of Machiavelli's best known works, "Discourses on Livy", "The Art of War", "The History of Florence", and "The Prince", we can see a clear influence from such Machiavellian contemporizes as Cesare Borgia, Francesco Vettori, the Medici Family, and general public opinion, which should be a cause for caution in relaying on Machiavelli's writings as an accurate discussion of history or an ethical discussion of politics. The author discusses how the ideas that Machiavelli placed on paper over five hundred years ago still have meaning in the 21st Century.
From the paper:
"While Machiavelli's works lack the modern day standards of documentations, he was ahead of his time in historical philosophy and approach. He was the first historian to acknowledge that the need to explain events leading up a specific event to understand why that event occurred and to understand the results of that event. As for is external influences, they need to be taken into consideration, so we can accurately understand his writings, the period in which he was writing, and the periods in which he was writing about. He may contradict himself in his political belief, but considering the pressures that he was under he manages to give a pretty good analysis of events and history. Machiavelli's works has managed to sustain its ideas from the 1500's to the 21st Century and will continue to be a source of knowledge and debate for centuries to come."
Abstract This paper examines the alleged unethical nature of the art of statecraft advocated by Niccolo Machiavelli in "The Prince". The author argues that his philosophies were a reflection of the life he lived and the practices followed by the rulers of his time.
From the Paper "Niccolo Machiavelli,1469-1527, a man of good birth and reasonable fortune, set himself to study and expound the art of statecraft as it was understood in late fifteenth century Florence. Throughout his career Machiavelli sought to establish a state capable of resisting foreign attack, his purpose being to determine the principles on which a state capable of resisting foreign aggression may be founded, and the means by which they can be implemented and maintained."
Abstract Discusses Renaissance values in Machiavelli's work. Theme of "THE PRINCE" as a handbook of how to rule. Strong and weak leaders. Machiavelli's loyalty to Cesare Borgia. Machiavelli's concept of a Renaissance State. Growing desire for learning and exploration among the people. His proposing a plebiscite for a civil principality. Strong tie between rulers and the Church.
From the Paper "RENAISSANCE VALUES IN 'THE PRINCE"
The Renaissance was more than a flowering of creativity. It was also a time when people overthrew hereditary princes and claimed some sort of freedom. As Machiavelli writes: "in rebellion it has always been the watchword of liberty" (p. 8). "The Prince" is a sort of handbook of how to rule without offending the populace enough to make them rise up. The major power in Western Europe was the Church. Machiavelli, as a loyal "servant" of Cesare Borgia, wrote this book in part to provide a rationale for his taking and holding usurpation of power, his conquests, and his influence on Rome (rather than the other way around). After all, some of the Borgias became Popes. While he recognizes that there are Republics, at the very outset of "The Prince" he says he has already written enough about them, and the proceeds to ..."
Abstract Machiavelli in "The Prince" provides detailed instruction to a teenaged ruler, one who has already received the childhood moral education from fairy tales and folk parables and is ready for actual, direct instruction in his official duties. This work was a specific guide, written on the model of historic rulers and societies. Based, in no small part, upon the life of Caesar Borgia, a heavy-handed dictatorial ruler, Machiavelli sought to describe the perfect state, one that, if it must have a Prince, should be run in the manner described. The work, however, would meet with a great deal of dismay and horror by the people he intended to "get in" with. In his need to become part of the political life of Italy (in which he had, at one time, been as influential and significant as Sir Thomas More had been in England) created "The Prince", a tract that did not truly reflect his own philosophies of political life, but one, he vainly hoped, would be received well by the ruling family. The purpose of "The Prince" also encompasses a trade-school-like approach, where the intricacies of policy, management and behavior are spelled out directly, in clear, plain language. It is the intent of this paper to examine the role of the Prince in relation to the people from the framework of political function as outlined in Machiavelli's work.
Abstract This paper will compare and contrast Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" in terms of their representation of the law, cruelty and mercy. As will be seen, Machiavelli's diabolical reputation notwithstanding, these works illustrate how both men thought along very similar lines. It will be argued that the point at which these elements - law, cruelty and mercy - converge in both men's works is power. Political power is the overriding theme of "The Prince" and the most prominent subtext of Shakespeare's "problem play". Through a discussion first of "The Prince" and then of "Measure for Measure", it will be shown how law, cruelty and mercy are - through the analogous figures of Duke Cesare Borgia and Duke Vincentio - represented as tools of political power and governance in both men's works.
Abstract This paper begins with a brief biographical sketch of famous artist, engineer and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci and then takes a more in-depth look at his career. The paper separates Da Vinci's career between his art and his inventions in an effort to give a wider perspective of the man, his mind, and the times in which he lived and worked.
From the Paper "Leonardo da Vinci was born in Vinci, Tuscany, the illegitimate son of a prominent notary of Florence, in 1452. While we immediate think of "The Mona Lisa" as his most outstanding work, de Vinci, from an early age, revolutionized the art of painting as well as drawing, but renowned as he is as an outstanding painter, it is as engineer and designer and inventor that the people of his time were to honor and respect him the most. There were, at this time, a number of fine painters, but few who could provide insight on canvas, and develop and design buildings and create innovative structures as he could."
