Hi!
I haven't been on the forum before so sorry if I'm not doing this right... I've pasted in my Mod B essay below, any feedback would be amazing x
In the exploration of political relationships, both Machiavelli’s (1532) The Prince and William Shakespeare’s 16th century play Julius Caesar invite audiences to question the connection between private morality and effective leadership as the basis of leaders’ views are uncovered in tense political circumstances. Whilst The Prince stands as a treatise to Lorenzo Di Medici as he aims to redirect the warring Italian Peninsula, Julius Caesar responds to political instability following multiple assassination attempts of heirless Queen Elizabeth I, in its representation of of human conflict. Human nature is explored through political relationships; as Brutus refuses to come to terms with Machiavellian leadership in seeking Rome’s best interests, and Antony effectively employs such leadership in creating a perceived sense of morality in his manipulation of both Brutus and the public. In this, both texts consider the connection between morality and effective political leadership by providing insight into a range of political relationships.
The Prince questions the strategic benefits of morality to the acquisition of power, guided by his personal relationships and overall view of human nature. Machiavelli articulates this in saying “if you want to play the good man in a world where most people are not good, you’ll end up badly.”, his political standpoint prompted by the standpoint of the public in his pragmatic approach. He furthers this notion in his doubts of society’s morality, describing people as “ungrateful” and “unreliable”, again taking cues from the morality of society in sharing “since they are a sad lot and won’t be keeping their promises to you, you hardly need to keep yours to them.”. This cynical outlook largely directs his political standpoint as he does not prioritize morality. He defends this notion with contextual examples, as “Pope Alexander VI never did anything but con people…yet his deceptions always worked, because he knew this side of human nature.” Not only does Machiavelli reflect society’s lack of morality, but takes confidence in the success of other leaders in their understanding of the imperfection of human nature. Thus, The Prince questions the role of morality in political situations, grounded on Machiavelli’s personal relationships and experience with human nature.
Disregarding Machiavellian ideals, Brutus adopts a moralistic standpoint through his relentless pursuit for an honourable relationship with the people of Rome, in a situation where pragmatics are required. He establishes himself in saying “I love/The name of honour more than I fear death”, highlighting that every action he takes is motivated by the “greater good” of Rome. Foreseeing the threat that Caesar’s ambition poses to this good in his soliloquy “it is the bright day that bring forth the adder”, he comes to be “with himself at war”, struggling to be honourable in both his relationship with Caesar and his relationship with the public. Following the suggestions of Machiavelli, he not only foresees but forestalls this problem in deciding protecting Rome “must be by (Caesar’s) death”. In this it becomes apparent that Brutus sees the act not as an assassination, but a necessary and honourable act for the good of Rome. Still struggling with the idea of killing his close friend for a common good, he urges the conspirators to be “sacrificers, but not butchers”, in carving “him as a dish fit for the gods”. This is epitomised as he declares to the public “ambitions debt is paid”, reinforcing the honour of his actions not only to the people of Rome, but to himself. In this it becomes apparent that Brutus is a character motivated by honour, seen both in his relationships with Caesar and the people, as he struggles to honour both in conflicting circumstances.
Unlike Brutus, Machiavelli holds a lack of faith in human nature, which he meets with shrewd leadership, largely disregarding morality in his exploitation of the public in order to consolidate power. He understands that politics cannot be governed by ethical codes, and thus works slyly in order to achieve his personal goals. Machiavelli explores this through zoomorphism, as he shares “you have to play the fox to see the snares and play the lion to scare the wolves”. Here he expresses that two distinctive qualities are needed in leadership. Leaders must be both sly like a fox in order to outsmart opposition, alternate leadership or that of the public, and also must employ qualities of a lion in order to scare away potential threat. Focusing more closely on the public, Machiavelli writes “you must either pamper people or destroy them; harm them just a little and they’ll hit back; harm them seriously and they won’t be able to.”, highlighting how he employs political strategy, largely disregarding morality, in order to eliminate opposition and consolidate power. Value is seen in perceived morals, as Machiavelli notes “it is absolutely imperative that (leaders) seem to possess them”, with appearances being more critical to effective leadership than true morality. This is epitomised in Machiavelli’s exploration of fear and love. He questions “is it better to be loved or feared?” concluding that “it’s safer to be feared than loved”, emphasising that while Machiavelli respects moral principles, he recognizes them as incompatible to the acquisition and maintaining of power, preferring to motivate the public out of fear. Thus, The Prince sees leadership advice stemming from a lack of faith in human morality, largely impacting the nature of political leaders.
Unlike Brutus, Antony is a man who can engage with moral ambiguity, largely following Machiavellian principles as he forms relationships motivated by manipulation and personal gain. As Machiavelli writes “men are so ready to congratulate themselves”, Antony employs flattery on Brutus in describing him as “noble, wise, valiant and honest”. This leads Brutus to believe he “shall have (Antony) well to friend”, allowing Antony to exploit the relationship having secured Brutus’s trust. Antony does this in publicly incriminating Brutus for the murder of Julius Caesar, undermining him in his monologue as he repeats “Brutus is an honourable man”. In positioning the public, Antony exercises dramatic techniques, making use of pauses in sharing “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar/And I must pause till it come back to me”. He furthers this through negatio, as he “must not read” Caesar’s will. Whilst he leads the public to believe he is saving them heartache, Antony only makes the public more desperate for information, thus using his skills of rhetoric to manipulate the general public. Whilst Antony manipulates his relationship with the public, he also recognizes situations where it is appropriate to employ honour. This is seen as he closes the play in eulogizing Brutus, who kills himself to maintain his honour. Antony addresses the people in saying Brutus was “the noblest Roman of them all”, concluding that “This was a man!”, his deep respect for Brutus’s morality finally being made plain. In this, he uses his Machiavellian skills of rhetoric to befriend Brutus, whilst incriminating him and increasing his own perceived character in the minds of the Plebeian public, highlighting a disregard for morals in the midst of political gains.
In conclusion, both The Prince and Julius Caesar take a pragmatic approach to morality, in that while characters respect morality, they see it as incompatible with effective political leadership. Morality is seen as a compromising factor as Brutus is conflicted by situational demands, with naivety leading to exploitation and ultimate demise. Contrastingly, The Prince does not consider morality to this extent, disregard being justified by the imperfection of human nature, encouraging leaders to be firm and strategic in their approaches in order to maximise the extent of their control. Thus, morality largely draws out similarities between the texts in their prioritising of power over morality.