The Prince · Chapter
XXI: How a Prince Should Conduct Himself So as to Gain Renown explained
Machiavelli advises that a prince gains renown through great enterprises and decisive alliances, avoiding neutrality.
What happens
Machiavelli advises that a prince gains renown through great enterprises and decisive alliances, avoiding neutrality. He uses Ferdinand of Aragon as a model for using religion and war to build power. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of patronizing the arts, encouraging commerce, and entertaining the people while maintaining princely dignity.
Themes in this chapter
Acquisition and Maintenance of Power
Ferdinand of Aragon's rise from an insignificant king to the foremost in Christendom through calculated enterprises.
Pragmatism Over Morality
Advocacy for decisive alliances and the rejection of neutrality as a practical necessity, even if it means choosing the lesser evil.
The Importance of Public Perception
The prince must show himself a patron of ability, encourage commerce, and entertain the people to gain renown.
The Use of Cruelty and Clemency
Ferdinand's 'pious cruelty' in driving out the Moors is cited as an admirable example of using harsh measures under a religious pretext.
Characters to notice
- Ferdinand of Aragon
Presented as a model new prince who rose to prominence through great enterprises, using religion as a cloak for his actions.
- Antiochus
Mentioned in the historical example of the Aetolians and the Achaeans, illustrating the folly of neutrality.
- The Prince
The central subject of the chapter, receiving advice on how to gain renown through decisive action and patronage.
Key passages
“Nothing makes a prince so much esteemed as great enterprises and setting a fine example.”
A prince earns respect through ambitious undertakings and exemplary conduct.
Opening statement establishing the chapter's core thesis.
“He can almost be called a new prince, because he has risen, by fame and glory, from being an insignificant king to be the foremost king in Christendom.”
Ferdinand of Aragon is nearly a new prince, having ascended from obscurity to become the leading monarch in Christendom through fame and glory.
Characterization of Ferdinand as a model for new princes.
“Never let any Government imagine that it can choose perfectly safe courses; rather let it expect to have to take very doubtful ones, because it is found in ordinary affairs that one never seeks to avoid one trouble without running into another; but prudence consists in knowing how to distinguish the character of troubles, and for choice to take the lesser evil.”
No government should expect perfectly safe choices; instead, it must accept uncertain ones, as avoiding one problem often leads to another. Prudence lies in recognizing the nature of troubles and choosing the lesser evil.
Key advice on decision-making under uncertainty.
“A prince ought also to show himself a patron of ability, and to honour the proficient in every art.”
A prince should act as a patron of talent and honor experts in all fields.
Advice on cultivating a reputation for supporting the arts and skills.