Prince

In Machiavelli's The Prince, an unnamed narrator dictates an instruction manual to up and coming members of the monarchy about the correct ways for a royal to behave if he wants to be successful. Many of the pieces of advice provided in the pamphlet seem absurd or even cruel . Among these are the ideas that a leader must be above his people, specifically that a feared ruler will be less likely to be discounted or his rule threatened and that a ruler who is beloved by his people will appear to be weak in the eyes of his enemies. Similarly, "The Ascent of Mount Vertoux" by Petrarch is a letter discussing the exploits of a man and how he is superior to others and the famed character of Don Quixote is a man inferior to many who refuses to see this in himself. These stories all satirize the...
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