The Prince

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1532

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Dedication-Chapter 11

Chapters 12-14

Chapters 15-23

Chapters 24-26

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Chapters 24-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 24 Summary: “Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost Their States”

In the final section of The Prince, Machiavelli turns his attention to his homeland and its current situation. He remarks that if a new prince carefully observes all of his recommendations, the prince will rule securely, as if he had been long seated there. According to Machiavelli, the actions of a new prince are more narrowly observed than those of a hereditary ruler. Therefore, when the new prince is seen to be able “they gain more men and bind far tighter than ancient blood; because men are attracted more by the present than by the past, and when they find the present good they enjoy it and seek no further” (95). Just as it will be doubly glorious for a new prince to succeed through good laws, good arms, and good allies, it will be a doubly disgraceful if a hereditary prince loses his state “by want of wisdom” (95).

Machiavelli points out that some modern Italian rulers, namely the King of Naples and Duke of Milan among others, lost their states due to common defects. These defects concern arms and military matters, the hostility of the people, or a failure to secure the nobles when the people were friendly toward them. Machiavelli argues that these rulers of Italy cannot blame misfortune for losing their states, “but rather their own sloth, because in quiet times they never thought there could be a change” (96). The complacency of those Italian princes and their failures to prepare before trouble arrived is why their states were lost. As Machiavelli explains in closing the chapter, the only certain method of defense is preparation and depending on your own valor.

Chapter 25 Summary: “What Fortune Can Effect In Human Affairs and How to Withstand Her”

Machiavelli examines the role of fortune, or fate, in the successes and failures of princes. He acknowledges that many men believe all events are controlled by fortune or God rather than the actions of men. However, his opinion differs in that he believes “fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions” (97), while the other half is determined by our free will. Machiavelli compares fortune to a raging river that has uncontrollably overflowed its banks during heavy rainfall. While it might be true that it is uncontrollable, it is also true that someone could have prepared for such an event by building canals and dams when the weather was fair. Machiavelli applies this analogy to the current state of affairs in Italy, arguing that “if it had been defended by proper valor, as are Germany, Spain, and France, either this invasion would not have made the great changes it has made, or it would not have come at all” (98).

The prince who relies entirely on fortune will be lost when fortune changes. Therefore, Machiavelli suggests that rulers be able to direct their actions “according to the spirit of the times” (98). This ability to adapt and change is critical for a ruler, and those who cannot do so because they are accustomed to their previous successful actions are ruined because prosperity is always short-lived. For this reason, Machiavelli argues that it is better to be bold and adventurous than cautious. He uses the antiquated metaphor of fortune being like a woman, writing that “she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her” (99).

Chapter 26 Summary: “An Exhortation to Liberate Italy from the Barbarians”

According to Machiavelli, there has not been “a time more fit than the present” (101) for a wise and virtuous prince to emerge for the good of Italy. Bringing The Prince full circle, Machiavelli again appeals directly to Lorenzo Di Piero de’ Medici in this regard. He argues that “in order to discover the virtue of an Italian spirit,” it was necessary for Italy to be reduced to the position that she is in now. Citing a recent leader whom he does not name, Machiavelli argues that people believed he was ordained by God to redeem Italy, but fortune rejected him.

That hope for redemption, as Machiavelli reasons, is now with the Medici family, which he describes as an “illustrious house, with its valor and fortune, favored by God and by the Church of which it is now the chief, and which could be made the head of this redemption” (102). Machiavelli believes Italy’s downfall was caused by the old military systems used by previous rulers, even noting that “it has always appeared as if military virtue were exhausted” (102). He points out that Italians are superior in strength, dexterity, and subtlety, but their armies do not compare to others’ because of the weakness of the leaders. Before anything else, he recommends that the Medici raise its own armies and not let the opportunity pass to allow Italy to see her liberator appear.

Chapters 24-26 Analysis

Over the final three chapters of The Prince, Machiavelli changes course from simply offering recommendations and citing historical examples to writing more personally about the fate and concerns of Italy. In doing this, Machiavelli uses an authoritative voice and incorporates a change in tone. In Chapter 24, he examines security priorities and the reasons why the princes of Italy lost their states. Chapter 25 looks at how fortune can affect a prince, and Chapter 26 is a direct plea to Lorenzo Di Piero dé Medici to lead Italy and free her from foreign invaders. In terms of why the princes of Italy lost their states, Machiavelli points to two defects that he has warned of throughout his previous chapters: arms, meaning that the prince failed to sufficiently raise his own army and instead relied on the arms of others; and goodwill and hatred, meaning that either the people or nobles were hostile to the prince.

Foreshadowing what will be the topic of the following chapter, Machiavelli closes Chapter 24 arguing that the princes of Italy who lost their states cannot blame bad luck, but rather their own sloth for not preparing during quiet times. Using a parenthetical note, Machiavelli explains himself by writing that “it is a common defect in man not to make any provision in the calm against the tempest” (96). The notion of fortune, or chance, is addressed in Chapter 25, with Machiavelli suggesting that many believe fortune or God controls all affairs of the world. However, introducing the important aspect of free will into this idea, Machiavelli states that “fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions, but that she still leaves us to direct the other half” (97). Following the former belief, that fortune controls everything, leads a ruler to sloth and unpreparedness, but following the latter belief leads a ruler to take the necessary precautions during quiet times.

To drive his point in Chapter 25, Machiavelli uses a unique metaphor comparing fortune to a raging river that has overflown its banks and is destroying everything in its path. At that point, the flood is uncontrollable, but had the proper precautions been taken during good weather through the building of dams or canals, the danger and damage would be much less severe. A second metaphor likening fortune to a woman makes the point that a wise ruler knows how to boldly change directions. It also provides insight into the shocking nature of gender and social inequality during the Renaissance Era. Stating that “fortune is a woman,” Machiavelli suggests that “if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her” (99). Continuing the fortune as a woman metaphor, he reasons that “she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her” (99).

The final chapter of The Prince is unique in that, just like the book’s beginning dedication, it is a direct plea to the Medici family, and specifically Lorenzo Di Piero dé Medici. Also just like the dedication, Machiavelli’s tone in the final chapter is personal, passionate, and flattering to Medici. He begins by stressing the point that Italy’s dire situation has motivated its people to “discover the virtue of an Italian spirit” (101). The House of Medici, according to Machiavelli, is in perfect order and holds the greatest hope to lead Italy from its current ruin and “deliver her from these wrongs and barbarous insolences” (101). Among all of his previous recommendations, the one which Machiavelli highlights most prominently in the closing chapter as both the failure that led to Italy’s downfall and what will return Italy to its former glory is new military strategies and reliance only on native troops. According to Machiavelli, “it is necessary before all things, as a true foundation for every enterprise, to be provided with your own forces, because there can be no more faithful, truer, or better soldiers” (103).