The Routledge Guidebook to Machiavelli's The Prince
The Routledge Guides to the Great Books Series

Niccolò Machiavelli?s The Prince is one of the most influential works in the history of political thought and the adjective Machiavellian is well-known and perhaps even over-used. So why does the meaning of the text continue to be debated to the present day? And how does a contemporary reader get to grips with a book full of references to the politics of the early 16th Century?

The Routledge Guidebook to Machiavelli?s The Prince provides readers with the historical background, textual analysis, and other relevant information needed for a greater understanding and appreciation of this classic text. This guidebook introduces:

• the historical, political and intellectual context in which Machiavelli was working
• the key ideas developed by Machiavelli throughout the text and the examples he uses to illustrate them
• the relationship of The Prince to The Discourses and Machiavelli?s other works

Featuring a timeline, maps and suggestions for further reading throughout, this book is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to be able to engage more fully with The Prince.

Introduction 1. Machiavelli’s Life and Times 2. Machiavelli’s Audience and His Intentions 3. Principalities (Chapters 1-5) 4. Virtue and Fortune (Chapters 6-7) 5. Principalities Continued (Chapters 8-11) 6. War (Chapters 12-14) 7. Virtue (Chapters 15-19) 8. War, Prudence, and Counsel (Chapters 20-24) 9. Fortune (Chapter 25-26) 10. Machiavelli’s Political Thought Timeline

John T. Scott is Professor of Political Science at University of California, Davis.