The Relationship between Virtue (virtù) and Fortune (fortuna) in Machiavelli’s The Prince
Introduction
Niccolo Machiavelli is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated scholars on different areas such as politics, human nature and sociology. One of Machiavelli’s areas of emphasis relate to politics and how individuals can optimally exercise power. In his work, Machiavelli brought into light different principles or concepts that cut across different spheres of human existence. Amongst Machiavelli’s fundamental concepts relate to the concept of virtue (virtu) and fortune. Jurdjevic (2014) asserts that Machiavelli defines virtu or virtue to include ‘the personal qualities that a prince will find it necessary to acquire in order to “maintain his state” and to “achieve great things’ (p.12). Virtu is a Latin word that refers to masculine strength. Therefore, unlike the conventional meaning of the concept of virtue, which means doing good, Machiavelli in his opinion considers the concept of virtue to include the prince’s capability to control the situation at hand, even if it means acting in an evil fashion. Under the concept of virtue, Machiavelli opines that leaders must be flexible, which means that they have to oscillate between being evil and good if the outcome is for the general good (Machiavelli 2010). Machiavelli opines that a link exists between the concepts of virtue and fortune. In his opinion, Machiavelli argues that the concept of fortune is critical in providing one an opportunity to exercise virtue. In light of this aspect, this essay focuses on analyzing the relationship between (virtù) and fortune (fortuna) according to Machiavelli’s book, The Prince.
Analysis
According to Machiavelli, the concept of virtu refers to an individual’s strength, skills, ingenuity, determination or ability (Jurdjevic 2014). Virtue is very essential concept in distinguishing between individuals who are successful in whatever capacity and those who are not. Individuals are faced by numerous opportunities that are presented to them by the environment in which they live. These opportunities may be regarded as a fortune. However, the capacity to which an individual benefits from or succeeds in exploiting the fortune is influenced by the person’s ability to exercise the concept of virtue. Machiavelli illustrates the conceptual link between virtue and fortune through the case of two princes, Francesco Storza and Cesare Borgia, who became princes through two different avenues. In his case, Francesco Storza became a prince out of his effort and was able to keep power (Ridolfi 2013). Conversely, Cesare Borgia became a prince because of his father’s input. Nevertheless, Cesare Borgia was unable to maintain his position of power for long. This indicates that fortune requires virtue in order to sustain positive results. Scott (2016) is of the view that in exercising the concept of virtue, one may be required to act in a manner in which some individuals might consider extreme in order to conquer.
To best exercise the concept of virtu, it is imperative for one to optimally determine the strategic prowess to adopt in order to deal with the situation. In explaining the relevance of the concept of virtue in the political realm, Machiavelli argues that it is leaders must possess adequate insight that will enable them determine when to sacrifice the conventional meaning of virtue, if it is harmful to his leadership and instead take the necessary virtuous actions that will lead to attainment of the desired end. On the basis of this aspect, Machiavelli posits that private citizens can gain power and become princes either by exercising their capability or through luck. Individuals who seek power by exercising their ability experience significant difficulty in attaining it but have the capacity to easily maintain it. Conversely, individuals who gain power through fortune but have are not virtuous experience difficulty in maintaining it (Scott 2016). Machiavelli identifies the likes of Romulus, Cyrus, Moses and Theseus as some of the individuals who succeeded in establishing strong kingdoms. The ability of these individuals to rise to be princes was not as a result of fortune. For example, Romulus was abandoned at birth so that he could become the King of Rome while Cyrus could not have become a prince had he not identified the Persians dissatisfaction with the Medes government (Machiavelli 2010). The situation faced by these parties indicate that they did not become great and admirable by fortune but out of their virtuous character in exercising power. Thus, one can argue that their success was as a result of exercising virtue, which enabled them to successfully take advantage of the opportunities. This underlines the fact that the concept of virtue and fortune complement each other.
According to Benner (2014), necessity motivates men to be strong even if it calls them to act against the will of many. Under the concept of fortune, McCormick (2014) asserts that Machiavelli is of the view that ‘violence and cruelty are necessary means of effective political action, even if their deployment must be circumscribed meticulously to avoid unintended consequences for the prince to rule’ (p.25). Some of the greatest leaders who were able to maintain order in the society and hence their leadership position, achieved this outcome by enforcing what they believed in. Machiavelli asserts that whilst it is easy to persuade people to accept certain aspects, it is relatively difficult to sustain them in such a position. In fixing the situation, the concept of virtue stipulates that ‘it may be possible to make them believe by force’ (Machiavelli 2010).
Conclusion
In his work, Niccolo Machiavelli underlines the fact that virtue and fortune are positively correlated. Machiavelli deviates from the moral meaning of the concept of virtue to include the qualities that an individual should possess in order to maintain a position of leadership or power. Thus, exercising the concept of virtue may require a leader to oscillate between good and evil in order to sustain a position of power. Despite the fact that one might attain position of power out of fortune, the ability to maintain such a position is dependent on the extent to which the individual is virtuous. To be a successful and admirable prince, it is imperative for one to ensure that the concepts of virtue and fortune are optimally integrated.
References
Benner, E 2014, ‘Machiavelli’s ironies; the language of praise and blame in the prince’, An International Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 1.
Jurdjevic, M 2014, ‘Virtue, fortune, and blame in Machiavelli’s life and the Prince’, An International Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 1.
Machiavelli, N 2010, The prince, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
McCormick, J 2014, ‘Machiavelli’s the prince at 500; the fate of politics in the modern world’, International Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 1.
Ridolfi, R 2013, The life of Niccolo Machiavelli, Routledge, New York.
Scott, J 2016, The Routledge guidebook to Machiavelli’s the Prince, Routledge, New York.
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