Machiavelli: The Qualities of the Prince

Machiavelli praises skill in warfare in his opening pages because as he states in the first paragraph “it is evident that when princes have given more thought to personal luxuries than to arms, they have lost their state (Machiavelli 38).” My interpretation of this is that in order for a prince to maintain his leadership status and power of his state he must be skilled in his art of arms, in other words his art of warfare. Machiavelli says “being disarmed makes you despised; this is one of those infamies a prince should guard himself against (38).” The prince could never be disarmed, for then he would be disarmed and not in his state of war.

A prince must always be focused on the thought of war, even when there is no war the prince must train himself and his soldiers for war. Machiavelli states the skills a prince needs to acquire can be done in two ways one by action and the other by mind. A prince by action keeps his soldiers well disciplined and trained and must always be hunting. By using his mind he must learn the nature of the terrain, know mountains slope, how valleys open, how plains lie, and must understand the nature of rivers and swamps (Machiavelli 38).

These skills help to aid the prince by allowing him to gain the knowledge of his country and how to defend it. The prince is also gaining the knowledge and experience of the terrain; one can easily comprehend the characteristics of any other country that may need to be explored. These skills teach a prince to be track out enemies, to choose a safe campsite, lead troops, organize them for battle, and besiege towns to their own advantage (39). As Machiavelli claims, a prince who lacks these abilities lacks the most important quality in a leader. A leader must posses great leadership skills; you can’t just be given the title of prince without proving yourself to your people or to your royal family. By having the ability to always be on alert and ready for war would take a lot from someone, you can’t just train yourself over night, this kind of commitment takes months maybe even years to master.

Machiavelli, Niccolo. "The Qualities of the Prince." A World of Ideas “Essential Readings for College Writers”. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Trans. Stephen Mitchell. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. pp. 38-39.