The Enigma of the Political Stage Director

stage where they are seen and play a role, the politician has to become as visible as possible. Every time Machiavelli talks about the condition of the prince, he speaks of the general condition of human beings-to be exposed to the gaze of others. Visibility is even more relevant in the case of the prince, since he is first the one who is seen, before being the one who sees. He is on view for others, and has to construct for himself an image of the view he supposes others to have of him, while he has only a partial view of himself, in profile. He has to seem good, or let fall words that make him seem good, just, pious, etc., because speech belongs to the domain of the visible, or is one of the resources of the stage's conspicuousness. For that reason, the prince must ensure that power has its ceremony. The latter defines the regular organization of the political, and also the prince's entrance on the stage, where, so long as he is in power, he should not lose his grip on appearances. This seems to be the main thing demanded of him: to make his entry on an already constituted stage and to assume his role in a scene ruled by the inflexible laws of perspective, which force him to position himself correctly, not pretending to see everything, but adopting a fragmentary, partial and limited view. For that reason, he has to construct an image that is adapted to circumstances, to seem good or bad according to the appearance required of him, and to go subtly and progressively from one appearance to the other, without creating the impression of inconsistency nor distortion in the succession of his masks. Nevertheless, the role of prince would be simple if he had only to preserve the stage while looking after himself. He would have to make his entrance on an already constructed stage, and find ways of remaining at the ideal distance, between the partial knowledge of his own frontal view, while having an oblique view of the other knowledge. To accomplish this, a distancing is not enough, nor are the counsellors' reports, nor even the report of the political writer who attempts to see from both perspectives. None of this is sufficient for the prince's view: He must guess.' However, even this sort of good view, no matter how sharp, however anchored in

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