Deception and Enlightenment
The Politics of Machiavelli'sThe Mandragola
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6211487 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William P Baumgarth (0009-0001-7785-3832) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 55-62 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Perspectives on Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1045-7097 • E-ISSN: 1930-5478 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10457097.2015.987531 |
| OpenAlex | W2087094104 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 7 |
The Mandragola is a microcosm of Machiavelli's thought. As a comedy, every detail is under Machiavelli's control, and there are no losers: private vices yield public benefits. All Machiavelli's characters are not equal in either the choice worthiness of their goals or abilities. Who is the hero of this comedy? Machiavelli's clues prompts exploring his allusions to classical and patristic sources but, most importantly, to Livy. Parallels in The Mandragola and Livy connect Nicia with the Roman founder, Brutus. In his ambitious goal, freedom from conventional shame, and consequent triumph over misfortune, Nicia emerges as exemplifying Machiavellian virtue.Keywords: MachiavelliThe MandragolacomedyLivy ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe author wishes to thank his wife Natia and his sons Billy and Peter for their patience and support, and to thank Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. for inspiring my attempt to understand the Mandragola
Art · Comedy · Deception · Enlightenment · Epistemology · HERO · Literature · Parallels · Political science · Politics · Shame · Virtue · Law · Philosophy · Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |