Machiavelli’s The Prince A Close Read

Instructions As we answer questions about the texts, please try to be specific in your answers. Go back to the text and find words and phrases that help you answer the question. Everyone’s eyes should be on the text when a question is asked. There is no need to raise hands, because everyone will be called on at some point. Please discuss the answers with your group. If someone answers a question and you have additional thoughts, please tell us. Make sure as we go along that you are marking up the text. This will make it easier to do the assignment when you go back to the information. You will notice line numbers. These will help us focus our analysis. Many questions require evidence from multiple areas.

Text Dependent Questions Using lines 6- 10, what are the qualities of a good prince? Refer to lines 70- 72, What five qualities does Machiavelli say must come from the prince’s mouth? Which one does Machiavelli say is the most important? What evidence does he use to support this? In lines 78- 79, Machiavelli states that a prince should only be concerned with what? Why?

Text Dependent Questions In lines 14- 15, what types of fighting exist? How does the centaur symbolize the relationship between these types of fighting? What does Machiavelli claim a prince needs to succeed? Why? In lines 31- 35, reflect on what Machiavelli is saying about what it means to be a prudent leader.

Text Dependent Questions In lines 68- 87, Machiavelli states that religious appearances is the most important quality of a prince. How is this in contradiction to what he says about what a prudent leader needs to do to succeed? In lines 68- 87, what words does he use to describe people the Prince rules over? What phrases from the text describe the characteristics of the people? How does he use these descriptors to validate his argument? What revolutionary ideas did Machiavelli state in The Prince?

Assessment Now that you are an expert on Machiavelli, you are going to identify traits in a current or former world leader that display Machiavellian characteristics. First, read your article silently. As you read highlight or underline examples from the text where you see Machiavellian traits. Next, discuss as a group your examples to see if they are correct. Thirdly, on the bottom of the back write a summary using 3 pieces of evidence how your leader is showing Machiavellian characteristics. Make sure to cite your evidence using line numbers i.e. (22-24)

Example President Obama was showing the Machiavellian trait of being the beast when he sent two U.S. aircraft carriers to the South China Sea as a show of force in order to intimidate China. (24- 26)

Alternate Assessment For your assessment you will need to answer the following question: According to Machiavelli, what is the way princes should keep their word? Choose three claims within his argument to elaborate upon using evidence (quotes or paraphrasing with line numbers) from the text. That is, how does he prove his point? Summarize Machiavelli’s reasoning for each claim. Pick the claim that you feel is the most convincing.