Essay The Life and Works of Niccolo Machiavelli - 2079 Words

Niccolà ³ Machiavelli is perhaps the greatest political thinker in history. He was a historian, musician, a poet, and he wrote comedies. He liked poetry as much as he liked philosophy. Machiavelli wrote and collected poems. His works, which are inspired by his life experiences, have been read by many of the worlds greatest politicians. Niccolà ³ Machiavelli’s writing was influenced by the Medici family, the Soderini government in Italy, and his own diplomatic career. His great work, The Prince, is legendary for its impact in politics and its controversial proposals. Niccolà ³ Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. This was during the golden ages of Florence, a powerful point in its history. His parents were Bernardo†¦show more content†¦Machiavelli himself once said, â€Å"At an early age, I learned how to scrimp rather than to thrive† (King 3). This meant that Machiavelli was not born into wealth and instead of being given everything he wanted; he had to work for it. Machiavelli’s father provided him with a rather sufficient education in religion, classics, and politics. His father loved books. In fact, they had a library where he collected works by Greek and Roman philosophers such as Cicero and Aristotle (Wagner 17). He also collected major studies of Italian history. The books that his father collected provided Niccolà ³ with a foundation of knowledge about the ideas of noble Greek and Roman thinkers (Wagner 17). These books would also help shape Niccolà ³Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s own writings decades later. When Machiavelli grew a little older, he studied at The Studio, which was essentially a school. The Studio gave Machiavelli a solid grounding in rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, and moral philosophy (King 7). Three days after his 17th birthday, Machiavelli began learning the elements of Latin under the Supervision of a local teacher known as Maestro Matteo, who conducted lessons from a house near the Ponte Santa Trinitia (King 6). Machiavelli desired and had a talent for government work ever since childhood. His intelligence and passionate political interests were powerful reasons for the attention from Florentine politicians. For this reason, he was once known as â€Å"Machia,† a pun onShow MoreRelatedAyn Rand And Niccolo Machiavelli Analysis963 Words   |  4 Pagesbelieve that being in control will allow everyone to be equal, but in reality people have mixed emotions on that topic. Famous philosophers Ayn Rand and Niccolo Machiavelli had different moral believes that some what tie them down to having communism characteristics and views that were widely criticized by people. Ayn Rand and Niccolo Machiavelli were criticized by many by their controlling viewpoints and selfishness. 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