The Prince Lesson Plan

Where does a ruler’s power come from, according to Machiavelli? Is power something natural that is just given to all by God?

Famously, medieval theories about rulership emphasized the divine right of kings to wield power. In The Prince, however, Machiavelli places much more emphasis on the ability of human beings to obtain power. Therein is a core distinction between Machiavelli’s thinking and the other theorists of his time: power may be legitimated after the fact with reference to God’s will, but in practice, it is something that must be sought and fought for by a would-be ruler.

What does Machiavelli refer to when he refers to a prince’s "ability"? And why is this...