The Prince's Cruelty Outline

519 Words3 Pages
Thesis: The Prince’s efficient preservation of his state promotes his amorality. Plan of Attack: His dependence on good arms, his willingness to use cruelty well, and his utilization of the populace’s goodwill foster the Prince’s amorality. Topic Sentence 1: The Prince’s dismissal of keeping his word promotes his amoral actions. a. “a prudent ruler cannot, must not, keep his word, when keeping it would work against him…” (75) 1. preserves the stability of the state much more effectively and efficiently because people are wicked, and the prince shouldn’t have to keep his word if they don’t 2. the prince isn’t limited to ruling strictly according to what is “good”; because to him, what is good is stability, earning him additionally general goodwill…show more content…
“ordinary people [are] always taken by appearances and by the outcome of an action” 1. if humans were perfect, the Prince’s actions could be deemed immoral 2. however, the general populace is wicked and as long as the outcome is good and their land is still stable, that’s all that matters to them III. Topic Sentence 2: The Prince’s willingness to use cruelty well fosters his amorality. a. cruelties can be well used “which are done at one stroke, out of the need to make oneself secure, and which afterwards…are converted into the greatest benefits possible” (39) 1. every action of the prince should be judged based on its efficiency and how it supports the ultimate goal of stability, rather than absolute morality 2. executing people or asserting control over a new principality may seem harsh, but cruelty can bring order, unite, and bring peace and loyalty b. “he will be more merciful than those who, because of too much mercy, allow disorders to continue…that usually harm the whole community” (71) 1. showing too much mercy is inefficient, because there are actually more harms that arise from actions with seemingly good intentions 2. the wise prince needs to build his state on what he can
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