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This is further clarified when he addresses the question of whether it is better to be feared or loved. Machiavelli believes that a Prince should break his promises to man because man is evil and will break his promises to the Prince. I believe this theory to be true. If one desires to be a successful Prince, one must be able to understand and accept that evil characteristics are in all men. I also believe in order to be successful, it is necessary to take into account the fact that one may have to arouse fear in ones people in order to preserve and keep them well off.
At times it may be necessary that those who hold power are the ones who are most inhumane; if this is held with low regard, one may bring collapse to their people, and unto oneself. However, as someone in power, one cannot be so merciless as to alienate ones people. There is a balance that must be kept. There may be certain situations where one feels a compelling need to lie and be deceitful; however, as a general rule, to maintain credibility one be trustworthy and loyal whenever possible. As a Prince, one must come off as moral and self-sacrificing but know at times that might not be the case.
Machiavelli knows that for a Prince to be successful, his people have to be loyal and respectful. If one gains the respect of his people, both aspects will be successful and benefit equally. He believes as a person in power, one holds the need to be feared, but not hated. There must be a delicate balance to ensure a fear of punishment continues to exist. If a ruler is solely loathed, one is sure to lose support from his people. Without support one will be in ruin. Machiavelli creates a compelling argument for the characteristics necessary to be a successful ruler with emphasis on consistent exercise of power.
I believe Machiavelli prepares and considers the worst in all situations. By acknowledging his theory, it gives way for rulers with evil objectives to enter. For example, he argues “in order to guarantee peace, a leader must constantly be prepared for war;” a perfect example of how he prepares for the worst. This could also be explained by the fact that he may have thought this way because war was prevalent in Italy during this time. Machiavelli drew from prevalent issues of the time to back up his theory and prepare for its criticisms.
In the movie, A Man For All Seasons, Sir Thomas More was subconsciously a slave to his own integrity. He performs selfless acts throughout the film in order to convey lawful personality characteristics. More is grounded in strong faith and unfathomable trust in himself when it comes to difficult situations. More was not against politics and government; in fact, he worked for the good of the people. If I were More, I would have sold myself to the King if being beheaded were the consequence of not doing so. I consider More a hero for his actions and decisions, not solely because of what he believed in, but because of his integrity.
Everyone should have strong moral values, but there may mom a point in ones life where the option is give up moral values or be killed, such as Sir Thomas More. I would personally find it difficult to stay grounded in my moral values if confronted with such a situation. Family is an important aspect in my life and I would not put my morals before them in any way. More caused needless suffering to his family because of his actions. Essentially, Thomas More did what God wanted him to do, not what the king insisted. His beliefs are what kept him from giving in to the king.
More upheld and asserted on he distinction between rightness and dominance, between certainty and administrative authority, but not in a way that disapproved politics and government altogether. More effectively excluded the annexation of all aspects of life by governmental authority, which was the kings effort to encompass a monopoly over law, ethics, faith, and religion. Mores actions were meant to defend the country longstanding statutory order against temporary royal haughtiness. No matter the circumstances, More stuck by his personal conscience. For these reasons, Sir Thomas More was undeniably “A Man For All Seasons. ”