Question

Read the passage from chapter 17 of the prince. Nevertheless

Answer 1

The impact that the words feared and hatred in the chapter 17 of The Prince have on the meaning of the passage is that they suggest that a ruler who is feared can retain power, while a ruler who is hated is less likely to do so.

In this chapter, Machiavelli establishes an important distinction between 'feared' and 'hatred'. The author argues that a prince should make himself feared by the masses but not hated. Moreover, he states that one way of avoid being hatred is leaving his citizens' property intact. According to Machiavelli, it is important to avoid being hatred because, unlike being feared, a hated prince is more likely to lose his power due to the angry masses.