Humanities and Machiavelli

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1. What does Machiavelli have to say about fortune versus free will?
Machiavelli explores in his writing how a prince’s life is affected by his own decisions, and the factors present in his environment. He examines the life and the circumstances of past Italian princes. His main argument is that both fortune and free will have equal relevance to determining the life of a prince. Machiavelli describes 2 general ways in which a prince can come into power, and these are “prowess” and “fortune”. Machiavelli discusses prowess as an individual’s capabilities and skill, while fortune implies the presence of good luck. He attempts to present a compromise between the two by presenting the thought that human beings have the ability of foresight, wherein one may create decisions that can nullify future bad fortune. However, Machiavelli takes into account that no matter how prepared or powerful a person is, destiny can always impose its intensity through its unknowns and its surprises. Overall, Machiavelli still implies a certain appreciation to the power of man to shape their own life circumstances.
2. In Twelfth night, who is most responsible for the mischief in Olivia’s household, and do you think the play has a true villain? If so, who would this be?Maria is one of the people who are responsible of many mischief’s in Olivia’s household. She is responsible for teaming up with the other people to exact their revenge on Malvolio. She often plays the role of the Joker, but she is always loyal to Olivia. One of the main antagonists presented in the story would be Malvolio. His personality type reveals certain selfish desires that are dark and ...