Essay on Fotune is a Woman The Conception of Virtu

Niccolo Machiavelli ‘Les Principalipos’ 4. Fortune is a woman, says Machiavelli. What does this mean, and what is its significance for Machiavellis conception of virtà ¹? Fortune is a woman says Machiavelli. Such a claim has been used to reveal Fortune’s nature. It has allowed us to study her ways, to learn how to interact to her. Fortune is a powerful woman, and requires virtu to resist her. Machiavelli uses this picture to help people understand more simply the nature of Fortune so they might be able to react more appropriately when Fortune comes to its opposition. Machiavelli teaches â€Å"†¦that it is better to be impetuous than cautious, because Fortune is a woman, and if you want to keep her under it is necessary to beat her and†¦show more content†¦That to beat and force Fortune down is to not be afraid of its opposition. The fear of such could cripple Fortune’s resistor from executing decisions impetuously. Decisions like these may compromise safety, but prove themselves necessary at times for the prosperity of the resistor. In Machiavelli’s depiction of virtu, regarding the womanly fortuna, he proves the ne ed for the virtuous man to use his freewill to exercise ruthlessness over Fortune in order to control the partial sphere of influence he has over her. For at times, when having the end in mind while picking the means, a resistor to Fortune may be required to pick a cruel means in order to obtain successful resistance against Fortune. For instance, an admiral of Machiavelli’s virtu may see it proper to use a blitzkrieg tactic in order to defeat an enemy. He would realize the likelihood of the military operation ending in great causalities for his troupes, but would also see the bloodbath necessary to defeating his enemy. If the admiral were too cautious or fearful as to make such a bold move, he could face lesser odds of victory. Machiavelli shows this approach to be successful more often than not backed by his reference to Pope Julius II, who acted impetuously in his dealings, and deemed successful. So we see that resisting Fortune can require a level of virtu that is able to make tough and risky decisions in an unflinching manor; Virtu that is unafraid of the possible injuring