Pimps, Cuckolds, and Philosophers: Machiavelli’s Literary Self-Presentation

Abstract

The Machiavellian prince is that most masculine of men who can conquer the womanly Fortuna by beating her down, but what of Machiavelli, who presents himself as one whose virtù lies not in deeds but rather in words?  We examine Machiavelli's self-presentation in his literary writings as one emasculated by the world of politics. Machiavelli's literary self-portraits in Mandragola, Clizia, Belfagor, and his shorter verse works highlight the tension between thought and action, writers and doers, or philosophy and politics. Machiavelli imagines himself in the guise of a procurer, but also, in Mandragola as a cuckold, and, in Clizia, as a failed seducer.  According to his own account, Machiavelli enjoys neither the eros of conquest nor the glory of empire.
KEYWORDS:  Machiavelli; gender; Lucretia; eros and politics