ITAL-4395 The Dark Prince

Course Description

Niccolò Machiavelli (Florence 1469-1527) stands as the controversial political genius of the Italian Renaissance.  The Borgia, the Medici, the Church of Rome, the ruling European and Italian dynasties, along with emperors, kings, leaders and tyrants of the past are the characters on the political “stage” set for The Prince (De Principatibus), Machiavelli’s masterpiece.  The course will present Machiavelli’s major works in translation, including his texts for theater, in order to reflect on the nature of power, on Machiavelli’s legacy, and on Italian and European Renaissance. The course will also present the anti-Machiavellian treatise par excellence, The Reason of State by the Italian Jesuit Giovanni Botero (c. 1544 – 1617). This course is offered in English.