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"The Italian word that Machiavelli uses most famously is virtù (with the accent on the ù), not the modern Italian “virtù” that means moral virtue. In Renaissance Italian (and especially in Machiavelli’s usage), virtù has a much broader, more classical, and more pragmatic meaning that does not primarily denote moral goodness.
"The Italian word that Machiavelli uses most famously is virtù (with the accent on the ù), not the modern Italian “virtù” that means moral virtue. In Renaissance Italian (and especially in Machiavelli’s usage), virtù has a much broader, more classical, and more pragmatic meaning that does not primarily denote moral goodness.
Why “virtù” ≠ moral virtue in Machiavelli
Why “virtù” ≠ moral virtue in Machiavelli<br>
Machiavelli borrowed the term from the ancient Roman concept of virtus (Latin), which originally meant:
Machiavelli borrowed the term from the ancient Roman concept of virtus (Latin), which originally meant:
For the Romans, virtus was the opposite of inertia, weakness, or dependence on luck. A classic example is Cicero or Livy praising a general’s virtus for his boldness, decisiveness, and success, even if the means were ruthless.
For the Romans, virtus was the opposite of inertia, weakness, or dependence on luck. A classic example is Cicero or Livy praising a general’s virtus for his boldness, decisiveness, and success, even if the means were ruthless.
Machiavelli adopts this Roman sense almost exactly. In The Prince and the Discourses, virtù is the set of personal qualities—courage, decisiveness, adaptability, cunning, audacity, self-reliance—that enable a ruler (or a republic) to master circumstances, seize opportunities, and dominate Fortune.
Machiavelli adopts this Roman sense almost exactly. In ''[[The Prince]]'' and the ''[[Discourses]]'', virtù is the set of personal qualities—courage, decisiveness, adaptability, cunning, audacity, self-reliance—that enable a ruler (or a republic) to master circumstances, seize opportunities, and dominate Fortune.
Why English translators sometimes use “merit” (or related terms)
Crucially, it is amoral: a prince can (and sometimes must) use cruelty, deception, or betrayal if they are done bene (well) and at the right moment. That is still an exercise of virtù.<br>
Why English translators sometimes use “merit” (or related terms)<br>
Early English translators (especially 16th–17th century) struggled to find a single word that captured this Roman-political sense without dragging in Christian “virtue.” Common choices have been:
Early English translators (especially 16th–17th century) struggled to find a single word that captured this Roman-political sense without dragging in Christian “virtue.” Common choices have been: