Name
Lecturer
Course
Date
Political Science
The end justifies the means, which has now become a common philosophy, is the work of Nicollo Machiavelli. There was the main ideology, expressed in The Prince, a text which would revolutionize leadership. In fact, Chaucer is undisputedly the father of political science. He is a strict disciplinarian, who used his authority to instill discipline to his subjects. This paper gives a critical evaluation of Chaucer’s leadership skills in reference to Machiavelli’s philosophy of leadership.
According to Machiavelli, leadership is a privilege, which entails heavy responsibilities. A good leader is the one who understands that it is necessary to do everything required to maintain power. As he says, it is quite challenging for leaders to remain in power for a long time as they wish. This often denies them an opportunity to fulfill all their goals they had put in place during the installation. However, for him to remain power, he should appreciate the fact that no position can thrive without opposition. In order to retain power, it is essential for the leader to sustain the social and political institutions, in which his subjects are living. This is the only way through which he can establish and maintain stability through the territory. Besides, as he asserts, this can only be achieved by the use of coercion, purposely aimed at silencing these dissents. Dirty tricks must be used to solve problems. Deliberate efforts must be taken to eliminate all the infidels as long as it is found out that they are not loyal to the authority. These ideas were also endorsed by Dante Alighieri in his life in the legendary literary works.
This is attested by Chaucer, who becomes a protagonist in The Knightes Tale. He emerges as a dedicated leader, who is ready to use his authority to instill harmony in his kingdom. He uses Machiavelli’s ideologies to force the two wrangling groups into loyalty. As a strict disciplinarian, Chaucer decides to project a system of rules to regulate the conduct of people during such certain events as fighting. Upon realizing the dwell between Palamon and Arcite over the lovely Emily, he decided to compel them to solve their problems.
He used his knowledge to adopt Machiavelli’s philosophy in the way that violence was a part of leadership. By this reason, he decided to engage people into a fight, which would help him to solve this problem. He had realized that conflicts were inevitable. The only thing to be done was to use intelligence to solve them. This is an application of Machiavelli’s principle that explains that leaders should use dirty tricks when dealing with the challenges facing them. If he had not intervened intelligently, this problem would have had dire consequences in his kingdom. It would have interfered with Emily’s peace of mid because she was the main subject in this matter.
As Machiavelli states, a leader should be concerned with a strict observance of the societal moral codes of conduct. He should not only focus on private reputation, but insist on public morality. However, this should not be adhered to now and then. It concerns the times, inevitable to be immoral, depending on the situations one is confronted with. In addition, a ruler can choose acting in an immoral manner, but only when it is necessary. This is exactly what was done by Chaucer, when he forced the two men fighting in the open country. Although this did not augur well in the eyes of the public, it seemed to be a good idea. It ultimately resolved the problem which was troubling the territory. Therefore, it becomes a confirmation of the use of deceit and the exercise of brute in remedying problems affecting the people. Even if the fight results in the brutal death of Arcite, it eventually restores harmony in the kingdom, particularly when Emily marries Palamon. Had it not been for the intelligence of Chaucer, Emily would not have had anything remarkable to be happy about in her life. Otherwise, she was then happy because she was married to the right man who would take care of her.
In actual deed, Chaucer ‘represents rules and order. He’s full of wisdom and chivalry.’ His conducts in this epic portray him as a school principle who is very much concerned about the strict observance of the law. He does all that he can to ensure that everyone follows the law. This trait builds his reputation and enables him to be known by all the people even beyond his territorial borders. As already highlighted, this is also an aspect of principle borrowed from Machiavelli, who advocates for a good public and private image. While doing all these, he takes his time to reflect on his rules. He is so careful not to formulate rules, which would be rejected by all the people because of their harshness. Instead, he has to ensure that they are beneficial and practically applicable to them. For instance, when he discovered that the two gentlemen were having problems, he, first of all, carried out thorough investigations before knowing what the problem was. Later, he took the most appropriate step, which eventually worked. This was in line with Machiavelli’s assertion that an ideal society could not just be attained with ease. Such initiatives must be taken because they can help in purging the society.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Machiavelli was one of the most intelligent minds the world has ever had. His philosophy of leadership is the only secret to power, which no leader can fail to master. The application of these ideologies could help princes to maintain their leadership positions with much comfort. This was the secret behind Chaucer’s success.
