LITERATURE

Today Machiavelli is considered a giant of political philosophy, his most widely read works being The Prince and The Discourses, neither of which had been published in his lifetime. In his day, however, Machiavelli was particularly appreciated as a writer of elegant prose and well-crafted tales, a successful playwright, and an original and accomplished poet. A great contemporary of Machiavelli, Mateo Bandello (who wrote the tale of Romeo and Juliet), remembers Giovanni de’ Medici asking Machiavelli to entertain the company with one of his delightful “novelle.” (Unfortunately, “Belfagor” is the only one that has come down to us). This section offers a glimpse of Machiavelli’s literary range.