MACHIAVELLI, GOT, & FOOTBALL Nick Grazia
FOOTBALL Catenaccio football in Italy might well have derived from Machiavellian thinking What is Catenaccio? How is it Machiavellian? Making do with what you have at your disposal Jose Mourinho is a Machiavellian coach, he says so himself as he adopts the “parking the bus” strategy. Winning ugly.
GAME OF THRONES If Machiavelli were alive today, perhaps these hopes for a redeemer would be found not in any prince, but rather a princess. Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains. Daenrys Targaryan is the perfect Princess according to Machiavelli’s writings invoke a "redeemer" who shall save enslaved Italy from the domination of foreign powers that have left her gravely wounded and "almost without life” This is Daenerys in her quest to rule Westeros Consciously or unconsciously, Game of Thrones' creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have fashioned a spectacular mise en scène of the principles that Machiaveli outlines in The Prince.
The Ends Justify The Means A prince, especially a prince new to power, cannot observe all those qualities for which men are deemed to be good, for it shall often come about that he will have to act inhumanely, uncharitably, and irreligiously in order to maintain power. It is required that he have a mind prepared to act according to how the direction of the winds and the variations of fortune require. And, as I have already said, if he is able, he should not depart from doing good; but he must know how to enter into evil, if necessary. Machiavelli instructs a ruler to be ready to enact any means possible to maintain power and to preserve order in the realm. Yet, he qualifies this assertion within three parameters: First, the prince does not have free range to conduct evil, but must strive for goodness as the primary measure of actions Second, as a faithful translation of the Italian sapere entrare nel male indicates, the prince must know how to enter into evil and to what extent evil actions are required given the circumstances at hand. The final, and often ignored, qualification defines when a ruler can in fact enter into evil: "if necessary"; that is to say, when all other options fail.
Season 7, Episode 6, "Beyond the Wall", Daenerys and her chief advisor Tyrion Lannister engage in a dramatic debate that parallels many problematics treated by Machiavelli in The Prince. In the previous episode, "Eastwatch", Daenerys defeats a contingent of Cersei and Jaime Lannister's forces with Drogon, the largest and strongest of her three dragons. Daenerys gives the conquered soldiers a choice: "Bend the knee and join me. Together, we will leave the world a better place than we found it. Or refuse and die." After Dickon and Randyll Tarly, members of a reputable family, refuse to pledge allegiance to her, she commands Drogon to burn them alive, a decision that stuns and haunts Tyrion. Now at Dragonstone, Daenerys' ancestral home, Tyrion confronts her about this seemingly rash act, and she retorts, "That was not impulsive! That was necessary."
In Chapter 8 of The Prince, he distinguishes between abuses of cruelty and well-used cruelty: One can call cruelty well-used in all those instances when it is used swiftly and by necessity—and not repeated thereafter—in order to ensure one's power and to safeguard the greatest, overall benefit of one's subjects. He further specifies that cruelty should be utilized expeditiously and in a fashion that does not oppress one's subjects, but that sets an example so as to maintain their continued favor and loyalty. Tyrion ultimately concedes that Daenerys will at times "need to be ruthless if [she's] going to win the throne.”
To be feared or to be loved? There is a fine line and we can see it in the difference between Daenerys and Cersei. As well as with her ancestor the Mad King. In Chapter 17, one of the most famous of The Prince, Machiavelli deliberates whether it is better for a ruler to be feared or loved. Claiming it better to be feared than loved: Fear takes hold in people through the terrifying prospect of being painfully punished, and, in this way, fear never leaves them. Nevertheless, a prince must make himself be feared in such a way that, if he does not procure love, he avoids hatred, for one can most certainly be feared without being hated. In Season 7, Episode 2, "Stormborn", Olenna Tyrell echoes Machiavelli's advice as she urges Daenerys not to underestimate the value of the people's fear and not to overestimate the value of their love. Acknowledging the tragic fate of her granddaughter Margaery, Olenna states, "I can't remember a queen who was better loved than my granddaughter. The common people loved her; the nobles loved her. And what is left of her now? Ashes. Commoners, nobles, they're all just children really. They won't obey you unless they fear you.” In Chapter 9, he stresses the need "for a prince to have the people as a friend" and, accordingly, to strive constantly to ensure their unquestioned loyalty: "Therefore, a wise prince must think of a way through which citizens will always, regardless of what the circumstances may be, need him and his power, and, as such, will always remain faithful to him.” With her continued promises to "bring peace back to Westeros", to "destroy the wheel that has rolled over everyone, both rich and poor", and to offer better lives to all her subjects, Daenerys has undoubtedly inspired this spirit of fidelity among her subjects.
Machiavelli insists: "Everyone sees what you seem to be, but few know who you really are." It is here that he suggests a prince "know well how to employ the instinctive qualities of animals and the rational qualities of humans.” When a ruler must resort to more animalistic modes of conduct, Machiavelli proposes two examples: A prince should take the fox and the lion as models, for the lion cannot defend itself from traps and the fox cannot defend itself from the wolves. It is necessary therefore to be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion in order to shock the wolves. Those who simply act like a lion do not understand what they are doing Daenerys also must come to understand that noble intentions will only get her so far, and that she will sometimes have to fall back upon the more bestial and instinctive side of her being. In fact, she will have to resort to the very beasts through which her family originally obtained its preeminence and power. As Olenna Tyrell tells her, "The Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No, you're a dragon. Be a dragon.” Yet, no matter how earnestly rulers try to adjust themselves to changing times and circumstances, Machiavelli instructs, they can never fully elude the unexpected winds of fortune and chance. This is seen when Daenrys’ beloved dragon is killed by the Night King.
Chapter 6 talks about the figures of armed prophets, Moses among them. Such an individual at once possesses not only the physical force to demonstrate power and abilities, but also "the power of persuasion sustained by an alleged divine inspiration” Prophecy without force leaves words empty; force without prophecy leaves actions deprived of greater meaning. The most unseen resemblance to the prince in Daenrys is the the idea of a prophet, but Melisandre helps brings this to light when she unveils the prophecy that “The prince or princess who was promised will bring the dawn” When he exhorts his redeemer, Machiavelli notes of all the historical and mythological examples he references in The Prince: "Although these men were rare and marvelous, they were only men, and they all had lesser occasions to prove their worth than you do at present.” None other but Daenerys shows self belief and personal fortitude
Both GOT and The Prince compel us to consider the ethos of leadership in our own societies. Beyond whatever practical insight they may afford us, The Prince and Game of Thrones also reciprocally inform the respective viewing and reading of one another. Just as The Prince elucidates the politics of Game of Thrones, so too does Game of Thrones provide a lens through which we can approach Machiavelli with fresh eyes and see him more clearly. There is no doubt about it. To the Mother of Dragons, Machiavelli would bend the knee.
THE END
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