2. How important is force in the rule of the State?
Machiavelli believes "there cannot be good laws where there are not good arms, and where there are good arms, there are bound to be good laws". Machiavelli also dissents with employing mercenaries as a government force saying, "any man who founds his state on mercenaries can never be safe or secure", because "they have no other passions or incentives...except their desire for a bit of money".
3. What seems to be Machiavelli's view of human nature?
Machiavelli holds an extremely cynical view of humans creating the "general rule" saying, "they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain". Therefore Machiavelli says that in order for the Prince to maintain control, he must be not loved nor hated, but solely feared by all citizens.
6. Contemporaries saw Machiavelli as a dangerous man. Does The Prince offer any ground for this opinion?
The opinions Machiavelli provides in The Prince certainly offer grounds for assuming Machiavelli as a dangerous man. Had Machiavelli achieved power in Italy, his reign according to his own advice to the Prince, would resemble what contemporaries would not know as Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy. The imperil government that intimidates, holds a strong nationalist army; that keeps a tight grip on its people, certainly would also resemble the frightening Roman tyrannical emperors contemporaries would have been familiar with, especially after the rise of democracy in 15th century Florence.
Chaucer's Wife of Bath acts in all ways womanly yet none at all. Chaucer brilliantly composes his character to not only highlight the commonly associated vices of women, but also to demonstrate the fragile and angelic character traits. As promiscuous and loud the wife of Bath is, she possesses a strong desire of loyal companionship. In her story, she further demonstrates these two sides of her personality. When the young man is asked whether he'd prefer a wife who is beautiful and promiscuous or ugly and loyal, Chaucer (through the Wife of Bath) satirizes the restrictive misogynous view of "the two types of wife". Although to satirically prove a point, Chaucer admits truth in the stereotype he illustrates, the Wife of Bath holding a great deal of womanly vices.
On the other side of Medieval feminism, Christine de Pizan presents in her The Book of the City of Women a view of woman void of satire and vices seen in Chaucer's work. Here, Christine portrays herself learning about the role, rights, and capabilities of women from divine 'Reason'. She writes with the eloquence of classical Latin commonly associated with that of a man's oratory, also providing her character with the classical and traditional virtues often associated with philosophers.
However, de Pizan later wrote a book satirizing the view of women in her medieval societal context. The Querelle du Roman de la Rose presents women both as treasures to obtain through courtly love but also satirically as creatures of vicious seduction to be watched closely.
