Machiavelli and Fortune: between politics, representation and fiction

• Grant number: 23/18158-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Theory
• Principal Investigator: Eunice Ostrensky
• Grantee: Vinícius dos Santos Silva Bertoluzzo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/06289-0 - Machiavelli and Fortune: Between Politics, representation and Fiction., BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The political thought of Niccolò Machiavelli, although it has been the subject of extensive studies, still gives rise to interpretative differences, especially with regard to the fundamental concepts of Fortuna and virtù present in his primary political works, such as Il Principe and the Discorsi. The study proposes a comprehensive approach, incorporating his non-political works, notably the plays La Mandragola, Clizia and Andria, and poems such as Dell'occasione and Di Fortuna. The research focuses on the analysis of the concept of Fortuna, traditionally relegated to a secondary position compared to virtù in Machiavelli's political analyses. In addition, the research seeks to understand the relationship between politics, representation and fiction in Machiavelli's work, exploring the relevance of poetic works for a broader understanding of Fortuna. The underlying hypothesis is that Machiavelli's comedies have purposes beyond entertainment, serving as vehicles for teaching through laughter, using metaphors and parallelisms. The method adopted to these objectives involves a rhetorical approach, following the example of analyses Victoria Kahn in Machiavellian Rhetoric (1994) and Mikael Hörnqvist in Machiavelli and Empire (2004), who highlight the importance of La Mandragola as a rhetoric, considering the adaptation of discourse to different contexts.