Niccolò Machiavelli: life of the week

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legacy of Niccolò Machiavelli, presenting him as a complex figure beyond the myth.

From obscure beginnings to torture, exile, and desperate reinvention, the biography of Renaissance diplomat and author Niccolò Machiavelli reads like political theatre at its most brutal. In this episode, Alexander Lee speaks to Danny Bird about the man behind the myth. He presents Machiavelli as an 'everyman', who loved his family and friends, sang poetry, drank, gambled, and wrote by night, producing one of the most contentious books ever: The Prince. Long condemned as a manual for tyrants, might it instead be better to see it as a clear-eyed guide to political survival in unstable times? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Alexander Lee

Guest: Danny Bird

Topics covered

• Renaissance
• political theory
• biography
• Machiavelli
• The Prince
• political survival

Keywords

• Machiavelli
• The Prince
• Renaissance
• biography
• political theatre
• political survival
• exile

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