Abstract
This article explores the issue of fear as an instrument of power in Discours sur les moyens de bien gouverner by Innocent Gentillet. This protestant author was a witness to the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, which he blamed on Machiavellians. In his book, Gentillet enters into polemics with Machiavelli’s The Prince. He opposes the ideas proposed by the Italian and gives many counterarguments. As for fear, he evokes a maxim of Machiavelli’s that the Prince can be cruel if he is obeyed, whereas, for the Frenchman, cruelty is the cause of fear, and with the help of historical examples he proves that the cruel Prince cannot govern for long. The second aspect on which the author focuses is the relation between love and fear. Gentillet disagrees with the Italian author who says that it is impossible to pot both so it is better to be feared than loved. Innocent Gentillet’s discourse follow the anti-Italianisme of the time.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callSimilar Papers
More From: Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Romanica
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
