Machiavellian Politics, Divine Hierarchy & Human Agency

Machiavelli’s “handbook” (alluded to in the discussion) sets out step-by-step qualities for political ascent:
- Be a cunning, strategic performer: present one face in one arena and a different face elsewhere.
- Operate as a manipulator; morality and ethics are irrelevant so long as the goal is achieved.
- Guiding maxim: “the ends justify the means.”
Shakespeare is highly critical of these traits, frequently exposing their dangers in his plays.
“Pragmatic” in this context = strategic, results-oriented, flexible, void of moral absolutes.

Elizabeth I dies without a male heir.
Her nephew James VI of Scotland ascends the English throne as James I in $1603$ .
Shakespeare is writing early in James I’s reign, a period of anxiety over:
- Legitimate succession.
- The stability of social & cosmic order.
- Potential Machiavellian opportunists hoping to exploit political transition.

A God-ordained, hierarchical model of the universe ensuring cosmic balance.
Simplified vertical order:
$\text{God} \rightarrow \text{Angels} \rightarrow \text{King} \rightarrow \text{Queen} \rightarrow \text{Man} \rightarrow \text{Woman} \rightarrow \text{Animal} \rightarrow \text{Plant} \rightarrow \text{Rocks / Minerals}$
Key Points
- Providentialist belief: everyone must accept the station assigned by God.
- Breaking the chain = defying God ⇒ imbalance in nature, weather, human relationships; chaos mirrors spiritual disorder.
- Shakespeare consistently dramatizes this domino effect (storms, madness, civil war, etc.).

Definition: The king is God’s earthly representative; to oppose the king is to oppose God.
Consequences of regicide:
- Classified as a cosmic transgression.
- Triggers divine retribution; any usurper’s rise is temporary before God “corrects” the hierarchy.
Reinforces political stability by wrapping monarchy in theological authority.

Humanism (bold definition requested)
- Focuses on the ability of humans to act and not blindly follow a religious plan (providentialism).
Contrast:
- Providentialism = fate is scripted, static, God controls every outcome.
- Humanism = humans possess agency, free will, potential for self-determination.
In practice:
- Ambitious individuals may merge humanist self-belief with Machiavellian tactics to override pre-set roles.

Concept: One’s social/fortunal position can spin from top to bottom in an instant.
Directly challenges strict providential fixity:
- $\text{Fortune} \neq \text{Static}$ ; it is malleable, unpredictable.
Elizabethans used it to explain sudden reversals (plague, war victories/defeats, court favour, etc.).

Machiavellian opportunism exploits the Wheel of Fortune (fluidity) but violates the Great Chain & Divine Right (stability).
Shakespeare’s critique targets leaders who:
- Use humanist agency selfishly.
- Manipulate fortune through immoral means.
- Destabilize God’s cosmic order ⇒ natural & social chaos on stage.
Ethical/philosophical tension:
- Can ambition coexist with moral order?
- Does agency justify subverting divine hierarchy?

“Kill the king to become king”: ultimate Machiavellian shortcut; encapsulates regicide dilemma.
Classroom banter: multiple naps during lecture – underscores length/complexity of these ideas (meta-example of endurance required to process them!).