Should a Ruler who wishes to maintain power be good and virtuous?

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The story of Lucretia, from Book I of Livy’s History of Rome [Critics have long seen the name of the female protagonist of Machiavelli’s Mandrake Root, Lucrezia, as one of the chief clues to the play’s meaning. The most famous Lucretia in history is a woman who features in an important episode of Livy’s hugely influential history of the early years of the Roman republic. Livy’s text is given below. Important to recall is that Rome during this early (legendary) period was ruled by kings. The anti-hero of this story, Sextus Tarquinius, is the son of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus. Lucius Junius Brutus, mentioned in the final chapter here, led an uprising which resulted in the ejection of the kings and the founding of the Roman republic.]

LVII. One day when the young men were drinking at the house of Sextus Tarquinius,

after a supper where they had dined with the son of Egerius, Tarquinius Conlatinus,

they fell to talking about their wives, and each man fell to praising his wife to excess.

Finally Tarquinius Conlatinus declared that there was no need to argue; they might

all be sure that no one was more worthy than his Lucretia. "Young and vigorous as

we are, why don't we go get out horses and go and see for ourselves what our wives

are doing? And we will base our judgement on whatever we see them doing when

their husbands arrive unannounced." Encouraged by the wine, "Yes, let's go!" they

all cried, and they went on horseback to the city. Darkness was beginning to fall

when they arrived and they went to the house of Conlatinus. There, they found

Lucretia behaving quite differently from the daughters-in-law of the King, whom

they had found with their friends before a grand feast, preparing to have a night of

fun. Lucretia, even though it was night, was still working on her spinning, with her

servants, in the middle of her house. They were all impressed by Lucretia's chaste

honor. When her husband and the Tarquins arrived, she received them, and her

husband, the winner, was obliged to invite the king's sons in. It was then that Sextus

Tarquinius was seized by the desire to violate Lucretia's chastity, seduced both by

her beauty and by her exemplary virtue. Finally, after a night of youthful games, they

returned to the camp.

LVIII. Several days passed. Sextus Tarquinius returned to the house of Conlatinus,

with one of his companions. He was well received and given the hospitality of the

house, and maddened with love, he waited until he was sure everyone else was

asleep. Then he took up his sword and went to Lucretia's bedroom, and placing his

sword against her left breast, he said, "Quiet, Lucretia; I am Sextus Tarquinius, and I

have a sword in my hand. If you speak, you will die." Awakening from sleep, the poor

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woman realized that she was without help and very close to death. Sextus

Tarquinius declared his love for her, begging and threatening her alternately, and

attacked her soul in every way. Finally, before her steadfastness, which was not

affected by the fear of death even after his intimidation, he added another menace.

"When I have killed you, I will put next to you the body of a nude servant, and

everyone will say that you were killed during a dishonorable act of adultery." With

this menace, Sextus Tarquinius triumphed over her virtue, and when he had raped

her he left, having taken away her honor. Lucretia, overcome with sorrow and

shame, sent messengers both to her husband at Ardea and her father at Rome,

asking them each to come "at once, with a good friend, because a very terrible thing

had happened." Spurius Lucretius, her father, came with Publius Valerius, the son of

Volesus, and Conlatinus came with Lucius Junius Brutus; they had just returned to

Rome when they met Lucretia's messenger. They found Lucretia in her chamber,

overpowered by grief. When she saw them she began to cry. "How are you?" her

husband asked. "Very bad," she replied, "how can anothing go well for a woman who

has lost her honor? There are the marks of another man in your bed, Conlatinus. My

body is greatly soiled, though my heart is still pure, as my death will prove. But give

me your right hand in faith that you will not allow the guilty to escape. It was Sextus

Tarquinius who returned our hospitality with enmity last night. With his sword in

his hand, he came to take his pleasure for my unhappiness, but it will also be his

sorrow if you are real men." They promised her that they would pursue him, and

they tried to appease her sorrow, saying that it was the soul that did wrong, and not

the body, and because she had had no bad intention, she did no wrong. "It is your

responsibility to see that he gets what he deserves," she said, "I will absolve myself

of blame, and I will not free myself from punishment. No woman shall use Lucretia

as her example in dishonor." Then she took up a knife which she had hidden beneath

her robe, and plunged it into her heart, collapsing from her wound; she died there

amid the cries of her husband and father.

LIX. Brutus, leaving them in their grief, took the knife from Lucretia's wound, and

holding it all covered with blood up in the aid, cried, "By this blood, which was so

pure before the crime of the prince, I swear before you, O gods, to chase the King

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, with his criminal wife and all their offspring, by fire,

iron, and all the methods I have at my disposal, and never to tolerate Kings in Rome

evermore, whether of that family of any other."