Example Of Literature Review On Complete Name Of The Student

Complete Name of Professor

In The Mandrake, Machiavelli writes in his introduction: “The prince may be viewed as a grand tragedy, offering a tragic view of the same world of which the Mandragola is the comedy.” Machiavelli’s intention behind is probably to imply that the “Prince’s” story is common among people across cultures: a love-sick young man who gets attracted to a beautiful lady regardless of the limiting situations. In the story, Callimaco, who is disguised as The Price, took all the initiative to take Lucrezia despite that fact that she is married. That attempt alone can be unanimously deduced to being tragic and scandalous as it is unethical, much less, immoral among all cultures to have relationship with someone who is already married, or even simply having a relationship with someone. Machiavelli is trying to describe the situation in the light of what is good and evil, moral and immoral (Prunster n.p). The theme that has been cropped up as a result of Callimaco seeking Lucrezia by tapping the help of a marriage broker and a priest suggests betrayal. Meanwhile, Mandragola becomes the comedy because Callimaco claims that it will increase Lucrezia’s fertility but gives a warning that the mandrake will kill the first person to have intercourse with her. In fact, there is truth behind Callimaco’s claim. It is not even proven in the story that a mandrake has therapeutic benefits of increasing fertility. The gist is that Callimaco is trying to appear concerned about Nicia’s life and volunteers to be the first person to have sex with Lucrezia so that Nicia will be spared from death; however, everything is all made-up and has no truth at all.

Work Cited

Prunster, Nicole. The Mandrake: Overview. Ed. Lesley Henderson. New York: St. James
Press, 1995. Print.