Discourses on Livy · Chapter
LVI explained
Machiavelli discusses how great calamities are often preceded by signs, prophecies, or portents, citing examples from ancient Rome and recent Italian history, including Savonarola's prediction of Charles VIII's invasion, lightning strikes b
What happens
Machiavelli discusses how great calamities are often preceded by signs, prophecies, or portents, citing examples from ancient Rome and recent Italian history, including Savonarola's prediction of Charles VIII's invasion, lightning strikes before Lorenzo de' Medici's death and Piero Soderini's fall, and Livy's account of Marcus Ceditius hearing a voice warning of the Gauls.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the Claudian censor, driven by the family’s ingrained haughti…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Religion as a Political Instrument
Machiavelli examines how portents and prophecies are used to foretell or justify political calamities.
- Historical Cyclicality and Human Nature
The recurrence of signs before disasters suggests a pattern in human affairs.
Characters to notice
- Girolamo Savonarola
Foretold the invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France.
- Lorenzo de' Medici
Before his death, the cathedral pinnacle was struck by lightning.
- Piero Soderini
Before his banishment, the palace was struck by lightning.
- Titus Livius
Cited for the story of Marcus Ceditius and the warning of the Gauls.
Key passages
“no grave calamity has ever befallen any city or country which has not been foretold by vision, by augury, by portent, or by some other heaven-sent sign”
Every major disaster is preceded by some kind of divine or supernatural warning.
Machiavelli asserts a universal pattern of portents before calamities.
“the air is filled with intelligent beings, to whom it is given to forecast future events; who, taking pity upon men, warn them beforehand by these signs”
Some wise men believe that benevolent spirits in the air predict the future and send signs to warn people.
Machiavelli offers a possible explanation for the phenomenon of portents.
