Discourses on Livy · Chapter
Chapter XXIX: Whether a people or a prince is the more ungrateful explained
Machiavelli examines the vice of ingratitude in both princes and peoples, tracing its origins to either avarice or suspicion.
What happens
Machiavelli examines the vice of ingratitude in both princes and peoples, tracing its origins to either avarice or suspicion. He argues that while both can be ungrateful, peoples are less often driven by avarice than princes, and their suspicion is more justified. He uses Roman examples, particularly the ingratitude shown to Scipio, and contemporary examples like Gonsalvo of Cordova, to illustrate how suspicion of a victorious captain leads to ingratitude.
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
- Ingratitude and Suspicion in Republics
Central theme of the chapter; Machiavelli analyzes how suspicion of victorious captains leads to ingratitude in both princes and peoples.
- Leadership and Moral Character
Explored through the examples of Scipio, Camillus, and Coriolanus, showing how a leader's qualities can provoke suspicion or forgiveness.
- Necessity and Reason of State
Implied in the prince's need to secure himself against a too-powerful captain, even at the cost of ingratitude.
Characters to notice
- Scipio
Cited as the only notable instance of Roman ingratitude; suspicion arose from his extraordinary fame, youth, and the greatness of his victories.
- Coriolanus
Mentioned as one who was banished for wrongs inflicted on the commons, but not forgiven due to persistent ill will.
- Furius Camillus
Banished for wrongs against the commons but later recalled and honored as a prince.
- Caesar
Referenced as an example of how ingratitude in a corrupt state leads to tyranny; he took by force what ingratitude denied him.
- Antonius Primus
Example of a captain who, after great victories for Vespasian, was deprived of command and authority, leading to his despair and suicide.
- Cornelius Tacitus
Quoted for the maxim that men are readier to pay back injuries than benefits.
Key passages
“men are readier to pay back injuries than benefits, since to requite a benefit is felt to be a burden, to return an injury a gain.”
People find it easier to repay harm than kindness, because returning a favor feels like an obligation while retaliating feels like a profit.
Machiavelli cites Tacitus to explain the psychological root of ingratitude.
“no city could be deemed free which contained a citizen who was feared by the magistrates.”
A city cannot be considered free if any citizen is so powerful that the magistrates are afraid of him.
Attributed to Cato the Elder, this expresses the republican suspicion of over-mighty citizens.
