Republicanism and the Problem of Ambition: The Critique of Cicero in Machiavelli's Discourses

Ambition enjoys an ambiguous status in political practice. It is at once necessary and dangerous. Although Machiavelli's engagement with Cicero in the Prince has been well-noted, his critique in the Discourses of his preeminent rival authority on republicanism has received very little attention. This critique concerns Cicero's failure to respond to the threat posed to republican institutions by the ambition of leading citizens. By following out the details of this critique, this article speaks both to recent debates about Machiavelli's republicanism and to the obscurity about the problem of ambition in contemporary politics.