Machiavelli as a dramatist the ultimate symbol of virtú in "Mandragola", as a ‘self-portrait’ of Machiavelli. Ligurio assembles the spectrum of schemes in the play, from the Mandrake potion, to Frate Timoteo's assistance, to Callimaco's disguise and capture by Nicia. Though every character in the play participates in some form of a manipulative act, Ligurio stands out because of his impressive adaptability to tribulations. Even more extraordinary is Ligurio's aptitude for judging human character. This comprehension of character is the type of awareness that is necessary for successful acts of manipulation. One of the many places we experience Ligurio's qualitative insight is in his
The New Machiavelli interesting"; another admirer, Henry James, regarded Wells's use of the first person an artistic mistake. Beatrice Webb called "The New Machiavelli" "very clever in a malicious way" but did not sue, saying that the novel "lays bare the tragedy of H.G.'s life—his aptitude for 'fine thinking' and even 'good feeling' and yet his total incapacity for decent conduct". Some libraries banned the book and the "Spectator" did not review it. Reviewers were receptive to Wells's political argument but hostile to its sexual message. The New Machiavelli The New Machiavelli is a 1911 novel by H. G. Wells that was serialised