Machiavelli used those words, "fortuna" and "virtù", literally and figuratively in both pieces to demonstrate that immorality is acceptable when the ends justify the means. In "Mandragola", Machiavelli dramatically portrays these ideas by making the protagonist boast "virtù" and his leading lady encompass "fortuna". The protagonist Callimaco is the virtuous prince that Machiavelli alludes to in "The Prince"; he has the fervent aspiration, but also the willingness to endanger his life that make him deserving of his love Lucrezia and worthy of authority. Opposedly, the antagonist Nicia who already holds power, like an inherited prince, owes himself to "Fortuna" and loses her because of his passiveness. By having the characters overstep each other to better themselves, Machiavelli uses "commedia dell'arte" (artful comedy) to portray recent Florentine political events. Therefore, each character is representative of a political figurehead, again reiterating ideas from "The Prince" with the help of masks and stock figures.