ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the difficult and painful position in which Niccolò Machiavelli found himself might explain why he chose to begin La mandragola with the harsh words about the sad present state of virtù. It begans by inquiring into the worth of mothers in La mandragola, and concludes by underscoring the unworthiness of fathers. The chapter argues that La mandragola problematizes the phenomena of womanhood, motherhood, and virtù in the context of male desire. Sostrata's motherhood is understood in utilitarian terms: it has value because it can be used to attain other things, such as sons, sex, and money. It is a case study of a fatherless reality: the complete corruption of the patriarchal foundations of society, the lack of masculine virility, and the absence of male authority and virtù create a reality in which the female as mother is the prime mover.
