Abstract

The trickster motive is a highly peculiar phenomenon in political thought. Its first appearance is traced before Machiavelli’s famous Prince , which gives advice to political rulers how to gain control over his subjects. The Trickster in Renaissance Political Thought is the hero of political games, striving for power, the double-natured politician who is guided exclusively by icy calculation given the actual situation. This figure, however, appears much before Machiavelli, in the Renaissance genius Leon Battista Alberti’s Momus around 1450. This paper gives an account about the circumstances for the emergence of such a figure and also a detailed description about its tricks and manners as it appeared in Alberti’s book, emphasising the theoretical significance of its particular qualities