What question did this study set out to answer?

The article examines how Thomas Hobbes's concepts of sovereignty are reflected in The Godfather's narrative and characterizations.

April 20, 2026

The Godfather , or The Sovereign

Key Points

The article examines how Thomas Hobbes's concepts of sovereignty are reflected in The Godfather's narrative and characterizations.
Analyzing Thomas Hobbes's political philosophy
Interpreting character traits of the Godfather
Examining the relationship between Mafia authority and state functions
The Godfather character embodies Hobbes's idea of absolute authority over life and death.
Key features of sovereignty are illustrated through the Godfather's actions.
The Mafia's role parallels the state's responsibility in providing protection and exception.

Abstract

Abstract: This article suggests that Thomas Hobbes’s thought accounts for a significant part of The Godfather ’s political philosophy. The figure of the don, as it appears in Mario Puzo’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie trilogy, is a representation of the Hobbesian sovereign. The exception and the protection, the two most prominent features in the definition of sovereignty, determine the character of the Godfather. He embodies both the exception, as an authority who has absolute power over life and death, and the protection, as the head of the Mafia’s prerogative to fulfill the basic functions of the state over the members of his “family.”

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