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According to Machiavelli, jealousy is first of all the mainspring of the rivalry between the powerful Goddess Fortune and men of virtù, on whom Fortune smiles only to destroy. Jealousy therefore entails challenge and emulation, which moves men to act. Second, jealousy is the expression of envy in the conflict of ambitions between great men, which comes to destroy civil peace. Lastly, it is the vain desire to identify with the desire of the other, producing confusion in the humours of the social forces, the Great and the People—desire for power on one side, and desire for freedom on the other. The social divide between the two, however, is essential for civil life and the republic. Strength or weakness, the curse of jealousy is its ambiguity.