Prince Hamlet Versus Machiavellis Prince Essay - 1003 Words

Prince Hamlet Versus Machiavellis Prince The Prince is a celebrated and highly controversial piece of work by the Italian aristocrat Niccolo Machiavelli. His work is a summation of all the qualities a prince must have in order to remain in his position. Machiavelli supports the idea that a prince use his power for the ultimate benefit of all, but he also does not condemn the use of any unpleasant means in order for the prince to maintain his power. His ideas both compare and contrast to the methods used by Prince Hamlet of Denmark in Shakespeares Hamlet. Hamlet, as we know, struggles mightily to maintain his position as the prince, and one must wonder if this is due to some of the highly essential qualities outlined by†¦show more content†¦In the beginning, Hamlet struggles to remain good at all times, but this only causes him extreme anguish. Hamlet must soon come to disregard his sense of morality in order to save himself, which is essentially exactly what Machiavelli professed one must do. He shows little remors e in killing Polonius, and he turns against his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Still, one has to believe that Hamlet is not without a conscience, because his desire for revenge is fulfilled only at the very end as he himself dies. Another point made within Machiavellis writings is that a prince must strive to avoid hatred, yet at the same time, be feared by all those around him. Hamlet most certainly achieved the first goal, for I believe he was highly regarded by all his subjects, but he rarely acted in a way to inspire fear in those around him. Indeed, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstem had no trouble plotting against him, because they had no fear that he would turn against them in a violent or malicious manner. On the other hand, I believe Hamlet was a threat to them once he began acting so insanely, because his actions were much more unpredictable. A key point is that men are fickle and constantly changing, as demonstrated by Hamlet himself, so one must be prepared for any turn of events. Machiavelli goes on to stress that while it can be beneficial to appear a good and honorable man, a prince must always be prepared to resort toShow MoreRelatedAPPEARANCE vs. REALITY IN THE PRINCE AND HAMLET1614 Words   |  7 Pages3. Reality and appearances, or if you prefer, being and acting, are important themes for both Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Why? How do their perspectives on this subject agree or differ? APPEARANCE vs. REALITY IN THE PRINCE AND HAMLET One of the most fundamental questions in philosophy is the appearance vs. reality. We find ourselves asking the question of what is genuinely real, and what is viewed merely as just an appearance, and not real? It becomes difficult when we assume there is