Prince Hamlet vs. Machiavelli's Prince The Prince is a famous and highly controversial play by the Italian aristocrat Niccolò Machiavelli. His work is the sum of all the qualities that a prince must possess to remain in his place. Machiavelli supports the idea of ​​a prince using his power for the ultimate benefit of all, but he also does not condemn the use of unpleasant means in order for the prince to maintain his power. His ideas compare and contrast with the methods used by Prince Hamlet of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet, as we know, struggles mightily to maintain his position as a prince, and one must wonder whether this is due to some of the highly essential qualities outlined by Machiavelli that Hamlet lacks. Machiavelli states that a prince must always be prepared for war, even in times of peace. A prince's profession is that of war and all the training, discipline, and study that goes with it. Hamlet certainly did not follow these guidelines. At the beginning of the play, Denmark was facing the threat of war from Norway, but war with another country seemed to be the furthest thing from Hamlet's mind. Hamlet was too concerned with his father's death and his mother's remarriage to even consider the safety of the nation. Machiavelli also believes that a prince should not hesitate to act wrongly to protect himself and his throne. He states, "...it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain his position to learn not to be good...." (A World of Ideas 38). According to his philosophy, the pursuit of all things considered virtuous and praiseworthy will only lead to the prince's downfall. The battle between goo...... middle of paper ......r in the mind to suffer the slingshots and darts of an outraged fate, or to take up arms against a sea of ​​troubles and, countering them, pose end" (Hamlet 127). Hamlet found that he could no longer suffer and struggled to the end to drown the heavy burdens of his soul. Sources cited and consulted: Gray, Terry A. "Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet." http://www.palomar.edu/Library/shake.htm.Jones, W.T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner and Sait. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for University Writers Boston, MA: Bedford/St Martin, 1998. Machiavelli, The Prince Hill Thompson, William and Bernice Kliman, New York: AMS Press, 1991.