A Comparison of Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet and Machiavelli’s The Prince
analytical Essay
1083 words
A Comparison of Prince Hamlet and Machiavelli's The Prince
Machiavelli states that "it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how not to be good, and use this knowledge and not use it, according to the necessity of the case." Machiavelli's ideas both compare and contrast to the methods used by Hamlet. Hamlet's desire to drive the king mad and eventually kill him, is what he thinks he must do in order to set things right. Hamlet struggles to maintain his position as prince. Perhaps he lacks the essential qualities of a prince outlined by Machiavelli.
According to Machiavelli, the pursuit of all things regarded as virtuous and praiseworthy will only lead to the prince's ruin. This is completely true in the case of Hamlet, because he is on a quest to avenge his father's death. The battle between good and evil is constantly in the forefront of Hamlet's mind, as he wavers between acting civil or getting revenge outright. In the beginning, Hamlet struggles to remain good at all times, but this causes him extreme anguish. Hamlet is an honest man, who grieves for his father. He suffers because of the dishonesty of the others in the court, especially his mother and his uncle, and later, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is able to see through them all, and realize that they're dishonest. He speaks these words to Guildenstern: "Anything but to th' purpose. You were sent for, and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to colour. I know the good King and Queen have sent for you." (Hamlet, II, ii., 278-280)
Hamlet's honesty is also seen when he is speaking with his mother. In act I, scene ii, Gertrude asks him why the de...
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...e his goal was to get and retain power. He wanted to prove Claudius to be an unfit king, and he did so, but only as Hamlet himself was about to die. Hamlet had to cause grief by killing the king, but in the end, he is seen as a hero, because he unmasked his father's killer.
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 College Writers. 5th edition. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Trans. Hill Thompson. Norwalk: The Easton Press, 1980.
Shakespeare, William. The Three-Text Hamlet. Eds. Paul Bertram and Bernice Kliman. New York: AMS Press, 1991.
In this essay, the author
- Compares prince hamlet and machiavelli's ideas, stating that it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how not to be good.
- Analyzes how the battle between good and evil is constantly in the forefront of hamlet's mind, as he waves between acting civil or getting revenge outright.
- Analyzes how hamlet's honesty is also seen when he is speaking with his mother in act i, scene ii.
- Analyzes how hamlet tells her that his feelings are true, and that he grieves for his father. he reveals this again in his first soliloquy.
- Analyzes how hamlet disregards his morality in order to save himself. he uses his newfound knowledge on how not to be good to trap his uncle.
- Analyzes how hamlet follows what machiavelli professed a prince must do, as he uses his knowledge on how not to be good. his anger at the situation unfolds when his passion overcomes his reason.
- Analyzes how hamlet uses machiavelli's thought on knowing that a prince should know when not to use the knowledge on how not be good, according to the necessity of the case.
- Analyzes how machiavelli's ideas compare and contrast to those used by hamlet. he is a tragic prince who wanted to prove claudius to be an unfit king.
- Cites the following sources: gray, terry a. "mr. william shakespeare and the internet." jones, w. t. masters of political thought.
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