Cruelty In Machiavelli's The Prince

In Machiavelli’s The Prince, he gives advice to princes who are to be the future leaders and how to be successful. He does not tell them exactly how to lead but more of how to keep the people from going against you and how to keep their loyalty. He also states how in politics, a Prince can do what needs to be done to get the results in which he desires.

In The Prince, he states that a Prince should want to be merciful and not cruel. Even though they should be merciful, they should also be aware of people trying to abuse the mercy the Prince has to offer. Those who wreck disorder in only a few scenarios are more merciful than those who let the events play out and allow bloodshed. It will be impossible, however, for a new Prince to not be known for cruelty. When they come into power, these new states are filled with danger. This new Prince must not rush into his new state of power. He should not be so easy to believe or set things into motion, but he should show carefulness around

However, it has been seen that a Prince who has not held his word and has outwitted other by his cunningness, have accomplished many things than those who were trusted for their honesty. He states that a Prince should be both a lion and a fox (3). A Prince should be as strong as a lion and wise like a fox. One cannot just rely on being a lion, but he must rely on both the lion and the fox to keep the peace. Not everyone will be faithful to the Prince and in return, he does not need to be faithful to them. A Prince also does not need to have all excellent traits. He is allowed to show his merciful, humane and religious side, but he is also allowed to show the sides that contradict these traits in order to keep a balance. He gives an example of a present day Prince who preaches and practices both peace and good faith, and due to this lost his authority and his kingdom