Comparing Macbeth And Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, written nearly a century after Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, is a companion to the work in regard to its treatment of the topics of ambition and power. The relationship between the two works, however, is more complicated than a simple critique or homage. While Shakespeare does seem critical in his portrayal of some aspects of Machiavelli’s principles, his play is not completely ironic in its message; in fact, the ultimate warning of Macbeth seems to be exactly in line with that of The Prince.

One of The Prince’s most significant principles is the idea that “it is much safer to be feared than loved”. Machiavelli explains that the ideal circumstance is to be both feared and loved-- but that if the choice must be made, being …show more content…
In a moment of foreshadowing at the end of his soliloquy, Macbeth specifies that his only motive, ambition, is what leads people to disaster. From a Machiavellian perspective, however, ambition seems a reasonable justification for certain actions. In the Prince, Machiavelli clarifies that violent force may be taken so long as it is justified. Macbeth addresses the topic of violent force as well when he says that “We still have judgement here, that we but teach/ Bloody instructions which, being taught, return/ To plague th’ inventor. This even-handed justice/ Commends th’ ingredience of our own poisoned chalice/ To our own lips.” Though it could be argued by a Machiavellian that Macbeth approaches downfall because his murder of Duncan is not properly justified, Macbeth does not specify the presence or absence of justification when he says violent crimes come back to “plague th’ inventor”. In Shakespeare’s view, any violent crime will eventually lead to disaster for its initiator, no matter how justified it may be; in this way, this portion of Shakespeare’s play still portrays a dissent from Machiavelli’s