Sun Tzu Vs Machiavelli Essay

Shakespeare's Ideal Ruler What do William Shakespeare, an English playwright; Sun Tzu, a Chinese general; and Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian writer, have in common, despite all three being from different times and cultures? Their overlapping views of what makes an ideal ruler, of course. In their books The Art of War and The Prince, Sun Tzu and Machiavelli respectively both expand upon the traits of a model leader in great detail, but of the many qualities they list, there are three that notably overlap: skill in war, the ability to act, and the wisdom to know when to. These three characteristic are all, in some way, shape, or form, present in Shakespeare's plays Macbeth and Hamlet. Queen Elizabeth's reign was widely considered a golden age in England (Briscoe), and certain aspects of her rule met the standards set by Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, and Shakespeare, while others did not. War is a large theme in each of the two books, as it is in reality. However, while Sun Tzu describes war through a general’s point of view, Machiavelli explains it for a prince; thus, we are enabled to view war through the perspectives of two different …show more content…
Having stated that “it is far safer to be feared than loved”, he most likely would have disagreed with Elizabeth’s declaration of “I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your love” (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/queen-elizabeth-i/). Elizabeth, for the most part, chose to rule with love rather than fear. However, this does mean she was hesitant or weak-willed; she was willing and able to go to whatever means were necessary to ensure the stability of her throne (namely the imprisonment and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots *cough cough*). This is in compliance with one of Machiavelli’s policies, that “it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to