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Comparing Machiavelli's The Prince And Julius Caesar

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The Prince and Julius Caesar Paper The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, is a book written to inform readers about political power. It is intended to explain how to gain political power and maintain that power over a governed population. Although much of the book involves the acquirement of power through manipulative and violent ways, Machiavelli explains how the use of unvirtuous acts is not the only way to gain power. Machiavelli talks about how power in a state can best be achieved. The purpose of his novel is to provide readers with a knowledge of how to take over and maintain control of a region. Machiavelli states there are different ways to rise and hold power successfully, and he discusses many different ways to govern a …show more content…

In the beginning, Machiavelli says the ruler should not be concerned with what his people want; however, this does not mean the ruler should not be concerned about having support from his people. Machiavelli simply means a ruler should not go about understanding exactly what the people want and trying to fulfill the needs of the people. A ruler should know whether or not this support exists, and if it does not, he should go about his own ways to acquire this support. Machiavelli talks about different methods to gain this support, but mostly he stresses the importance of the support in helping maintain a calm and controlled rule. Internal support and agreement is crucial in any form of rule. Whether the citizens are convinced to support and do not know of the ruler’s intentions or the citizens genuinely support and agree with the ruler’s decisions, support is what will allow a ruler to continue to rule. The citizens are the backbone of any society, as they make up the majority of the people, so if they do not comply with the ruler’s actions, the societal structure collapses and a new ruler is needed to reorganize the

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