Shakespeare's Hamlet is not simply a morality play about a prince mad with grief; it is a complex study of political maneuvering as described by Machiavelli. “The rules of this politics, the political science of Machiavelli, are therefore the choreographed movements, countermoves and tricks that bring to life the actions of the new successful prince and others. » (Tarlton, 8) Many literary critics approach Machiavelli from Machiavelli's point of view. good versus evil. Machiavelli was neither; he was realistic. Machiavelli recorded his analysis of the events he studied or observed, and thus derived his principles of political science. In this article, the reader will explore Shakespeare's use of Machiavellian politics (as depicted in The Prince) in the storyline of Hamlet. Hamlet's world involves jealousy, murder, family relationships (and their internal struggles), and political intrigue. “All the world is a stage,” wrote Shakespeare; what we see in the theater is simply a truer reflection of our lives. "Being within the scope of action and never above it, there is a limit to what an actor seeking lo stato [the State, referring to the creation of a state by the prince] can ever discover the fiction of il principle nuovo [the new prince] is a means of projecting one's own position as an actor in political situations” (Breiner, 3, 30) We will observe the following Machiavellian principles in Hamlet: Say no to. plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay on the political intrigues that fuel the tension in the play: the new prince's enemy, created by the prince's own actions. prince, the carrying out of hidden plots and deceptions used to both create and reveal them the role of the characters in the play as actors within their own subplots the hidden personal motivations which drive the individual characters Although 'Hamlet begins the play as a somewhat naive prince, he quickly acquires political astuteness and acting talent that rivals even the actor who plays Hamlet. Hamlet must walk a very thin line between deception and truth, action and inaction, and love and hatred. His agonizing journey along this razor's edge crystallizes his goal: to avenge the death of his father. Shakespeare leads the way with a classic example of Machiavelli's political philosophy. In Act I, scene 2, we learn of the death of the Danish king and the subsequent marriage of the queen to her brother Claudius (1638:1-15). The old king, who came to power by right of succession, is replaced by Claude. Claudius hastens to consolidate his power by marrying the queen. “Because men are more seduced by the present than by the past,” it makes sense that he would do so. (Tarlton, 3) The marriage takes place in the two months following the king's death: “But two dead months! No, not so much, not two,” says Hamlet (1641: 138). Claudius continues the Danish tradition of a wedding feast followed by a night of drunken revelry (1641:125). The new king's political actions serve to emphasize the Machiavellian aspects of the play: "Machiavelli becomes truly interested when the hereditary prince is overthrown, the new prince is born, and the new political world, full of dangers, comes to life. » (Tarlton, 2)Claudius, as the new king, has already created a formidable enemy, Prince Hamlet. The rapid remarriage of Hamlet's mother, the queen, is a moral outrage against Hamlet and violates Machiavelli's restriction in chapter 17 of The Prince: "He [the prince] can very well bear to be feared, while heis not hated, which will always be the case. as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and their women. (1494) By taking his brother's wife as his own, Claudius gave Hamlet a powerful reason to hate him, in addition to Hamlet's all-consuming grief (1640:85). "The very situation which gives him [Claudius] the opportunity to act also offers his adversaries a new opportunity to take away his condition." (Breiner, 2) In Act I, scene 5, Hamlet learns from the ghost of his father: “The serpent that stole your father's life now wears his crown” The ghost reveals what Hamlet already said was true: the murder of the former king by his brother Claudius (1651: 38). Hamlet, seeing the truth of the "wrong" he felt, is convinced that he must avenge his father's death "Hurry me to find out, so that I, with wings as swift as meditation or." thoughts of love, I can fly towards my revenge... O my prophetic soul! (1651:30-40) The reader is now drawn into a complex Machiavellian conspiracy, in which Shakespeare makes extensive use of Machiavelli's precept, "He who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived." (1496) The Take Hamlet's awareness of the deception employed by his uncle, however, weakens him by the ghost's message. Hamlet no longer trusts appearances; knowing that his uncle is playing a big deception, he doesn't know whether the ghost is honest or not. In fact, Hamlet no longer trusts anyone, even Polonius, Hamlet tells Polonius, "to be honest, in the present state of the world, it is to be one man among ten thousand" (1662: 174). friends also, "My two school friends, in whom I will trust as I will fangs the adders..." (1692: 203) At the Danish court, Claudius succeeds in deceiving his brother, hiding his thirst for power (and his thirst for queenship) behind a smiling face and lying lips, Claude also manages to deceive the entire court about the death of his brother; Hamlet is the only courtier who senses that something is wrong: “I doubt [that I perceive] foul play; I wish night would come! Vile deeds will arise, even if the whole earth overwhelms them, in the sight of men. » (1644: 260) “The third phase of princely action requires that the prince make a feint; a moving or invisible target is the most difficult to hit. » (Tarlton, 7) The importance of this skill for Hamlet is found in chapter 18 of The Prince, where Machiavelli writes: “Everyone sees what you seem to be; few of them experience what you truly are. » (1497) The art of successful feinting must be taught to nobles, particularly in the field of fencing. The assassin's blade was as adept in the hall as it was in the council chamber. Hamlet chooses to use his own deceptive scheme to discover the truth about his father's death. Additionally, he plans to use his affected madness as an excuse for his eventual revenge. Claudius (1647:170) Hamlet knows that “the actions of friends and enemies will be based on what they regard as the prince. » (Tarlton, 7) What better defense for his actions than the fact that the afflicted prince has lost his own. and, in a fit of rage, murdered his uncle? Hamlet extends and intensifies his deception with the arrival of the theater troupe, he creates a play within his own play, within the overall play "The play is the thing in which I will catch the conscience of the king," said Hamlet (1671:552). The action in Hamlet's play reflects the actual events of the former king's death; the words he wrote to accompany the action scene are intended to provoke a response from the wrong one; conscience of Claudius. "For murder, even if it has no language, will speak... I will ask the players to play something>.